When it comes to fine dining restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, DC Restaurant by Darren Chin is known for its outstanding quality in everything they do, from their cuisine to their wine selection. With that being said, DC Restaurant latest offering comes in the form of the Drink with the Stars Dom Pérignon pairing, which not only sees the beauty of the luminous Dom Perignon served with a selection of refined dishes, but also some beautiful wines paired.
DC Restaurant: Dom Perignon Vintage 2008 Champagne Pairing
The latest menu sees a pairing with Dom Perignon leading the opening drink, and what more apt than the Luminous Dom Pérignon. The bottle arrives with all its pomp and circumstance and is perfect for a night of celebration which matches into what founder of Dom Perignon one said, “Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!”, his exaltation in celebration.
DC Signature Bread Course
Croissants, chocolate croissant, onion bread and sourdough
Not much needs to be said about the DC Signature bread course, as it is one of the best places for French breads around. Enjoyed simply with French butter and truffle pate.
Cantabrian Anchovies
Amchovies, tomato and seed and kernel bread
A new addition to the menu, the Spanish are known for their anchovies, but the ones here were are Cantabrian anchovies, known for its size and flavour. The tomato and anchovies made a good opening bread course.
Chase Gin & Tonic
Chase gin, grapefruit tonic
The signature gin and tonic here is served with Chase gin, a pomelo and pink grapefruit flavoured gin, which paired beautifully with the East Imperial grapefruit tonic.
Oba Tempura
Tempura of oba leaf with king crab, uni and nama wasabi
The first amuse was an oba leaf tempura, a green shiso leaf tempura fried with layers of sweet king crab and sea urchin roe. The dish was sweet and briny from the king crab and uni, with the tempura adding texture and fresh wasabi adding a layer of pungency. An excellent starter.
White Fungus and Skrei Pearls
Crispy white fungus in mushroom stock, fresh cheese with mixed herbs and bottarga skrei pearls
The white fungus cooked in mushroom stock was full of earthy umami, with the crispy texture of the deep-fried white fungus, creaminess of the cheese and skrei cod eggs adding a layer of briny umami bursts of flavour and crunch. The cod eggs has quite a unique texture and flavour.
Cured Mackerel Tartlet
Mini tartlet of cured mackerel, daikon and lime aioli
The tartlet shells were very thin and made a good vessel for the cured mackerel, with the seaweed adding a jellied texture to the dish. The daikon added crunch to the dish while the tarlet added crisp.
Shellfish Ice Cream
Shellfish ice cream with local heirloom tomatoes and crispy skrei fish skin
The shellfish ice cream is made using crab and lobster, giving it that well-known sweetness, but the hero in this dish was really the heirloom tomatoes with its intense fruity umami sweetness. The fish skin added a crispy texture, pulling the dish altogether. Definitely one of their most memorable dishes, simple yet elegant.
Dom Perignon Luminous Collection Brut Millesime
The champagne was light and effervescent and paired well with the first few dishes which were seafood and shellfish forward. The luminous bottle also added extravagance to the dinner, and works very well with the classy starters.
Hiramasa Australian King Fish
Kaviari gold standard ossetra caviar, jalapeño and aged ponzu in katsuobushi
The hiramasa, also known as the king fish in Australia, is quite a lean fish, and therefore the preparation of katsuobushi aged ponzu added a depth to the simple dish. With jalapeños adding a spot of heat, rounding the dish together in the perfect mouthfeel. The dollop of ossetra caviar added a texture and elegance to the dish. This version was also served with slices of Norwegian salmon.
Echo of the Sea
DC signature cold capellini with Hokkaido uni, Alaskan king crab, cured amaebi and savoury seafood sabayon
A staple at DC, the Echo of the Sea is their signature which they have struggled to remove off the menu, due to too many patrons favouring this dish. The cold cappellini is full of umami, with all the trimmings of the perfect briny sweet umami flavours from the Hokkaido uni, Alaskan king crab and the cured amebi. The seaweed adds different textures of crunch to the dish. Always a satisfying dish.
2018 Domaine Serge Dagueneau et Filles Pouilly-Fume Tradition
The light pouilly-fume is made from sauvignon blanc grapes and is significant of Upper Loire Valley wines. This vintage had quite green notes with elements of graphite, and worked well with the cappellini course.
Pacific Oysters
Crispy tempura, sweet corn velouté, Lofoten umami sprinkle, yellow heirloom beets and ice plant
The new dish is fresh and crispy as a tempura, with the sweet corn velouté adding a silky sweetness, and the Lofoten umami sprinkle, a marriage of seaweed from Lofoten, Sweden with Japanese techniques of furikake. The beets added a crunchy texture, with the ice plant’s bulbous gummy droplets and crisp leaves.
2014 Domaine Daniel-Etienne Defaix Chablis Vieilles Vignes
A very elegant wine, this Chablis had a nice structure to it, with orchard fruits on the nose and quite a high minerality. This wine worked amazingly well with the oysters, and was very good even on its own.
Plums & Apples
Seared duck foie gras, roasted apple with plum purée and apple cider emulsion
The rougie foie gras was seared perfectly, layered on a bed of roasted apple and plum purée. The combination of apple, plum and foie worked very well, especially for people who traditionally love whole seared foie. A very successful dish and worth the add on.
2016 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Spatlese Mosel, Germany
This riesling leaned towards the off-dry side, meaning not too sweet, and heavier on the minerality. This riesling worked well with the foie and complemented the sweetness of the dish.
Silverhill Farm Irish Duck
Dry aged 7 days, crispy skinned with mulberry “blood” jus, duck rilettes with pickled roselle, grilled green scallions
The duck was handled well, with the 7 day dry aging ensuring that there is less moisture on the skin, which would have further with a bit more time. The rilettes were beautifully flavoured, quite strongly, with the grilled scallion adding a mild pungency to the dish. This dish worked much better than you would expect.
2015 Frédéric Magnien Côte de Nuits-Villages Croix Violette
One of the best burgundy wines carried by DC Restaurant, the Côte de Nuits worked very well with the duck. The wine isn’t too tannic, and leaned towards the dry side, with an acidity that wasn’t unpleasant. One of the best wines of the night.
Hitachi Japanese A5 Wagyu (Ibaraki Prefecture)
Eggplant done three ways, cured, roasted with garum, baked with white miso, pommes anna
The main course of the night was the hitachi Japanese A5 wagyu, which was still tender and soft on the inside with the crispest char on the outside, a special method used for grilling. The three preparations of eggplant added different flavours and textures, with the cured eggplant adding umami and baked eggplant adding creaminess. Dollops of yuzu kosho and nama wasabi added pungent elements to the well balanced out cuts. Honestly, one of the best preparations of beef we’ve had.
2015 Marchesi Antinori, Tenuta Guado Al Tasso, Cont’Ugo, Bolgheri D.O.C., Tuscany, Italy
For the meat course, two wines were paired side-by-side as a tasting, both from the house of Bolgheri, but different vintages and styles. The 2015 antinori is made with only merlot grapes, was quite bold and had more structure to it, and although paired well with the steak, this wine could have been enjoyed by itself.
2018 Il Bruciato, Tenuta Guada al Tasso, Rosso Bolgheri D.O.C., Tuscany, Italy
The Il Bruciato on the other hand, had a more acidic tone, and worked very well with the steak as well, if not better. Although made with Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, this wine had a spiciness to it and cut the fat of the steak quite well. This just exemplifies how a same producer may produce very different wine styles.
Pears & Bentong Ginger
Poached forella pear in dark rhum, Bentong ginger ice cream, sable Breton, vanilla creameux and spiced pear compote
A simple but effective dessert, forella pears are poached in dark rhum, and cooked down, with its sweetness caramelising. The bentong ginger ice cream adds some brightness to the dish. A decent dessert.
Le Fromage
5 types of A.O.P. cheeses accompanied with fresh honeycomb, wild flower nectar collected from the hills of Mae-rim Province, Chiang Mai, Thailand
The cheese that we tried this time included a Comte 12 months, Grana Padano, Forme d’ambert, Truffle brie, Le mont noix, Brebis tête de moine and the Fourre au bleu d’Auvergne. There is not much to say about the cheese cart at DC Restaurant than it being something you would have to try for yourself. Its selection of cheeses is quite rare by Malaysian standards and had at any time 20 to 30 choices.
The DC Restaurant Drink With The Stars Experience
It is more important a time now, more than ever, to really be cautious when we dine out, and DC Restaurants is one of those that has been consistent throughout the years. They spare no expense on quality, and its seen in each iteration of their dishes. In addition to that, they have one of the better wine lists in town, and the Luminous Dom Pérignon is one such example of finesse. We do however advise patrons to make reservations to taste the stars.
For our previous reviews, see DC Restaurant.
DC Restaurant is a restaurant listed on the 50 Best Discovery.
DC Restaurant
44, Persiaran Zaaba,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail,
60000 Kuala Lumpur.
+603 7731 0502
Opening Hours:
7.00 pm till late
| PHOTOGRAPHY BY: NICHOLAS NG | WEBSITE: DC RESTAURANT |