Lamb, lobster, dry-aged chicken. These are some of the tempting choices you'd find Joon Dining's Set Lunch...minus the princely sum. The
restaurant’s 3 course Set Lunch at RM48++ per person and 4 course
for RM60++ per person is a good deal these days.
Chef Joon said “the
set lunch is a pared-down version of our degustation menu. Our aim is to entice
more local diners to try Joon Dining’s specialities; enabling them to learn
about my modern European cooking infused with Asian influences. We hope they
will understand and appreciate the new ingredients we use, and our innovative
food preparation techniques such as meat ageing and sous vide. We also want to
educate more people on food and wine pairings.”
The Set Lunch first
course comprised warm, house-made Ciabatta Roll with Garlic Lemon Butter – a nice
starter to whet the appetite whilst we perused through the list of five
starters, five main courses and two desserts.
My personal
favourite starter is the truffle oil-scented Mushroom Cappuccino with Sourdough
Melba Toast. Foamy at first sip, we took to the lush and creamy soup instantly;
relishing every delicious spoonful in-between bites of the crisp wafer-thin
toast.
Tossed with shredded lettuce, purple cabbage and chunks of pomelo sacs, the refreshingly
tangy Baby Octopus al ajillo style (it means cooked in garlic) came flecked with
crisp garlic and chilli flakes. This on-point salad also got the thumbs up.
Chef Joon’s Sautéed
Wild Mushroom with slightly chewy Duck Gizzard and Balsamic Crème proved
winsome too. We enjoyed the varied range of textural interplay from the custardy
soft onsen egg, chewy gizzard and tender fungi. The lightly toasted pieces of bread were great for mopping up the sauce.
Another locally
inspired appetiser is Pani Puri. The fried semolina-wheat dough, sized like ping-pong balls, came with an appetising filling of diced salmon, compressed apple
and ginger ponzu dressing. So fun and delightful to eat.
Vegetarians and
health-conscious diners may opt for Roasted Cauliflower with Salted Egg Gribiche, Pumpkin Seeds, and Sultanas. Joon tweaked the gribiche (French cold
egg sauce) with salted egg yolks, emulsifying it with oil and mustard then
adding chopped chervil to finish. Sultanas and pumpkin seeds lent mild sweetness
and crunch to the dish.
Zingy Sichuan
peppercorns’ tongue-tingling heat dialled up the appeal of Mala Mongolian Lamb
Ragout. Served with mini fried mantou buns, we had a field day chomping on the juicy
chunks of lamb amidst soft radish pieces and deep-fried lotus root crisps.
Chef Joon’s meat-ageing
showcase is exemplified by his Free Range Dry Aged Chicken Confit with Tajin
Lyonnaise Potatoes and Sweet Corn Velouté. Complemented by sweet, creamy smooth velouté, caramelised onion and fried baby potatoes, the tender chicken and spiced potatoes hit the spot for us. He told us the ageing process tenderises the
meat and intensifies its flavour.
For a supplementary charge of RM18,
you can savour the chef’s show-stealing Lobster Pasta. The natural sweetness of
the wild-caught spiny lobster meat was accentuated by mellow spicy-sour kimchi sauce,
making it a superb pairing with his fresh, handmade pasta.
Tuak along with
chilli and garlic was Joon’s choice to flavour his famed Vongole Pasta (RM48). Suffused
by the heady rice wine and aromatics, the Bornean clams’ sea-sweetness was
thoroughly soaked up by the house-made pasta.
The Super Seafood Paella (supplementary charge of RM28) was laden with clams,
prawns and half a lobster (mixed seafood may change dependent on catch of the
day). Rendered with tomato cream and sweet basil aioli, this hearty rice dish left
no room for complaints.
From the a la
carte line-up, we fished for Broiled Izumidai with Ulam Raja Parmesan Espuma
and Choy Poh Popcorn (RM58). TBH, we found the tiny bits of preserved
radish ‘popcorn’ barely made a difference to the sweet white Nile tilapia, somewhat eclipsed by the more distinct nuances of parmesan and local herb.
Dessert was a
tad underwhelming as only Lemon Cheese Curd Tart was available during our visit.
Even though the tart had canned peach slices and honey tuile as adornments, the
lemon curd didn’t leave any impression.
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| Dry-ageing eel and chicken in the special cabinet at Joon Dining |
For reservations at Joon Dining, call tel: 016-848 4257. Address: Lot 1, b. Land, 2, Jalan
51a/225, Seksyen 51a, Petaling
Jaya, Selangor. Business hours: Mon-Sat 12 noon – 2 pm; 6
pm – 9 pm
