Located within Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on the edges of the luxurious mall sits Bouchon Enfin, a family-style dining concept by James Won of Enfin fame. The restaurant features a more casual approach from his other fine dining project, with Bouchon Enfin offering a Malaysian meets French approach, specialising in pork in all its iterations.
What is a Bouchon?
Traditionally the word bouchon comes to mean a cork or stopper, however, in Lyon, a bouchon generally refers to eateries which serves dishes that are more focused on hearty and meat-centric flavours, which so happens to derive its name from a 16th century expression for a bunch of twisted straw.
“The name bouchon Enfin inspired by the bouchon found in Lyon, France that are known for their convivial atmosphere and family-style dining, typically featuring family recipes passed down from generation to generation. Similarly, here at bouchon Enfin, we have a menu that pays homage to our heritage using rustic regional French dishes to spotlight local ingredients and produce with servings crafted for sharing in typical Malaysian makan culture. Bouchon Enfin intends to bring the best of French and Malaysian cuisine together, and celebrate Malaysian culture not only through its menu, but through collaborations with local artisans as well.” — James Won, Executive Chef of Bouchon Enfin.
Bouchon Enfin: Pork Centric Conviviality
The restaurant departs from James’ fine dining Enfin to bring you dishes that marries both his interests, a French approach with his Malaysian heritage, all presented on a plate. The dishes are a mix of elevated local fare, with tweaks on flavour to ensure that each dish packs quite the punch. The meats are prepared by as Mr. Kwan, a gourmet butcher that creates all the pork cuts used in the dishes, from the luncheon meat to the guanciale and sausages, all ingredients which are used in the dishes.
“Our country has so much to offer in terms of produce and culture, so I wanted to bring all these aspects to life through bouchon Enfin. We wanted a space that not only showcased the beauty in bringing two cuisines together, but also evoked a sense of conviviality and community in celebrating the rich diversity Malaysia has to offer.”
Edamame
Spiced miso butter
The simple starter is deceptively delicious, tossed in spiced miso butter giving the dish a bit of an umami kick. The best thing about this dish is that all the beans are already extracted from the dish itself.
Spam Fries
Battered and fried
Golden batons of house made breaded spam fries, these bites are perfect with beers. What makes this dish stand out is that these house made spam does not have that highly processed sugariness and saltiness you would normally find from canned ones, but instead, has a stronger spices and also a more course grinded texture, giving the meat more of a bite.
Chicken Liver Parfait
Red wine jelly and charred toasts
The chicken liver parfait has a creamy texture, with just the right amount of spices, but what made the parfait sing was really the red wine jelly encrusting the top. This dish is best enjoyed with a thick slather on the crisp and crumbly toast.
House Platter
Guanciale, spam, bacon, sausages, dried fruit, cheddar, crostini and acar
A prefect sharing platter, the house platter consists of a number of their signature pork iterations. The platter comes with slices of the ever so flavourful guanciale, a cured pork jowl, as well as bacon, house made spam and perfectly ratioed meat to fat sausages. Some cheddar, dried fruit and acar is served on the side which helps to cut the fat of the meats on the platter.
Chili Belacan Vongole
Spaghetti, seasonal clams, garlic and smoked pork lard
A simple pasta dish, the vongole pasta has quite a strong belachan flavour, packing quite the punch, littered with bits of garlic and smoked pork lard. What was nice about this dish was the balance of spice to flavour.
Wild Rice Bowl
A mix of beras Salleh and Rumie from the highlands of Sarawak, guanciale (smoked cured pork cheek), onsen kampung egg, spring onions and superior soy
Easily one of our favourite dishes on the menu, the wild rice bowl consisted of different textures from the rice used, but also layers of flavour from the guanciale. The onsen kampung egg adds a texture to the dish, with the superior soy providing a depth of umami. This dish is best left to burn at the bottom for that textural and umami heavy socarrat, also known as fan jiu in Cantonese.
Risotto
Escargot (Burgundy) snail, watercress, arugula rocket, layo, beras Rumie and Salleh, crème fraîche, Pecorino, house-cured smoked bacon lardon and fried lard
The more French leaning flavour of the two rice dishes, the Burgundy escargot preparation is generously used to flavour the creamy risotto made with pecorino for that richness in flavour. The bits of bacon and lardon emphasises the overall flavour.
Hamburger
Pork lard and Australian beef patty, onion marmalade, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, triple-fried shoestring fries
One of the best ways to have a burger is but not only using 100% beef, but one that is mixed. The pork lard adds that unmistakable flavour that can only come from pork, adding layers upon layers of umami and savouriness to the patty itself, while the onion marmalade adds a certain sweetness. For extra decadence, you should also ask to add on extra bacon.
Coq Au Vin
Half spring chicken, Fook Chow red rice wine, mushrooms, house-cured smoked bacon, shallots, carrots, whipped potato
The traditional French chicken dish has taken an Asian approach, with the sweetness of the Fook Chow red rice wine adding a layer of sweetened umami to the dish, with layers of mushroom and bacon adding a certain depth.
Braised Pork
Chef select pork belly, raw sugar caramel, smoked garlic, star anise, cinnamon, bean salad, toasted white bread with butter
A very hearty traditional Hakka dish, this dish is perfect with heaps full of rice, with the pronounced flavours of star anise and cinnamon throughout each bite. Great for sharing.
Pork Tomahawk
Pork rib cutlet with crispy skin, cooked on the bone, apple and five spices chutney, tabbouleh salad, spam fries (pre-order one day before)
Easily the star of the dinner, the Pork Tomahawk, affectionately called a Porkmahawk, is perfect for sharing. Please do not make the mistake of thinking you can eat this alone as the gargantuan on-the-bone cut is definitely not for one. The best part about this dish is that you will be able to taste essentially two different cuts in one sitting, the leaner pork chop and the tender parts near the bone.
Sarawak Pineapple, Peppercorn Tarte Tatin And Vanilla Parfait Glace
A concentration of sweetness that you can only expect from a tarte tatin, the Sarawak pineapple’s complex sweetness combines with the spicy peppercorns marry well, with the vanilla ice cream adding a creamy texture and floral sweetness.
The Bouchon Enfin Experience
Bouchon Enfin is quite the place to have casual dining, especially if you’re looking for simple yet hearty dishes that can be enjoyed with your family.
“We created this place because we wanted a casual, convivial experience where friends and families can come, share and enjoy good food together. Bouchon Enfin also aims to make French cuisine more accessible by adding a Malaysian twist.”
Most of the dishes are perfect for sharing, but even for the casual eater, their single portions will ensure you have a sleepy time after with all the richness and flavour.
Bouchon Enfin
Lot C3.10.02,
Level 3, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur,
168, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
+6012 669 9156
Opening Hours:
Daily, 10.00 am to 10.00 pm
| PHOTOGRAPHY: BONNIE YAP | WEBSITE: BOUCHON ENFIN |