MIGF 2014 Review – Sagano Japanese Restaurant & Dynasty Chinese Restaurant at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel

[Food & Beverage – MIGF 2014 Feature]

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Now as two of Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel’s restaurants are participating in the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2014 namely their Chinese Restaurant Dynasty and Japanese Restaurant Sagano, I decided that it would be more practical if I could sample both menus during one visit and the nice folks over at the hotel managed to arrange just that for me in Dynasty.

Dynasty Chinese Restaurant [Non-Halal]

The menu at Dynasty was prepared by Executive Sous Chef Kok Chee Kin who prepared a menu that captures the finest flavours of Cantonese cuisine and you can expect elegant, healthy Asian simplicity, including Pan-fried Dragon Beard Prawns with Green Tea, stuffed Peking Duck, Seared Hokkaido Scallop and Mushroom Blossom.

This was my first time having a Chinese MIGF menu so I was quite intrigued to see what they would put up and how they would present it. After all, Chinese food is really not known for nice presentation.

FESTIVAL MENU

Appetizers

Pan-fried dragon beard prawn with green tea, stuffed Peking duck, seared Hokkaido scallop & mushroom blossom

This was once beautifully presented dish. Who would think that a Chinese dish would be presented like this? We were so impressed that we actually spent 5 minutes photographing this dish before actually eating it. All three items tasted as good as they looked and this was certainly a very good start to the meal.

Soup

Ginseng, white & summer greens, fish maw consommé

Talk about a healthy soup! Not only was it healthy it was flavourful too and nicely balanced with sweetness coming from the ingredients versus the slightly bitter taste of the ginseng. We drank every last drop of this soup.

Mains

Drunken chicken timbale, stewed whole abalone with chestnuts & fruit jujubes

You can’t go wrong with abalone which was undoubtedly the star of this dish. In fact we almost forgot that the chicken timbale was there and we used it to soak up the sauce on the plate.

Steamed king prawns with Chinese wine & wheat vermicelli

The prawn was big and juicy while the broth was nice and sweet from the Chinese wine. I ended up eating most of the smooth vermicelli with the broth as my partner in crime was pretty full by this point. In fact I do think that the chef intentionally added in the vermicelli to this dish for the males as this was rather filling.

Desserts

Chilled organic pumpkin puree with sago & bird’s nest, coconut ice cream

Birds nest! Wow you really get what you pay for at Dynasty. As it was in a shooter glass with the sweet pumpkin puree and sago you could easily just drink it in one shot. The rich coconut ice cream was nicely balanced by the berries and almonds. A nice end to the pretty decadent meal.

I was quite impressed with the presentation of the dishes (especially the appetiser, the abalone, and the dessert. The chef obviously put some thought into the presentation. The use of quality ingredients (scallops, kind prawn, abalone, bird’s nest) was another plus point.

Dynasty Restaurant’s Full Festival Menu is priced at RM188.00++ per person (without wine) and RM238.00++ per person (with wines).

The Light Festival Menu (without wines) consists of appetizers, soup, choice of one (1) main and is priced at RM158.00++.

Sagano Japanese Restaurant

This menu was prepared by Chef de Cuisine Michael Koh who previously worked in renowned hotels and exotic vacation destinations such as Maldives, Papua New Guinea and Bali, and brings his wealth of experience in to Sagano Japanese Restaurant. His cuisine draws from his encounters with the variety of cultures and food in faraway destinations, which inspired him to add a contemporary twist on his Japanese dishes. Chef Michael uses both local and imported ingredients for his creations, while emphasizing on the simplicity of the dishes to produce exquisite flavours and textures.

We got to try the full festival menu (without wine) and this was actually my very first time having a Japanese MIGF menu.

FESTIVAL MENU

APPETIZERS

Salmon sashimi on cold inaniwa udon with ikura

The salmon sashimi was nice and fresh and the lovely ikura (roe) was nice and big and burst in your mouth when you bite it. I think that the udon was there more to fill you up although it was quite nice.

Live tiger prawn, capellin tempura, Chicken jibuni style and BBQ mackerel with roe

My favourite in this dish was actually the BBQ mackerel which was covered with roe! What a burst of flavours indeed! The tiger prawn was juicy while the tempura was nice and crispy.

SOUP

Hokkaido scallop and seabass in dashi broth

The broth was so sweet and flavourful and we just couldn’t get enough of it. The scallop and seabass still had some flavour left in them although I do think most was imparted to the broth.

MAINS

Grillled lobster with homemade cream gratin accompanied with grilled marinated cod & miso

This one was really nice! Perhaps it was the combination of such fine ingredients cooked perfectly and the contrast of flavours on the plate. The creamy lobster was a joy to eat while the grilled cod provided some savoury flavours to offset the richness.

Beancurd rolled in pan-seared wagyu sirloin with moromiso sauce

This was a dainty little dish which offered lots of variation in taste and textures. The wagyu was beautifully cooked and so tender while the beancurd was firm yet soft. My favourite dish of the night!

Unagi and mushroom rice wrapped in egg with honey teriyaki glaze

I can never say no to a well grilled unagi and this was exactly that. Delicious, tender and flavourful with the sweetness of the teriyaki glaze balanced it out beautifully. The paper-thin egg showcased the chef’s skill while the fried rice was fragrant and good to fill you up if you can still eat more.

DESSERT

Green tea ce cream pancake and selection of mochi

I’m not really a big fan of desserts so she had most of these. I liked the ice cream though!

I must say that I was pretty impressed with the menu. One thing is that you actually get decent sized portions of quality ingredients (not some itsy bitsy dishes which will leave you hungry after the meal and headed to the nearest mamak to pack some Maggi goreng) and by the time you reach dessert you will be full (I’m a big eater). I think girls would probably ignore the carbs like the udon and rice but it’s just nice for guys.

The Full Festival Menu at Sagano is priced at RM188.00++ per person (without Sake) and RM238.00++ per person (with Sake).

The Light Festival Menu (without wine/ sake) consisting of appetizers, soup, choice of one (1) main and dessert, and is pieced at RM158.00++.

Festival diners will also enjoy a host of privileges such as:-