Cilantro @ Micasa All Suite Hotel

Executive Friday Lunch

February 2, 2018

When the Littlest Princess was home from Auckland for a visit, we decided to indulge in a mum-daughter afternoon with a bite of French cuisine. And there was no better place than at Cilantro Restaurant where lunch is served on Fridays only, complete with a glass of champagne.  It was fortunate that we had made reservations as the restaurant filled up quickly.

As soon as we were seated comfortably, we were offered a glass of bubbly and a basket of bread. Kept warm within the folds of a napkin were slices of crusty baguette and sourdough to go with the beautifully scented truffle butter.

Cold Capellini With Tarako and Shirako

Then it was Cold Capellini With Tarako and Shirako. The fine pasta was tossed in basil oil with tarako (salted cod roe) and shirako (cod sperm sac), with a gelatin chicken consommé jelly. Served cold, the slight chill accentuated the flavours and textures. The white shirako was delightfully creamy while the tarako exploded with all the flavours of the salty sea.

In case you’re wondering about what Japanese ingredients are doing in a French restaurant, this is the signature trademark of maestro chef Takashi Kimura who has, for the last 20 years, has acquired an enviable “regulars” list of satisfied food connoisseurs at Cilantro.

Scallop With Crème Du Barry And Truffles

The next dish was Scallop With Crème Du Barry And Truffles. The lightly panfried scallop was wrapped in a sliver of duck ham but unfortunately this did the dish no favours as the smoked duck proved too dominant for the delicate scallop. It was topped with parmesan cheese foam and on the ide was a quenelle of cauliflower cream with crushed truffle sprinkled liberally.

Grilled Cod with King Crab, Lily Bulbs and a light ohba broth

For the main course, we picked Grilled Cod With King Crab & Lily Bulbs instead of Braised Ox Cheek With Foie Gras Chou Farci. No regrets. The fish was fresh, firm and sweet and the crab meat equally superb. What brought all the ingredients together in a crescendo was the ohba broth. The light peppermint taste of the ohba (shiso) did a tasteful jive around the seafood.

Ricotta Ice Cream with slices of  honeyed chestnut and melted chocolate

Dessert was French Cheese or Ricotta Ice Cream With Chestnut Honey, drizzled with melted chocolate. I’d have preferred a stronger taste of ricotta but it was pretty satisfying as it was.

We finished with a cup of hot coffee before we drove off with a light song in the gut.

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CILANTRO (no pork served)

Micasa Hotel & Suites

368-B, Jalan Tun Razak,
50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: +603 2179 8082

Website: http://www.cilantrokl.com/reservations

Friday Lunch: Noon to 2pm

Dinner: 6pm to 10.30pm

Closed Sunday

How Much: RM200 nett per person