MIGF 2015 Review – The Oak Room at Nexus, Bangsar South

[MIGF Special]

The Oak Room joined the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival for the first time (ie. this year – 2015) and while it is normally only exclusive to members, for the month of October it is open to the public in order that everyone will get a chance to enjoy their special festival menu.

The Oak Room’s Chef Fong Teck Fei has specially crafted a festival menu that aims to send diners to the moon and back; in line with the theme of “Galactic Chefs”. The menu features a blend of Western Contemporary cuisine with Japanese influences.

Chef Fong has more than 14 years experience in the culinary industry and specializes in Western cuisine. He has an accomplished culinary career having previously worked with top hotels such as Genting Hotel, Pan Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Mandarin Oriental and Nikko Hotel Kuala Lumpur prior to his stint at The Oak Room in Bangsar South.

His love of food and cooking began at a young age, having watched his mother prepare the family’s daily meals in the kitchen – he began to involve himself in the preparation and cooking; picking up tips and tricks which still continue to inspire him to this day. With a jovial yet no-nonsense character, Chef Fong likes to express his creativity and believes in exploring new flavours and taste, using only the freshest and finest ingredients.

The Oak Room is a members-only private venue for members to wine, dine and socialise. This classy and sophisticated executive club comprises of a main dining area, private dining rooms, karaoke rooms, a lounge bar, a wine lounge, an alfresco area and a reading room.

Appetiser – Seared Hamachi with Beetroot and Raspberry Condiment, Dashi and Sumac

Paired with WestEnd Semillion Sauvignon Blanc 2013

A beautifully delicate fish, seared to perfection and served with the savoury dashi and floral sumac while the raspberries added some lovely tart flavours. The fish roe added some salty flavours and a variance in texture bursting in the mouth. A good balance of sweet, salty and sour flavours…oh and beetroot (I’m not a fan of beetroot but it went well with the dish).

The Sauvignon Blanc balanced out this dish nicely with its fresh and floral flavours!

Entrée – Pan-Fried Foie Gras with Duo of Pear, Onion Marmalade and Mixed Cress

Paired with Don Vinico Chardonnay Macabeo 2013

Oh how I love foie gras but this one was not the super heavy and rich type as it was made into a puree first then pan fried so it was not so dense. It retained it’s lovely earthy flavours though which was balanced out by the sweet pear and onion marmalade.

The Chardonnay prevented the dish from becoming too rich in the mouth and was a good pairing.

 

Soup – Consommé of Golden Melon with Dumpling

Paired with Valdivieso Chardonnay

This is where Chef Fong’s expertise really comes into play. At first glance it looks like a double boiled Chinese soup with a wantan but in actual fact it is a consomme which is the European style of making a clear soup using egg whites to remove the fat and sediments. Very technical and not easy at all. Really sweet and nice and the best part was the dumpling which was packed with flavourful chicken meat that simply bursts with flavours when you bite into it. The gold leaf added a touch of opulence to the dish.

The Chardonnay lent its citrus, orange and pineapple flavours to complement the sweetness of the dish.

 

Main Course 1 – Pan-Fried Rack of Lamb set onto Yellow Kumara Ragout napped with Wild Rustic Sauce

Paired with WestEnd Cabernet Merlot 2013

This was my favourite dish of the night! The beautifully cooked lamb was nicely charred on the outside while retaining some pinkness on the inside making it one really tender and flavourful piece of meat! The yellow kumara aka sweet potato was in a lovely cream sauce while the lamb was matched with a tomato based rustic sauce. The vege added some variance in texture to the star of the dish which was the beautiful lamb. Wished I could have some more but I had another main to go.

I’m not a fan of too full bodied or spicy wines so I was glad that this dish was paired with a Merlot. The Merlot lent its fresh berry flavours to complement the lamb.

Main Course 2 – Pot Roasted Black Cod with Chickpeas Puree, Sun Blushed Tomato in Vine and Lemon Thyme Veloute

Paired with Don Vinico Chardonnay Macabeo 2013

The black cod was beautifully cooked and sat atop a bed of chickpeas puree. Didn’t really care much about the accompanying vege and dug straight into the cod and the puree which had a very interesting taste and texture to it.

I always like my fish and seafood with white wine although occasionally there are certain restaurants which try to pair it with red wine. The Chardonnay went well with the fish.

Dessert – Strawberries Pavlova

Paired with NVY Passion Fruits (sparking wine)

Sweet and creamy but good thing there were the berries to add some sour and fresh flavours to this dish. The sparkling wine was sweet too! I think dessert lovers would probably like this dish (I’m so not a dessert person).

Petit Four – changes daily but I was happy to see macarons which I ate!

Coffee/Tea

A nice cup of coffee to end the meal and keep me awake during the drive home.

Full Festival Menu

Without Wines: RM188.00 nett per person

With Wines: RM268.00 nett per person

In conjunction with MIGF, The Oak Room will be offering its signature mocktail – The Spice of Oak with every order of the Festival Menu; as well as 50% discount on a second bottle of champagne ordered; 20% discount on selected red and white wine; 10% discount on ala carte menu and for every 10 orders of the Festival Menu, diners will get 1 free.

The Oak Room is located at:

3rd Floor, Nexus

Bangsar South City,

7, Jalan Kerinchi,

59200 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 2386 9169

Email: theoakroom@uoahospitality.com.my

Website: http://www.bangsarsouth.com/uoa-property/oak-room/

Photos shot with the Leica C – http://www.leicastore.com.my/

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