Although
ghastly construction goings-on nearby aren’t complementary to Maison’s elegant,
monochromatic ambience, those unseemly sights can be kept at bay once the
dining space’s drapes are drawn.
Quinoa — once a humble, poor man’s
grain now food of choice for health-conscious urbanites — made its presence
felt in the subsequent offering of Gamberro Rosso Tartare with Kristal caviar,
crustecean oil and quinoa taboule (RM110++). The collusion of tastes and
textures: from the natural sweetness of the red prawn to the coy nuttiness of
the quinoa grains was delicate, almost playful on the palate.
A key staple since Maison’s
opened its doors, the Signature Lobster Bisque (RM75++) remained something to
write home about. The flavour-rich broth’s unabashed umami profile simply
reinforced its long-standing appeal.
Escargot fans rejoice! Snail-pace
is the way to savour the sumptuous French Organic Farm Snails in Fricassée, Garlic
Butter and Porcini Mushrooms (RM90++). Sautéed in garlic butter and earthy
porcini, the deliciously tender morsels came encased in a crisp golden brown
breaded golf ball-size ‘shell’.
Like the proverbial ‘the devil’s
in the details’ saying, we were reminded why a seemingly simple appetiser such
as House Smoked Duck Breast, Shredded Confit of Duck Leg, 64.5 degrees Egg
& Buttered Kale (RM80++) command such a high price. Before it hit the
table, the chef and his team had put in hours of painstaking labour and
sometimes, days of prep work in their quest to get the various components
ready. To say the speciality was quackingly good won’t do it justice as the yummilicious
ducky duet took to the sous vide egg like...well, ducks to water.
The chef’s culinary artistry and
technical competence came to the fore in ensuring the lobster creation looked
good and tasted even better. Never mind its pared-down preso; put it down to
the French respect for letting quality ingredients shine minus the frills.
Likewise, the medium, aged beef
held its own; a pivotal lead touched by wisps of mesquite wood on the grill.
With a convivial coterie of anchovy, horseradish, celeriac puree and onion tart
in attendance, it left our hearts and tummies thoroughly smitten.
Also deserving of applause was
the lamb. Slow cooked to blush pink doneness, its tenderness provided nice
contrasting textural interplay with the soft eggplant confit and buttered broad
beans.
Personally, I was reeled in by the
Butter Poached Wild French Cod, Pea and Basil Velouté, Sauce Vierge (RM140++). Sauce
vierge or virgin sauce in French
is a blend of olive oil, lemon juice, chopped basil and tomato – presumably a
trick of the trade to lighten the classical velouté, a mother sauce. In this
instance, the resultant liquidy mixture made quite a splash when sampled with
the fab fish.
Happily ever-afters to wrap up
your dining foray to Maison should cover the alluring
Valrhona Dark Chocolate & Pistachio
Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream (RM40++). Thumbs up to the green, nutty and
bittersweet slant.
Chocoholics may find sweet
succour in the delightful Chocolate Pear, Quince Paste, Jivara and Dulcey
Chocolate Mousse (RM40++). A dreamy platter of distinctive Valrhona chocolates:
Jivara 40% caramel-vanilla notes with a touch of malt meets Dulcey 32% blond
chocolate with buttery and
toasty notes, accented by a hint of salt, guaranteed to lift choc-loving diners
to new highs.
Prefer returning to basics? Chef
Florent tricked up Classic Tatin Apple Pie with a scoop of Bourbon Vanilla
Cream Cheese, a grown-up, boozy uptake of old-school apple pie a la mode.
For reservations at Maison Francaise, call tel: 03
2144 1474. The homey colonial bungalow-based dining enclave is located at 5,
Jalan Changkat Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur.
