[Valentine’s Day Special]

 

If you don’t want to go to one of the mainstream restaurants and bump into every Tom, Dick and Harry there you might want to opt for something different and consider Nook at Aloft KL Sentral.

Nook is Aloft KL Sentral’s all day dining restaurant but don’t discount them as a run-of-the-mill all-day dining restaurant as they have demonstrated that their culinary team is more than capable of producing some pretty remarkable dishes as the line of trophies (see the little golden statuettes on the shelf?) won during last year’s MIGF will attest to!

The ambience at Nook is not the most romantic there is as the outlet was designed to be chic and modern, but I must say that I was pretty impressed by their good their service which was much better than a lot of establishments that I’ve visited in KL. I think it’s due to the fact that most of the service staff are locals which can converse comfortably in English, and are actually knowledgeable about their menu.

Anyway here’s a look at the menu:

 

Starter

Seductive Seared Scallop with Scrumptious Salmon

Pan seared scallop accompanied with salmon gravlax & pickled shallot served with mango salsa, citrus bite & ginger scallion pesto

Paired with the a-mour Martini @ Lust Essence

Two of my favourite seafood items in the same dish! I must have died and gone to heaven! This dish has a lot going on and was a combination of so many different flavours – savoury from the salon and scallop, sweet and sour from the mango salsa, with some pesto and caviar to boot! The salmon and the scallop were fresh and beautifully cooked and I had a good time mixing and matching the salmon and the scallop with the different ingredients on the plate.

This dish was paired with the a-mour Martini which is essentially vodka with strawberry juice. A nice refreshing cocktail to go with the amazing starter!

 

 

Soup

Passionate Prawn bisque

Creamy jumbo shrimp in highly seasoned soup with seafood tower

The well-seasoned and flavourful broth complemented the milder flavours of the seafood tower. The juicy prawn on the top was pretty fresh and nicely cooked. We couldn’t make out what the white thing at the base of the tower was though but it did go nicely with the broth.

 

Raspberry + rose petal sorbet

I must admit that I tried to eat the rose petal but gave up after a few chews and decided to consume the refreshing raspberry and rose sorbet instead. It was so good I pretty much finished the entire thing which is somewhat unusual as I normally just take a few spoonfuls to cleanse the palate in preparation for the mains. That’s right…I said “mains” and it’s not a typo as you get two (2) mains!

 

Mains

Baked Breathtaking Barramundi Fillet

Oven-baked spicy crusted barramundi enriched with herbs, butter & a twist of squid ink ‘Alfredo’ style

Paired with the Gerard Bertrand Viognier 2011

The spicy crust of the barramundi imparted some nice flavours to the fish but to me the highlight of this dish was the creamy squid ink pasta covered in Alfredo sauce. My only gripe is that there was so little of it! Give me more of that delicious pasta!

This dish was paired with the Gerard Bertrand Viognier 2011 which is a medium- to full-bodied wine with aromatic and citrus aromas. This wine is pretty dry and intense on the palate.

 

The Gerard Bertrand Viognier 2011 (L) and the Gerard Bertrand Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (R)

 

Stuffed Rack of Love

Grilled lamb chop served with Haricot vert, puree of pomme & truffle essence enhanced with fricassee Chanterelle sauce

Paired with the Gerard Bertrand Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Cooked to medium as recommended by the chef, the lamb was juicy, tender and well seasoned. The lamb jus and Chanterelle sauce went with it very well although I must say that the lamb was good enough to eat on its own. The Haricot vert and veges on the side added some variation in texture and flavour but to be honest my attention was pretty much on the awesome lamb. This was my favourite dish of the night and in my opinion is one of the best I’ve had at Nook (yes even rivalling the dishes on their MIGF menu!).

The lamb was paired with Gerard Bertrand Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 which on the nose had notes of spices, candied fruits and toast. This fruity, concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon gives out hints of blackcurrant and blueberry aromas, while on the palate it is smooth, with a spicy finish of pepper and coriander. A wine to balance out the flavours of the lamb.

Now if you don’t eat lamb do inform Nook when you book so that they can come up with another option for you.

 

 

Dessert

Ginger white chocolate trifle with strawberry ‘desire’

Paired with Sparkling Tahuna Rose

I’m really not a dessert person but I really couldn’t stop eating this one until my partner in crime stopped me. The ginger white chocolate trifle (in the little jar) with its layers of cream, fruit and sponge cake was really delicious, had hints of white chocolate and ginger, and surprisingly was not overly sweet. Girls though will undoubtedly enjoy the pair of chocolate dipped strawberries on the side. This dessert paired well with the Sparkling Tahuna Rose from New Zealand which imparted its soft, aromatic and fruity flavours to balance out the dessert.

 

 

As this visit was on a Saturday night, we noticed that there weren’t that many guests dining there, probably due to the fact that Aloft is mainly a business hotel and has most of their guests on weekdays. As Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday night this year, Nook might just be a good option if you don’t want to dine in a crowded restaurant. 

The special Valentine’s Day menu at Nook is priced at RM228.00 nett per couple or RM338.00 nett per couple with beverage pairing. Seeing as each person get two (2) mains I honestly think that this menu is a great option indeed!

 

Nook is located at:

Level 1, Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral,

5 Jalan Stesen Sentral,

Kuala Lumpur Sentral,

50470 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia.

 

Operating Hours: Open daily from 6.00am to 12.00am

Telephone: +603 2723 1154

email: nook.03758@alofthotels.com

Website: www.alofhotels.com/kualalumpursentral

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AloftKualaLumpurSentral

 

I’ve also prepared a guide to Valentine’s Day 2015 which includes special promotions by 14 restaurants and 2 florists which you can read here – https://timchew.net/2015/01/19/7-restaurants-for-valentines-day-dinner-2015/