Spices: Sage (Malaysia)

Sage was once ranked number one as Malaysia's best restaurant by The Miele Guide but when we dined there it had fallen to the number two spot. Nonetheless, it consistently has been on the top five and it is regarded as one of the must eat places in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sage

Located at The Gardens Residence at the trendy and chic area of Mid Valley City. The restaurant's interior was spacious with natural light coming in from the window walls. The resto felt like a place to have a business lunch or dinner.

Dining Area

At the center of the resto was the Theater Kitchen.

Theater Kitchen

Upon being seated, a glass of  Dalandan Juice with Mint Leaves and a plate of warm bread with Pesto dip was served. The juice was really nice and refreshing, the perfect drink for the hot and humid weather. The soft and chewy bread was served warm, it tasted like it just came out of the oven. The pesto was seasoned well, it wasn't too intense to overwhelm the palete.

Warm Bread with Pesto Dip

Dalandan Juice with Mint Leaves

We decided to have the Discovery Menu Lunch that was featured for that month. But since there were only 2 choices for each course of the 3 course meal, we just ordered an additional Entree and Dessert.

Discovery Lunch Menu

There was no Amuse Bouche that was served, I found it kind of weird because it is now so common for gourmet restaurants to include it on set menus.

For Starters, we started off with the Consomme of Shellfish with Ohba Wrapped Prawn, Capsicum Puree. The Consomme or clear soup was packed with flavors, I can really tasted the seafood in the soup. It was hearty and delightful.

Consomme of Shellfish with Ohba Wrapped Prawn, Capsicum Puree

The prawn wrapped in Ohba was nice and crunchy, it had a faint minty-citrusy flavor component to it. Upon doing research, Ohba is a type of Japanese Basil Leaf, the herb was grounded and mixed with the batter to create a crispy flavorful coating. The Capsicum puree at the bottom had just the right amount of spiciness to blend in with the minty-citrusy flavor of the prawn wrap.

Ohba Wrapped Prawn

Up next was The Tataki of Wagyu Beef with Shiso Cress and Goma Mayonaise. Tataki is synonymous to Carpaccio which means thinly sliced raw. I was so excited to try out the thin slices of Wagyu until I saw the shisso cress (kind of Japanese herb that taste like basil), goma (sesame seeds) and mayonaise on top of the beef. When eating beef of such high quality, I usually want it with salt and pepper alone, I got worried that the other components would ruin the beef. But I was surprised how the add-ons wonderfully complimented the melt-in-your-mouth piece of Wagyu. It was just subtly seasoned that I still tasted and enjoyed the beautiful piece of Wagyu.

Tataki of Wagyu Beef with Shiso Cress and Goma Mayonaise

For our entrees, we started with the Etuvee of Star Garoupa with Sea Scallop and Semi Dried Tomatoes. Etuvee is a french term which means braised, the fish came with a piece of scallop at the bottom, chopped up pieces of tomatoes and Bokchoy. The dish tasted simple, clean and fresh. The thick chunk of fish was cooked really well, it was soft and moist all throughout.

Etuvee of Star Garoupa with Sea Scallop and Semi Dried Tomatoes

Next was the Glazed Smoked Duck Breast with Roasted Foie Gras and Baby Leeks. I was surprised how big the serving was, three thick slices of duck breast and a nugget size golden Foie Grass sits atop the plate. I was so excited for both Jim and Jon since this will be their first time to experience the buttery sensation of Foie Gras. I saw their face lit up and I just heard "uhmmmm..", the exact same sound I made when I had my first taste of Foie Gras. The Foie Gras was roasted beautifully, it slightly had a crunchy roasted crust. The sauce was superb, it had a smokey, tangy and onion like sweetness coming from the leeks. The duck breast was good and disappointing at the same time. It was well-seasoned and the flavors were wonderful, it had a rich smokey flavor. The disappointing part was I felt that the breast wasn't evenly cooked, the meat was tougher in some parts.

Glazed Smoked Duck Breast with Roasted Foie Gras and Baby Leeks

The server recommended the Grilled Beef Rossini with Pan Roasted Foie Gras and Red Wine Sauce for the additional entree. The Beef Rossini was created in tribute for the famous composer Gioachino Rossini. The dish contains two important ingredients, a thick slice of Filet Mignon that is topped with Foie Gras. Sage's version was really good, the filet of beef was so tender and smooth, there were no strands of ligaments or connective tissues. Our eyes glowed again with the sight of yet another piece of Foie Gras, we enjoyed every little bite of the beautifully cooked Foie Gras. The sauce was superb, I can taste the 'tannin' dryness and sweetness of the red wine.

Grilled Beef Rossini with Foie Gras and Red Wine Sauce - 95 MYR (around Php 1,300) 

Our biggest fault that afternoon was letting the beef sit as we tackled the duck breasts first. We wanted our beef medium rare but by the time we ate it, it was leaning towards medium well already. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the beef dish so much.

For Dessert. Two Choice of Artisanal and Fermier Cheese with Fig Terrine and Walnut Bread. I forgot what kind or brand of cheese that was served. One was a semi hard cheese and the other was a Brie like soft creamy cheese. Artisan means handmade and Fermier means farmhouse. Both cheese tasted great, the semi hard cheese had a nutty flavor  while the soft cheese was slightly salty buttery. But the really off thing about this is that you don't end a meal with a cheese platter. A cheese platter is served as a pre-dessert course and not as a final course. Coffee and cheese absolutely doesn't go well together!!!

Two Choice of Artisanal and Fermier Cheese with Fig Terrine and Walnut Bread

A Pave of Belgian Dark Chocolate with Orange Nougat and Grand Marnier Sauce. The rectangular Belgian chocolate mousse tasted fine. It was so smooth and creamy but even if the mousse wasn't too sweet I wanted to taste more of the bitterness from the chocolate. The orange nougat on top was a pleasant surprise, the crunchy candied orange zest added another layer of flavor and texture to the dish. Grand Marnier is a type of orange liqueur that is usually used as a digestive. The thick sweet zesty liqueur constituted the perfect bite. While eating, I thought of someone who I think would love this dessert, my cousin, Achi Leslie.

Pave of Belgian Dark Chocolate with Orange Nougat and Grand Marnier Sauce

For our additional dessert, I decided to order the Praline Souffle with Sorbet of Valrhona Dark Bitter Chocolate. Just by looking at the Souffle, you would know that this was cooked perfectly, it was 'puffed up' and I like the brownish burnt marks at the edge. The Souffle was so light and fluffy, it felt like chewing little clouds in your mouth. The Valrhona sorbet was such a treat, this is how I want my chocolate to taste like, chocolatey bitter with a tinge of sweetness.

Praline Souffle with Sorbet of  Valrhona Dark Bitter Chocolate - 30 MYR (around Php 420)

To complete the lunch set, there was a choice of coffee or tea. Coffee was the obvious choice for coffee junkies like us. The Long Black coffee didn't have much crema on top and it lack the aroma but tasted ok. The Cappuccino looked really nice, the foam on top was thick.

Cappuccino

Long Black

What's great about Sage is that it won't cost you an arm and a leg to dine here. Believe it or not the Discover Lunch Set only costs 100 MYR net (around 1,450php). With the kind and quality of the ingredients that was used, the lunch set was absolutely a steal. Nowadays, you can not get anything better at this price.

Sage

Sage
Adress: Level 6 The Gardens Residences, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, KL, Malaysia
Tel No:+603 2268 1328
Operating hours: Lunch - Mon to Fri (12pm to 2pm)
                             Dinner - Mon to Sat (6pm to 10:30pm)
Webiste: www.sagekl.com