Kofuku

A sprawling venue with serenity assured, thanks to a severe lack of customers.

Kofuku's menu leans toward the conservative; we wondered how often (or rarely) the menu is revamped. Nevertheless, the tuna belly & hokkigai sushi tasted respectably fresh and juicy on this not-too-recent weeknight.

Kofuku Maki, featuring soft-shell crab, avocado, cucumber, fish roe & mayo. Competently executed, but too similar to what scores of other Japanese outlets serve. We expected something more, since this signature roll bears the restaurant's name.

Zosui porridge with chicken & egg in an earthen pot, served with pickles. Hot and hearty, but a bit too bland to really recommend. An extra ingredient _ pork perhaps, except that Kofuku cannot serve it _ might have instilled the essential oomph.

Our familiar refrain when the food is merely so-so: booze makes everything better.

Kofuku,

Seri Pacific Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Mikan

Mikan: Round Two. Earlier entry: April 5.

Sashimi platter, featuring amaebi, tai & tako. Mikan lets customers customize their sashimi selection, choosing only the fish & seafood that they want (for a fixed price). Thankfully, everything we ordered for this tasted irreproachable.

Jumbo ebi tempura. Some of the most massive prawns around, seemingly more than a foot long. Insanely addictive too, with sweet, succulent flesh coated in light, crunchy batter.

Avocado maki. Sticky rice, creamy avocado, crisp seaweed _ a can't-fail combo.

Seafood croquette. Served fresh and steaming-hot; excellent for snacking.

Comfort food: tender, flavorsome beef cheeks in rich, thick Japanese curry.

Fish broth. The chunks of (unidentifiable) fish were bony, but the soup tasted healthy.

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

Pinot Noir. Red, red wine, stay close to meeeeeeee....

Mikan,

Maju Junction, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

Upper Deck

Upper Deck: Round Two. Earlier entry: August 11.

Wrapping up our look at Upper Deck's inaugural set menu, here's a decadent appetizer: cappellacci stuffed with creamy butternut squash, topped with sea urchin & Avruga caviar. We nearly never use the word "orgasmic" to describe food, but if forced to, we'd point to this dish.

Smoked duck consomme, cooked with duck fat, complemented by ox tongue ravioli, chives & black trumpet mushrooms. The soup tasted intriguingly like bak kut teh (!) _ delightfully delicious. Loved the ravioli too, filled with flavorsome morsels of meat.

The only misfire here: oven-roasted yellow tail with braised kohlrabi in fennel broth. The hamachi tasted a tad too fishy to recommend.

Lamb rack, with a granola bar crust for a sweetly crunchy twist. Note the shrewdly assembled accompaniments, underscoring an eye for detail: forest mushroom soil, spiced peach chutney, caramelized onion tarte tartin & baby vegetable nicoise. If you're craving lamb, come here.

Slow-roasted 1824 tenderloin & cheek with Zinfandel reduction, rainbow carrots & swede puree. Magnificent meat, smooth to slice through, with deep, bold flavors. One of the most satisfying steaks we've had, rivaling the best of Prime & Mandarin Grill.

As with before, desserts here are workmanlike compared to the earlier courses.

But though these look like buffet table cakes, they're discernibly fresher & creamier.

Prosecco, to sip as a cover version of Joni Mitchell's "River" wafts in the background.

Campogrande Orvieto Classico DOC (Umbria, Italy) & Brancott Montana Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand).

Graham's Fine Tawny port wine, for a sweet finish.

Upper Deck @ Tanzini,

Level 29, G Tower, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2168-1899

Mosaic

The Mandarin Oriental unveiled Mosaic this month, a dazzlingly designed venue that succeeds Biba's Cafe as the hotel's 24-hour flagship eatery.

Buffets are the dominant draw, but since we weren't feeling like a feast, we foraged through Mosaic's a la carte menu instead. However, the kitchen might have been swamped with Ramadan diners, resulting in offerings that sometimes missed the mark.

MO Cobb Salad with fire-roasted corn, avocado, quail eggs, blue cheese & smoked chicken. Naturally, prices here are high, but this bowl contained unexpectedly meager ingredients for RM38++. Check out Arthur's at the Shangri-La for a more satisfyingly lavish Cobb salad.

An entire page on Mosaic's menu is dedicated to eggs cooked in diverse styles. The Eggs Royale (RM38++) with smoked salmon, hash browns & tomatoes were not bad, but would have been better with runnier yolks.

Spanakopita _ pastry stuffed with spinach & feta cheese. This probably came from Casbah downstairs, but we recall it being cheaper at Casbah. Instead of paying RM28++ for these three tiny triangles, maybe we should have opted for Mosaic's buffet after all.

Thankfully, two European-inspired desserts were an indulgent delight. We really liked this praline turron _ a creamy, chocolatey Spanish confection given an Asian twist with Sarawak pepper for a pleasurably spicy sensation. Well worth the RM18++.

A beautifully baked blend of cheesecake & southern France's Nougat de Montelimar (RM24++), packed with honey & pistachios and partnered with stewed apples & roast almonds.

To escape the buffet crowd, head for the hotel's Lounge on the Park, freshly reopened with a moody-cool look after four months of refurbishment.

Chilean Chardonnay (Errazuriz, Casablanca Valley), RM36++ by the generously filled glass.

Cocktails here are constantly and comfortingly creative. Spicy Mango Chelada (Tiger beer, mango chili infusion, fresh lime) & Malay Mojito (Havana Silver Rum, mint, Melaka palm sugar, fresh lime). Prices start at RM30++.

Service at both outlets is sterling, befitting of the Mandarin Oriental's reputation.

Mosaic & Lounge On The Park,

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Upper Deck

Tanzini has formally opened its 29th-floor pavilion for nightly dining, calling it "Upper Deck" _ a standalone restaurant with its own chef, a unique menu & a warm new look.

There are no a la carte selections here. Instead, customers are restricted to a set menu, with prices fixed at RM155++ for four courses, RM185++ for five and RM215++ for six. The menu will likely be changed every few weeks.

Upper Deck's food is tastier than Tanzini's downstairs. Loved the crab tartare _ densely packed, elegantly plated & gently seasoned with herbs that evoked a European garden's fragrance.

Baby lobster tail _ firm and juicy _ blanketed in an apple mint sheet & partnered with aged balsamico, three types of full-bodied heirloom tomatoes & ravioli stuffed with basil sauce. An excellent ensemble, one of the most satisfying starters we've savored this year.

Scallop carpaccio in crab roe emulsion. Fragile slices of luscious mollusks, combining forces with a wondrously creamy sauce to unleash a luxurious sweetness.

For a completely different take on scallops: a caramelized one, firm and meaty, with edamame puree. We preferred the raw preparation, but both were delicious.

Palate cleanser of apple & candied ginger sorbet. A frosty, refreshingly tangy intermezzo for this dinner's symphony of seafood. By the way, meat is also available at Upper Deck, of course, but let's leave that for another time.

Chilled Momotaro tomato succo with tiger prawn salsa timbale & apple mint oil. A memorable gazpacho-like recipe with vibrant hues & a perky taste that was both pleasantly piquant & softly saccharine. And no, that's not a marijuana leaf there.

The highlight of this meal (and one of our favorite recipes of 2011): Pacific rainbow trout with sweet corn "risotto," black truffle shavings & Styrian pumpkin seed oil. Possibly a perfect recipe, melding earthy & oceanic flavors to create pure ambrosia.

Desserts seem far less creative, but this sampler of sugary & fruity treats mostly hits the right notes for a fulfilling finish.

Also worth noting: service is stellar, with a team that oozes charm & consideration.

Adamo Tanzini (vodka, apple sour, apple juice) & Summertini (absolut vodka mandarin, lychee liquor, orange, cranberry juice). Martinis at their most marvelous.

Santa Cristina Rosso IGT (Tuscany).

Cigar lovers can head to the adjoining Trinidad cigar lounge to puff away.

Children are banned from Upper Deck, so a calm evening is assured. The restaurant opens only for dinner, except on Sundays.

All in all, an exquisite experience; if Upper Deck can keep this up, it'll be one of our most highly recommended restaurants.

Upper Deck @ Tanzini,

Level 29, G Tower, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2168-1899