108 X Dewakan = Foragers Paradise. But Where's The Beef?

Chef Kristian Baumann

November 11, 2017

My original title for this post was "WTF???" but on reflection that was a gut (?) reaction rather than a reflection on what was in fact a solid challenge to expectations of both eyes, belly and camera. The eleven courses went by quite quickly and seemed to travel through the alimentaries like a breath of air. If we are what we eat, then at least for one night in this lifecycle I feel I have been cleansed. Purified, even. Not fully sure if it was enjoyable, but it is done. Yes. Thank you and Amen. What?

Dewakan chef Darren was collaborating with chef and co-owner of Restaurant 108 in Copenhagen Kristian Baumann for two nights at the Dewakan. The email blurb said that Kristian shared the same appreciation for and emphasis on ingredients and produce, as well as holding to similar philosophies of hard work and hospitality. Kristian, a Korean-born Dane, is now the head chef and co-owner of Restaurant 108 in Copenhagen’s Christianshavn district. He spent his early career at restaurant noma, after which he helped to set up Restaurant Relæ, before becoming head chef of Restaurant 1.th. In July 2016 he opened Restaurant 108 with noma’s René Redzepi. The restaurant was awarded 1 Michelin star in February 2017. So pretty much Foodie Rock Star coming to perform in Kualal Lumpur, and snap up your seats fast! 

Butterfly Pea with Okra and Rose. Maybe

The blurb also shared some of the dishes from the menu at Restaurant 108: 

• Cured mackerel washed in celery vinegar with last year's gooseberries and spruce wood oil.
• Raspberries filled with caramel made from rose hip, served with rose hip granita and oat raspberry cracker.
• Braised lamb shoulder glazed in its juices, and fermented honey with grilled onions, elderberry capers and greens from Krogerup.

Tables would be for 4 to 6 pax, with limited tables for 2 pax, and that dietary restrictions could not be catered to for this event. RM450 for eleven courses with wine pairing sounded like a deal, so in we went. 

Mango in Ginger

The communication between Dewakan and me was a bit lax on this occasion. Having dutifully sent off my request for Lenglui and I to dine, I got no response from anyone, not even an acknowledgement of receipt. It was only when I got a email from The Governor saying Dewakan had asked him to ask me if it would be all right to sit with his party of six that I got any inkling we were on board for the beano. Whisper came back that the Maitre D' had moved on from Dewakan so perhaps that would explain. Even so, hearing nothing from anyone felt a bit…  not right. 

     

The aforesaid email blurb also said we should expect creative dishes that would in turn challenge and comfort. This creativity did not apparently seem to carry through to the wines chosen for pairing - one of the group checked with Sommelier on arrival for the dinner and reported to our party that the wines were two fizz (one a Cava) and a Pinot Gris (I did not see the wines, so strictly this is hearsay - they might have been magnificent, though I do defer to the friend's judgement in wine). The same one had previously suggested the eight of us on the table bring our own wines to sup, since apparently the IWFS members get a waive on corkage. So the decision was made to indeed sup our own and forego the suggested pairing wines. 

Pisang Raja/ Coconut Bananas. Two of them. Yes

And we had brought some beauties - there was a vintage Dom Perignon in there somewhere (2002, I think) along with my 2009 Pascal Bouchard Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos and 1er Cru 2009 Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres and finishing off with the Governor's Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1996. 

Charred Eggplant with Keluak

Lenglui and I arrived and immediately got greeted by old friend and fellow thespian turned chef Chris Bauer and partner Eddie. Chris now operates the Cantaloupe and has a business card saying Troika Sky Dining which seems to cover Claret, Strato, Fuego and Coppersmith in addition to Cantaloupe. He also thrust two glasses of very tasty Rose Fizz into my hands, saying that they were overpoured and thus in need of immediate drinking to avoid unnecessary warming. Seemed perfectly logical, so naturally I acceded to his demand. I also promised to visit his place, having so promised on each occasion over the last six plus years we have ran into each other and never yet made it there. There is now a deadline of the end of this year - it is about time to try his cooking again. Last time was when he had opened Frangipani which is now almost two decades ago just after we shared the stage in a production of The Fantasticks. Try To Remember…  the time has indeed flown. 

Our party wandered in over the next twenty minutes and naturally I had to explain where the booze we were drinking had come from. One perhaps feels one is missing out otherwise, or that I was hoarding the fizz. A champagne brought by one of the party got opened in an effort to catch us up and the evening was underway. The whites were parked in an ice bucket by our Sommelier whilst the reds were cooled in the fridge. Having been requested to take our seats, Chef Kristian came out quickly with the first course and explained what it was all about. This someone coming to explain the dishes would become a theme of the evening, though it would be different kitchen members doing so. Perhaps this is all part of the training. Became quite entertaining - or should that be that enter-training? 

Banana Blossom with Butter Sauce. Maybe...

I wish I could say that I pay attention to such descriptions at the dinners I attend, but much of the time it just does not stick in the brain. Too busy farting with the camera to take a shot before the thing gets devoured. Also being partially deaf in a room full of echoes with diction deficient friends and restaurant staff means that little effective conversation enters the head. Memo to self - pay more attention to chef and ask him or her to speak up and clearly. Maybe I should offer to teach diction to chefs in exchange for food?

Petai and Mushroom with Water Chestnut

The upshot of this excuse means that much of the tasting notes (or lack of them on this occasion) increasingly have gotten marginalised in the surrender to the pleasures of the evening. Which happened here - the individual food dishes and their tastes got forgotten in the wine and company and ambience of the restaurant. The service of both food dishes and wines were extremely good, the attention to the visuals and the presentations of the dishes was excellent, the wines were delightful and all well received by everyone - but it was one of those where the taste of the food became somehow secondary and subsequently not really memorable. Some textures come back - the pomelo, and there was a mango dish slightly cooked in (I think) ginger that was a replacement for ( I think) the quinine and daikon. The rice and condiments made for good combos of crunch and zippy vegetable style bites whilst the coconut shaved ice was a fantastic finisher with the mint tea to close. Lots of smells and sights and a wonderful experience - but a bit like DC in that I can't remember much about the tastes. Perhaps it is me - the tastes somehow don't register at these grand and exquisite meal affairs. But then how is it I can still remember the Baked Fish at Paul Bocuse, the Sicilian pizzas, the T Bone Steak and Bone Marrow at Chez Paul, and the Bresse Chicken in Beaune Hotel de Ville even now when it is years later? Maybe I am just too peasant for these artsy style food affairs. There you go. The 108 x Dewakan will be remembered for the wines, service, ambience and company - but somehow not for the tastes of the dishes. Visually stunning, and excellent creativity and finesse in the elements. Just can't remember what it all tasted like. All the dishes seemed to float past the tongue and cheeks and drifted into the belly with barely a wisp of a memory of their brief existence. 

Rice Two Ways with Condiments

Equally, I don't remember anyone on the table raising a "phwooarrrrr" at the tasting of any of the dishes. I know I didn't. Sorry… 

As said, the presentations were all quite visually creative and cute, and made for conversation around the table. Most of mine was spent chatting to the Governor about travel, writing, and his upcoming memoirs. Very engaging, and all his stories about life on the Plantations are amazing. The Governor can tell a good story.  

Rice Two Ways with Condiments

He was also insisting on opening his second Leoville in the face of protests from the rest of the group given that dessert was in the process of being cleared. My laying of a corkscrew on the table brought discussion to a swift close and the cork was duly popped. And O what a delicious wine - sleek, rich chewy fruit that totally popped on the cheeks, with full cassis nose, excellent balance, and drinking delightfully. The Governor keeps a good cellar.

Fried Mantou with Jackfruit

As noted at the start of this write, there seemed to be something purifying in all of this vegetarian fare. One sensed some strange yet meaningful communing with the Earth and perhaps the Gaia spirit that some say permeates and connects all that lives. Well, and maybe, but the entire table was absolutely gagging for something to land in the belly with some semblance of a thud. Lots of cute and delicate, but not much in the way of whack or substance, or "beef". Remember the old Burger King advert of old where the tagline was "where's the beef?" Very. Apt. Indeed.

Rambutan. Two. Yes.

Chef Darren's Signature Duck sprang quickly to mind as a solution to all this internal growling, but no one dared ask for a serving amid all the Vegan vibe going on in the place. Our table were jokingly talking of going for a Char Kwey Teow supper or breakfast or something to fill the gnawing chasm of something missing from the evening. As it was, we all went meekly home after paying the bill and taking a gentle Waze guided slow and steady drive back. I felt the need for some decent carbo to settle the stomach ahead of the bed and raided the fridge for some crackers and a glass of water. And half a Welsh Cake - a taste of the homeland currently being brought into Malaysia by Marks and Spencers in KLCC. Little round cakelets made from a dough of flour, raisins, egg and sugar and baked on a hot plate with a scrape of oil. Fills a belly hole in a way like no other. Veggie friendly, too. Fell asleep watching the football. 

So…  the surprise of the menu proved to be a challenge to our expectations of Dewakan given the absence of any form of meat from the evening. Kind of like an omakase vegetarian evening dependant on what could presumably be foraged from field and market. Had we known in advance it would be non carnivore, we might have not signed up; certainly given the dishes described from 108 in the blurb, perhaps an expectation of some animal protein was not unreasonable. Still, the prospect of an ex noma chef teaming up with chef Darren should have pre-warned us to expect the unexpected and best we just turn up for the gastronomic ride and take what comes. Given the fare and ingredients, though, I would definitely have balked at paying the RM450 for it, world class chef or not. Banana with salt and coconut? Two Rambutans?  Difficult to see where the added value was. Certainly didn't feel like it appeared to be on the plate this time around.

Preparing Dessert at the table

As in all things, there is a need for balance and the Yin of this vegetarian cleansing was met the following night with the Yang of a large home griddle cooked steak with milk and butter mashed potatoes, steamed buttered sweetcorn and fried onions. With loads of salt and pepper and a glass of Markovitch 2011 Pinot Noir. Absolute and total bliss. Thus was internal gastronomic equilibrium restored and the expectations of the belly totally met.  Fine dining vegetarian experiences have their place, but sometimes a bloody good steak is necessary to satisfy and stick in the craw. Some of us need our beef. 

Coconut Shaved Ice with Roselle and Pandan

MENU 

The Lovelies

Butterfly Pea and Okra with Peanut and Wild Rose

Belimbing with Pomelos and Blackcurrants

Quinine with Daikon

Pisang Raja with Fresh Almond Oil

Charred Eggplant with Keluak and Hazelnut

Banana Blossom wth Butter Sauce

Petai and Mushroom with Water Chestnut

Rice Two Ways with Condiments

Rambutan

Fried mantou with Jackfruit

Coconut Shaved Ice with Roselle and Pandan

Herbal Tea

L'Heritage at Royale Chulan - not so good

13th January 2015

Scouting round for a venue for an upcoming IWFS function, Food Chair David hit on L'Heritage located in the Royale Chulan hotel off Jalan Conlay. This is a massive expanse of a hotel with a huge ballroom and opulent marble and big space everywhere. I had been to a function there with our acapella group a couple of years back and enjoyed a decent buffet at the coffee shop there, though there was no indication at the time that there were other restaurants elsewhere in the complex. Notwithstanding, L'Heritage appeared to be of good standing. Seems it was featured in the recent MIGF 2014 offering a decent looking and (according to the menu I received) award winning Western set meal for a fair price. David talked to them and they must have said the magic words "no corkage" so a trial dinner was fixed for Committee to sample.  

Table and ambience of L'Heritage

Parking was straightforward, though getting to the restaurant involved a stop at reception to ask how to get there. Once on the correct first floor, following signage proved a detour - had I ignored the direction signs I would have got to the place in five seconds. As it was I walked through the Malay, Chinese, and some other restaurant, all of which were empty. On reflection, seeing them all empty should have put me on alert that not all was well, but there you go - when you're on a mission to get somewhere you're not always open to these things. It was indeed, as the Kiwi remarked, like the Marie Celeste - empty and desolate and little evidence of life. Though a very pretty Marie Celeste it should be said - the room designated for our meal was most pleasant, reminiscent of a colonial deck with pristine chairs and tables. Table settings, wine service and glasses were excellent - the staff seemed to be good with people, though they did need a bit of wine guidance from David on occasion. Food service was also good - plates were cleared quickly and requests for more bread and water were met quickly and graciously. 

Oysters were a bit not good

The wines brought by the company (nine of us, though I brought an extra bottle of fizz) were superb. Three champagnes, one white, a Burgundy and three top end Bordeaux. I had brought a Connetable Talbot, the 2nd Wine from Chateau Talbot to try and pair with the beef. It was a bit second level in the vinous company so it got parked aside. It would eventually get drunk, though, as would the spare fizz. We are IWFS, these things are necessary.

Ultimately, though, it was all about the food and it was here that things fell quite flat. The Fin de Claire oysters were tiny and shrivelled and chewy and with a suspicion of age about them. The toppings were tastyish and well presented, but there was little to comment about them otherwise. Fail.

Seems the King Crab Royale and Atlantic Scampi were not available, so we got some greyish Crab on Mash potato with a rather large prawn whose homes of origin I did not manage to find out. Whilst the prawn was freshly acceptable and displaying good bite and chew, the crab and mash were a bit meh and snuzz. Individually each was not too bad, though the combo seemed to give an impression of stodgy. Seemed also to be a little over-salt on the potato. Fail.

Crab and Prawn - hmmm...

Drinks-wise, we were enjoying some lovely bubbles - starting with a delightfully light and fruity Thierry Grandin and giving way to a gracious 2004 Dom Perignon and a brawny 2002 Pol Roger Winston Churchill. I was half tempted to stand to attention and sing Rule Britannia while the Churchill got popped but the steely stern eye of the Governor from across the table quashed my eagerness. Winston was lovely and totally overpowered the Dom when supped side by side. Very masculine fizz. I'd had the Churchill at a Ribs dinner in November 2014, but tonight it was colder and the sense of frozen biscuit on the nose and yeasty bubbles in the cheeks was wonderful. Later on, though, the Dom showed a beautiful balance of bubbles and crisp crunchy verve. Lovely finesse in this one. Lady Astor's grace to the Winston Churchill wit. 

Roast Garlic Soup - tasty

Next out was the Roast Garlic soup which was the dish of the night - lovely texture and light crust which soaked up the broth a sweet and flakey treat. Could have supped this one all night, though the resulting Garlic Breath would make me vampire repellant for a year. Lenglui repellent also. Though Lenglui is not a vampire. Leastways not that I know of. Better stop this line of thinking…  the soup gets two thumbs up.

The Chapoutier Les Tanneurs Marsanne-Roussane blend was in the glass and was proving a delightful mouth of marzipan and lychee oriental fruits. Cool and mellow though with a lightness on the roof of the mouth. Tasty wine.

Which would have been belter with the Salmon if the Salmon had been a bit warmer. Poached and cold is not a good thing. And being paired with some Foie Gras was perhaps a bit adventurous and might have worked if the ingredients were totally fresh off the plane. As it was, the seeming slight age on the ingredients gave a somewhat ordinary result. The menu talked of mint, which might have zested the pairing, but I didn't get much mint in the mouth. The FG was wonderful on the bread with some butter, though. Ah, bread and butter and pate with a glass of wine and good friends around a table - the world comes into perfect focus. Bare pass for this dish.

Salmon and Foie Gras

The sorbet was decent enough, though perhaps a shade sugary in texture. 

And then came the start of greatness. A Vosne-Romanee 2004 had been brought and poured. Magnificent glass of wine. Breathing in cherry and perfumed air, roiling around the mouth like a soothing balm and coating the throat with that delicate film of delight that fires the senses into the poetic and exalted heights of the sublime. Darn, this was nice. A Brigit Bardot of a wine, starlet, full of life and body, a little voluptuous but chic and powerful. It was love at first sip. Well, maybe lust with shades of infatuation. O fantasy…

I had picked Beef and three of the Bordeaux had been poured to accompany. With the Vosne still in the glass, this was as close to vinous heaven as I have ever been. 

I quite liked the beef, though I might have liked it better if it had not been smothered in Bisto like gravy. It gave it that Heinz Oxtail soup feel, all meat stock and beefy oomph which is fine for stew but gets in the way of the steak. There was a slight herbal note which intrigued, though for me sauce should enhance rather than potentially hide. Can't remember the veg, though someone said the carrots were nice. Passable, though not in the league of Prime or Lafite.

The Black Angus with vegetables

And the three Bordeaux…  we had a 2008 Pontet-Canet, a 2003 Leoville Barton and a 1985 Domaine de Chevalier. Each showed definite Bordeaux character and quality, and varied only in finesse and silkiness in the finish, which one would expect given the softening tannins across the years. The Pontet-Canet was in good bloom, with the tannins coming into good season in the wine. The Leoville was tasty, with characteristic big fruit and mellowing tannins. The Chevalier was a charmer, all fine and glissando steely silk finish. Lovely, lovely wines all. But it was the Vosne that kept coming back and setting them all in context. Definitely a touch of greatness here. I have been darn lucky with some of the darlings I have tasted and this was a definite add to the list. Semi charmed kind of life? You have no idea…

The cheese was awful - looked and felt like supermarket offerings cut into slices and tasting of rubber. Complete fail. 

The final dessert was snuzz. Pretty ordinary ice cream and chocolate sponge of standard hotel quality. Not much to write about in glowing praise terms. Bare pass.

The Champagne and Marsanne

Both the 2009 Connetable Talbot and Vincent NV Cremant got cracked to end the night. The Talbot was most pleasant in a fruity way - Kiwi enjoyed it and said to give it three years to come into better balance. I have a couple left in the wine fridge, so three years it is. The Cremant was a most pleasant and boozy way to end the night - creamy crisp bubbles with a firm finish to cleanse the throat. Darn sight better than a sorbet. 

The Reds and my spare Cremant

So…  in sum, lovely venue, excellent service, a Brahma of a night for wine but pretty grim food. I think the problem with this place is two fold. First, there is clearly not enough business to maintain a top level foreign chef. These guys are like thoroughbred horses and footballers, they need to perform and cook and when they don't get the chance then their form and fire will start to fade and they'll be looking to new pastures. You have to let them run if you want them to stay; if you can't let them run because there's no one to run for, they'll die of boredom. I was later told that the Executive Chef was not in the kitchen for the evening and that it had been the number two in control. Hmmm….    

Second, it is a hotel restaurant and as a consequence blandness is often necessarily built into food preparation so as to not offend patrons. Couple this with the absence of the chef at a test dinner for a gourmet group and some of the food not appearing because it could not be sourced...  res ipsa loquitur. Would no way have won an award from me on this performance. 

The meal was not unfair in value terms and as said the service from the staff was excellent. At present, though, it is not a destination restaurant and it is unlikely to become one because presumably very few know it exists and one gets the feeling that no one really cares too much about raising the profile. It is a standard destination for official government functions and owned by the company that runs the Armed Forces pension fund so business revenue is fairly guaranteed. Give it a decent chef, though, and it might stand a chance. The setting is delightful. As it stands, though, there doesn't seem enough buzz about any of the food venues in the place, and the final whack of a RM24 car park bill underlined for me that a return in the near future is far from likely. Though in fairness I did get lucky with the car park - it wouldn't take my money and on trying to pay at reception the nice lady validated for me. Would be a great venue for visiting Michelin chefs, though. Now THAT might be an idea…

MIGF - AWARD WINNING MENU 2014

Full Menu RM 180+ per pax 

STARTER/ DÉMARREUR

3 huîtres de Français de Clair de style different 

americaine, polonaise et rheetaise

3 Different Styles Fin De Clair French Oysters

American, Polonaise, Rhetaise

FROM THE OCEAN / DE L’OCEAN 

Crabe royal a l ‘ivoire, scampi de l ‘ atlantique et

beurre de truffe

King Crab a l` ivoire, Atlantik Scampi and Truffle Butter

SOUP /SOUPE

Ail jeune grille  

Roasted Young Garlic

ENTRÉE

Foie gras traditionnel ‘au torchon’ served avec

Un saumon poche dans un consommé de menthes du Viêt Nam 

Traditional Foie Gras ‘au Torchon’ served with

Slow Poached Salmon in Vietnamese Mints Consume

SORBET

Baies sauvages au sirop de cerise

Wild Berries with Cherry Syrup

On Going / Sur le Depart

BEEF / BOEUF

Steak Black Angus au four, strudel aux pommes

et a la nappage aux morilles

Simply Baked Black Angus Steak, Lamb Apple Strudel

Morel and Demi Glaze

OR

Le cabillaud et thon fumé croustillante avec un beurre blanc au citron et gingembre, 

accompagné par du chou, noix de pin, Parmesan et pommes bouillies au beurre

Crispy Fresh Cod and Smoked Tuna with Lemon – Ginger Sauce, 

accompanied by Cabbage, Pine Nuts and Boiled Buttered Potatoes   

CHEESE/FROMAGE

Plateau de fromage française assortise

Assorted French Cheese 

DESERT / DÉSERT

Gâteau Opéra avec ragoût des baies

Opera cake with berry stew

CAFÉ / TEA

Coffee /Tea

PETITS FOURS

Wines

Champagne Thierry Grandin NV

2002 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill

2004 Dom Perignon

2009 M Chapoutier Les Tanneurs Saint-Peray Marsanne

2004 Vosne-Romanee Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot

2008 Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac

2003 Chateau Leoville Barton

1985 Domaine De Chevalier Graves

Vincent Cremant de Bourgogne NV

2009 Connetable Talbot