It is always a treat when you receive an invite from Darren Chin, patron chef of DC Restaurant. As a chef whose career I have been following for the past few years, each menu is an iteration of something that is always ever changing and adapting, while staying true to his technique driven approach. From Japanese ingredients to classical French approach, it is well known that DC produces cuisine that is fine at every juncture. His latest take however, touches on his heritage, with interpretations of Franco-Chinois, simple yet elegant.
A DC Homakase Experience
I was recently invited over for a casual catchup while being able to taste a mix of dishes, some from the new French-Chinese inspired, some just simple unadulterated cooking techniques, which is always impeccable. The dinner was casually held across the kitchen counter table, set and prepared in an omakase style.
“This is something I personally enjoy doing but don’t usually have the time. It’s where I get to experiment with new flavours and methods of cooking, an omakase experience.” — Darren Chin, Executive Chef of DC Restaurant.
DC Restaurant New Menu: French-Chinese Fine Dining
The new menu sees the using of ingredients which is quintessentially Chinese such as preserved Teochew olives, a plethora of different Chinese soy sauces, aged Chinese black vinegar, and many other ingredients that you would find in a Chinese kitchen. What is interesting is the way it is used, with control and finesse, but one thing is guaranteed, a myriad of flavours.
“This lockdown period has given me the time to do some research, to delve into creating new recipes, recipes that is quintessentially food that I like cooking. I took this time to venture into my heritage of Chinese cuisine, but of course, with the finesse you would expect from DC Restaurant.”
Caviar Butter
Baeri caviar, bread from Délifrance
The caviar butter is made using baeri caviar and unsalted French butter, which spreads luxuriously on baguette from Délifrance. A simple yet very effective bread course, the very moreish mix of texture and flavour just drips in luxury.
“Try the caviar butter with the bread, we didn’t add any salt to it, the salinity and flavour comes directly from the caviar itself.”
Irish Oyster
Aged black vinegar, cucumber, dill, and oyster aioli
The first of the Chinese inspired dishes, Irish oysters were presented with Chinese aged black vinegar, with slices of cucumber and dill adding a refreshing herby element, while the oyster aioli added a layer of sweet creamy acidity. The final drizzle of fruity olive oil pulls the dish together.
Diver Scallop Tempura
Diver scallop, shiso leaf, and baeri caviar
The next course was a simple yet extremely effective dish, a diver scallop fried between two leaves of shiso, topped with a generous dollop of caviar. This dish is effective and full of flavours and textures, from the crisp tempura batter, the mild pepperiness from the shiso and the indulgent burst of umami pearls of the caviar. What further elevated this dish was the use of a sliced ginger ponzu dipping sauce, an amazing condiment with its high citrus notes with a sharp ginger bite.
“You have to try the sliced ginger ponzu, it goes well with so many things. We’re planning to serve it at every table as a condiment. It works with so many dishes”.
Splitgill Mushrooms
Fermented black bean reduction
Another dish that is not on the menu, the “cendawan kukur”, also known as splitgill mushrooms is a local mushroom that has a strong woody flavour with the texture reminiscent of maitake. Simply battered and deep fried, the dish is then drizzled with a fermented black bean reduction.
“I’m a fan of how woody these local mushrooms are.”
Gai’s Chicken Skin
Deep fried crispy chicken skin
While Darren carves up the whole hiramasa for the next course, I was presented with Gai’s crispy chicken skin to tide over. For the uninitiated, Gai is Darren Chin’s latest venture into Thai Lanna cuisine featuring recipes from his mother-in-law Madam Nuanta and his wife Nana, and one of the most scrumptious of snacks is their deep-fried chicken skin. These extra crispy morsels are such a great simple and decadent bite, you also must try their other dishes including their blue swimmer crab omelette and yellow crab curry.
Air Fried Hamachi Collar
A squeeze of lemon
Hiramasa is known to be quite a clean fish, which takes on flavours quite easily, and one of the best parts you can have is the collar, with its good distribution of lean meat to fat ratio. The air fried collar was one of the best preparations this fish could have had, with the flesh still succulent, but air fried enough to have crispy skin, with a squeeze of lemon brightening up the cut.
“This is my favourite part of the hiramasa, the collar. With such a great cut you just have to treat it simply. I just air fry it, no fuss or frills.”
Aged Hiramasa Kingfish
Charred heirloom baby carrot, fruity olive oil, chao zhao olive, and sansho togarashi
Fine slices of hiramasa were mounted on the chao zhao olives, which came as a surprise, a burst of umami from concentration of flavour that married well with the cleanness of the hiramasa. The charred heirloom carrots were sweet and paired well with the umami of the olives too, with bits of sansho pepper and fruity sweetness from the dollops of olive oil, bringing the dish together. I was also in for a treat as Darren continued to slice another few slices, just to be had with the sliced ginger and ponzu.
“I like to keep it as a surprise, so when you cut into it and have it with a bit of everything including the chao zhao olives, you get a myriad of flavours and combinations. We’re also going to have it two ways, one as we will present for the new menu, but also just with the ginger ponzu.”
Roasted Rack Of Lamb
Braised daikon radish with spicy black bean sauce
I have tasted many of Darren’s lamb but I have to say, this was easily one of the best I have tasted from him. The lamb was perfectly cooked, very pink still, that you would think that it would be raw, but it wasn’t. It was perfectly cooked. And to add to that surprise, it was served on a bed of braised daikon in a spicy black bean sauce, sweet, savoury, umami and textural. The daikon had the texture of confit onions with the pungency reminiscent of an aged balsamic reduction. And has his face lighted up right before serving this dish, all he said was: –
“This lamb is so so good, you just have to taste it.”
Miyazaki A5 Wagyu
Foie gras, Pedro Ximénez, asparagus, shishito peppers
The final main for the night was a beautiful cut of wagyu, perfectly cooked as meats is one of Darren’s specialities. Perfectly charred, while rare on the inside, but perfectly rare, without the smell of raw meat. One of the more interesting element of this dish was the butter pan fried foie gras, which was sparingly drizzled with Pedro Ximénez before serving, something I have not seen on tables in Kuala Lumpur before, adding a complementary layer of sweetness. The charred asparagus and shishito peppers complemented the meats very well, cutting the fat with some sweetness, spice, and pungency.
Truffle Brie Sandwich
Truffle brie, wildflower honey and pane carasao
As DC Restaurant is known for its iconic cheese cart, the latest iteration of DC’s signature pre-desserts, the truffle brie sandwich is a fun little morsel that is a slice of truffle brie, wildflower honey, between two thin layers of pane carasao. Because of its texture, the pane carasao doesn’t crumb easily, but maintains as a nice vessel for the morsel. Definitely something simple and delectable.
“You got to try our latest signature pre-dessert, it’s a simple and magnificent sandwich.”
Délifrance Éclairs
We ended the dinner with some éclairs from Délifrance, arguably one of the best commercially available baguettes and French pastries.
“Délifrance honestly makes very good baguettes and éclairs. You have to try them to know what I mean.”
Omakase Dinner With Omakase Wines
As it was a casual omakase dinner, the wines were open to different pairings which were had with each dish, the whites with the appetisers, while the reds with the meats, but really to be enjoyed “as you like”.
2019 Bandol Rosé Domaine de la Tour du Bon
This rose was quite crisp and dry, which paired well with the caviar butter bread course and oysters.
Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir Cécile Tremblay 2000
The chablis was quote rounded on the palate, and had elements of flint, working well with the salinity from the Irish oyster, and also cleanness of the hiramasa.
2013 Pol Roger Vintage Brut, Champagne, France
Although commonly a drink to start the dinner, the Pol Roger was served mid-course, which paired well with the diver scallop tempura.
Penny’s Hill Cracking Black Shiraz 2018
A slight spicy new world wine, the shiraz worked very well with the lamb as the flavours from the daikon had quite an intensity to the dish, which also worked well with the wagyu.
Pedro Ximénez Sherry
The sherry was the pefect complements to the brie sandwich, with its sweetness balancing the pungency of cheese sandwich.
As always, it is always a treat for perfectly curated dishes with emphasis on flavours and techniques. DC Restaurant will reopen its doors for dine-in starting from 1st November 2021.
For our previous reviews, see DC Restaurant.
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 |