Degustation @ Bistro a Table

The title of Bistro a Table's degustation menu for September: 'Oldie But Goody,' celebrating the beauty of aging with culinary components that have stood the test of time.

A taste of brandy that's double my age: the playfully presented foie gras "liverpop," steeped in 1945 Armagnac. This brandy's intoxicating perfume thoroughly permeated the ultra-luscious chunk of goose liver terrine, held aloft like a lollipop & blanketed with petal-thin apple slices & a brittle swirl of caramel threads.

Moving further back in time, with tomato strains from a pre-World War II origin: a zingy heirloom tomato tart, tinged with white balsamic vinegar. The mascarpone ice cream topping was made using Chef Isadora's new toy, an RM18,000 Swiss PacoJet machine that can whip up a liter of ice cream in 15 minutes. We'll hear more about it soon (lobster roe ice cream, anyone?).

No ordinary mushroom risotto, this one was flooded with fragrant wild chanterelles, morels & "trompette de la mort," translated as "trumpets of death." Irreproachably al dente & topped with 30-month aged Parmagiano-Regiano cheese for a gritty texture & nutty taste. This recipe made us wish that Chef Isadora would start a full-fledged Italian restaurant.

"Chianina" is a word we rarely hear; it refers to an Italian cattle breed that is one of the world's oldest, cultivated for more than 2,200 years. This pink-fleshed sirloin was lean but featured sufficient flavor to hold its own against other beef. Served with duck fat-roasted chats, charred baby savoy & an emulsion of foie gras & marrow.

A century in the making: guava tart tartin with vanilla bean ice cream & 100-year-old balsamic vinegar, to finish with a flamboyantly syrupy flourish.

Besides all that, here are some highlights from Bistro a Table's current a la carte menu. Check out the charcuterie board: horse salami (yucky? neigggh! this pleasurably chewy, intensely savory sausage is a triumph), house-cured duck prosciutto (fabulously fatty, reminiscent of siew yuk) & 30-month Asiago & Robiola (delicately nuanced Italian cheeses).

Sea robin, also known as gurnard, a fish known for its majestic pectoral fin, which flaps like a bird in flight when it swims close to the ocean floor.

This sashimi-grade gurnard is cooked en papillote (in a parchment) to seal its moisture & flavor. Topped with a salty puree of anchovies, garlic & parsley.

Burratina Pugliese, a southern Italian cheese comprising a creamy center of shredded mozzarella & fresh cream, bound together in a pouch with an outer layer of stretched mozzarella. Partnered here with Roma tomatoes & charred capsicum puree.

Bistro a Table,

Jalan 17/54, Petaling Jaya.

Bistro42

Revised name, revamped menu: T Forty Two at Bangsar Village has become Bistro42 _ possibly The BIG Group's crown jewel as far as food as is concerned.

The selection is more decadent and delightful than before. This melted goat's cheese on toasted brioche with hazelnuts & honey tastes as warmly glorious as it looks. A Breakfast of Champions indeed, available all day long.

Among Bistro42's slew of heavy recipes for hearty eaters, the coq au vin might wallow comfortably in a Parisian bistro. This superbly seasoned stew comprises half a chicken _ roasted, then slow-braised in white wine with shallots, mushrooms, smoky beef bacon & ciabatta chunks.

Scallop & prawn omelet with lobster bisque sauce. Sadly, prices here have shot up, commensurate with the caliber of the cuisine. This omelet is the most expensive starter at RM39.90++, but that's also how much the cheapest main courses cost.

Baked orecchiette with lamb meatballs, sausages, Mediterranean spices & fresh mascarpone, feta & mozzarella. Diners will require caloric carte blanche to consume this hefty pot of pasta, swollen with cheese & carbs at their most weight-threatening.

Fight flab with Bistro42's spring salad, aptly described on the menu as "a riot of colors" with edible flowers, veggies & chopped nuts in ranch sauce. The dressing is less than ideal, but the carrots, cauliflower & legumes are as guilt-free as it gets.

The piece de resistance: an astonishing pear-&-avocado salad, tossed with arugula, white balsamico, shaved parmigiano-reggiano & toasted pine nuts. One of 2011's most delicious salads, raising the bar even higher for The BIG Group.

"Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." That childhood refrain popped in our mind as we carved up this spiced pineapple tart with gingerbread ice cream. Desserts here always leave us smiling.

Mont Blanc, essentially pavlova with marron ribbons encasing ferrero roche candy. This might look unappetizing, but the combination of chocolate & chestnut-flavored cream with crisp meringue was a triumphant textural treat.

Lychee jelly & elder flower pannacotta, a silky-smooth, cool concoction with beautifully fruity & floral flavors.

Mocha & blackcurrant marshmallows. Could marshmallows be the next macarons?

Bistro42's specialty cocktails comprise fascinating tea-based mixes. Here are the Elder Chamomile Flower (gin, chamomile tea, elder flower syrup, lemon juice) & White Sangria (rum, white wine, cointreau, lemonade, mixed fruits).

Oolong Mojito (rum, lime, sugar, mint leaves, oolong tea) & Watermelon Mar-Tea-Ni (vodka, green tea, watermelon liquor)

Peppermint Appletini (vodka, peppermint tea, apple juice) & Lemon Meringue Martini (vodka, limoncello, sugar, fresh milk, lemon juice).

Bistro 42,
Bangsar Village, Kuala Lumpur.

Degustation @ Bistro a Table

Bistro a Table has kicked off its once-a-month degustation dinners, giving Chef Isadora Chai the freedom to flex her culinary chops in the most invigorating fashion.

The theme for August was "Everything Weird & Wonderful" _ a description befitting of this whimsically dubbed Traffic Light Soup, a pulpy puree of sprightly, mouth-puckering flavors, featuring ox heart tomatoes, yellow peppers & sorrel leaves with smoked creme fraiche.

Kataifi-wrapped chevre (goat cheese) in blended beetroot. The stinging pungency of the cheese was winningly tempered by the sweetly earthy beetroot mash, with their combined viscosity held together by a crisp, feather-light coat of phyllo pastry.

Irish oyster with yuzu dressing. A complimentary bonus, not on the formal menu.

Duck tongues with quince aioli & flash-fried squid. Why do ducks need tongues? There's likely a scientific reason, but we'd like to imagine it's meant to facilitate the existence of this bravura recipe _ what sounded like a bar snack on paper was presented as a work of art, elevated enormously by French-kissed flourishes.

Cannelloni of seared scallops & school prawns in lobster bisque & "buah keluak" black nut tapenade. How many influences can a chef fuse in one recipe? Cannelloni is Italian, buah keluak is Indonesian, while bisque and tapenade are French. Three's not a crowd here; this gastronomic menage a trois is smoky and sultry, stirring the senses with a smooth, sweat-salty passion.

Stuffed cured quail with lingonberries, cassis jus & caramelized salsify. The heartiest of all these courses; the use of uncommon components made this meal's RM380+ price tag justifiable.

Champagne, pineapple & vanilla bean granita. The first of two desserts; think of this as a heady cocktail, frozen in suspended animation to crystallize its sparkling flavors.

Ode to Newton, an "anti-gravity" confection. Let this pamphlet explain.

The result: probably the most creatively concocted dessert we've had so far this year.

Add RM120+ to have various French wines paired with each course. Wholly worthwhile.

Bistro a Table,

6, Jalan 17/54, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7931-2831

Bistro a Table

Bistro a Table: Round Four. Earlier entries: June 9, June 12 & July 21.

More from Bistro's refreshed menu: seared U.S. scallops with wilted endives & mandarin jus. Succulent stuff, tuned up with a tangy orange twist that tangoed on our taste buds.

Goat's cheese & pear salad with witlof. For customers who feel that some of this restaurant's recipes sag beneath a buttery, cholesterol-laden weight, this crisp salad might supply guilt-free respite, with dairy goodness & heart-healthy hazelnuts.

Wine-stewed Boston Bay blue mussels in thyme broth. Top-notch mollusks, with a super-fresh juiciness that we seldom see whenever mussels surface in seafood pastas and buffet counters elsewhere. Swimming in a rich, aromatic broth that spurred us to lick our bowl and spoons clean.

Hillside lamb rack with pink pepper jus & Savoy cabbage. Probably the best of Aussie lamb, perfectly prepared. Somewhat simple compared to Bistro a Table's more elaborate recipes, but every bit as satisfying. Great meat requires few frills.

French white chocolate creme brulee with passion fruit pulp. This dessert will be part of a set menu on Wednesday, July 27, when Bistro hosts its first Singles Night at its communal table (romance will be in the air!). Looked like run-of-the-mill creme brulee, but boasted a luscious texture reminiscent of creamy mousse. The flavor was fantastic too, taking things beyond the vanilla variety.

White jasmine tea & champagne poached pear in sabayon-like cherry cream. Not to be gobbled in haste, since the intriguing infusion of tea & champagne provides subtle sensations that demand a little extra time and effort to properly relish.

Sixty Drops Sauvignon Blanc 2010 & Terrazas Malbec 2009.

Bistro a Table,

6, Jalan 17/54, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7931-2831

Bistro a Table

Returning to Bistro a Table to see what's cooking these days.

Earlier entries: June 9 & June 12.

If an idle kitchen is the Devil's workshop, then Bistro a Table is securely in heaven. Much of the menu has changed since last month, with chef Isadora keeping busy by creating new pleasures, like cute little escargot pies baked with Cafe de Paris butter.

Brilliance in a bowl: French onion soup featuring a scoop of vanilla ice cream (!!!). The ice cream was so dense, it scarcely seemed to melt, but when we stirred it up, little by little, breaking the parmesan cracker, it imbued the hot, beefy broth with breathtaking sumptuousness. Savor this slowly, letting the components mingle and magically reveal the sum of their complexities.

Duck & raisin saucisson with lingonberry sauce. A harmonious blend of French and Scandinavian sensibilities; essentially dry-cured sausages, with a coarse, meaty mouthfeel that went very well with the faintly sweet, lightly jammy sauce.

Mushroom ravioles with goat's curd & pea mash. Another recipe that soared like a culinary symphony, with earthy, musky & sweet flavors playing off each other. Even the textures were a thrill; the mushrooms were gritty, the curd was creamy, and the pasta skin was like a soft, smooth blanket that held everything warmly together.

Stuffed quail with beetroot & orange salad. Tender cured meat that was really salty, but intentionally so. Once we mixed it with the potato mash & salad, it all made sense.

Pakistani mango pavlova with bitter lime rinds & white chocolate. One of 2011's most memorable desserts; Pakistani mangoes are much-coveted, thanks to their powerfully ripe flavor and rich fragrance. This combination of top-shelf ingredients was unparalleled, producing the best pavlova we've ever had.

Chateau Peyruchet Blanc 2010 & Chateau Peyruchet Rouge 2008.

Terrazas Malbec 2009.

Bistro a Table,

6, Jalan 17/54, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7931-2831