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| Genting Club, Resorts World Genting |
LTITUDE Restaurant Bar and Lounge, MIGF Menu 2014, Genting Club, Resorts World Genting
For the month of October only, one of the most, if not THE most exclusive club in Malaysia opens its doors to non-members for a Malaysia International Gourmet Festival dining experience.
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| 360 Bar, Genting Club |
Genting Club is a contemporary playground for those who appreciate the finer things in life but want to do so in a fun modern context. Unrivalled in altitude (around 1800 metres above sea level) and in opulence, the club is a recreation field for the rich, famous and fabulous of the region.
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| LTITUDE |
The venue is a luxurious lifestyle fantasy blending world-class entertainment, fine drinks and dining. Over 30 000 square feet of space merges a bar and lounge with a restaurant (LTITUDE), which seamlessly flow over into a stage and live music area (360° Bar).
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| Genting Club Bar, Lounge and Wine Cellar |
Membership at Genting Club begins at RM20 000. However, for the duration of MIGF, diners partaking in the special menu are able to enter and explore the space. Have a drink at the bar, dine on the MIGF menu, enjoy some live music, have a flutter on the exclusive gambling tables and finish with a digestif in the lounge to make the most of the opportunity. Turn it into an overnight treat with discounts on accommodation in Genting Grand and wake up to a spa treatment too in M-spa.
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| LTITUDE Restaurant |
Chef Casey Lim and Chef Ikuo Umeda pair up to produce a modern menu for the 2014 Malaysia International Gourmet Festival. Inspiration from both the East and the West make an appearance in the culinary line-up, and drinks, paired with each course, show diversity in origin too. This year’s MIGF theme is Red Hot Chefs so expect to see it infused throughout the experience in colour, spice and smoke!
Aperitif
A cocktail kicks off the experience with a Cucumber Elderflower Fizz. A sprig of rosemary adorns the Champagne flute, and a pale blonde liquid fills it. It’s gently sweet and the vegetable and herb serve to stimulate the palate.
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| Mixologist Preparing the First Cocktail |
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| Cucumber Elderflower Fizz |
A warm selection of breads – squid ink ciabatta, soft white roll, bun with dried chili and sundried tomato – is served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We delight in the variety but try to be disciplined as there are seven dishes to come with beverage pairings too.
Amuse Bouche
Oyster with Flower Jelly is presented in a martini glass. A dome of shaved ice holds a glass spoon, keeping the mollusk chilled and fresh. A test tube of sakura essence pokes up from the ice and should be poured atop the amuse bouche. Ponzu jelly covers the seafood. A muddle of taste and texture surprises our senses as we tumble the entire contents into our mouths. Floral and seafood mingle on the palate. It wakes us up and arouses our curiosity to discover what’s ahead.
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| Amuse Bouche |
Appetizers
Japanese Five Element Bean Curd is arranged elegantly on a gold splashed platter striped with verdant leaves and brightened with an orchid. Four cubes of tofu of varying textures hold a place on the plate, while the fifth is contained in a glass bowl. Each is topped with a different adornment adding to both taste and presentation.
Eaten clockwise starting top right, the flavours grow in intensity: first, soft tofu topped with salmon roe (ikuro) and miniature flowers with a tiny dab of wasabi; second, black sesame tofu crowned with a firm uni paste; third a nutty miso topping; fourth chef’s own spicy sauce explodes in the mouth; lastly bean curd skin sooths the palate or, “washes the mouth” as chef pipes in as he arrives to check in on our table.
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| Japanese Five Element Bean Curd |
Made from sweet potato, Satsuma Godai Shochu matches the gentle sweetness of the tofu. It’s mildly earthy on the nose, round and rich in the palate, with hints of golden syrup and spice in the finish.
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| Satsuma Godai Shochu |
Spanish Cod Brandade Laced with Red Romesco Dressing appears as a flourishing spring garden. Sprinkled with edible flowers and leaves of green, fleshy rounds of salted cod are enveloped in savoury Parma ham and fresh basil leaves. The glass of salsa is crossed with a squid ink bread stick wrapped with another shaving of ham. Be sure to wipe up some of the jam from the plate as it makes a wonderful contrast to the salty bites.
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| Spanish Cod Brandade Laced with Red Romesco Dressing |
Grace Koshu 2010 is a Japanese white wine chosen for its acidity to cut through both the ham and cod, but too its delicate nature which doesn’t overpower the elegant flavours in the dish. It’s light to medium bodied and slightly aromatic.
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| Grace Koshu 2010 |
Both chefs frequent guests’ tables, checking in on the dining experience and seeking feedback on the menu. For Chef Umeda precision is of utmost importance. He moves stealthily around tables making sure each plate is accurately placed. With patience he waits with genuine concern listening to diners’ impressions of each dish. Chef Lim buzzes around, smiles huge and cheerfully answers questions about his creations. Both chefs are absolutely charming and we’ve respected them from our very first bite.
Soup
Umami Soup dazzles with its resemblance to a precious jewel being presented to a girlfriend in the hope of acceptance to a proposal. A shell opens atop a floral cut out shape of radish and is sided with a bundle of green veg. A vivid pink fluid, coloured with red dragon fruit, is poured from an elegant silver teapot over the contents adding a little table entertainment to the serving. Japanese potato made into mini stars float in the transparent broth. It’s recommended to taste in three stages: first take the broth, then dust some crystals of the Himalayan salt from the rim of the bowl into the liquid, finally dip the Japanese clam into the soup and finish it off.
The clam has been steamed with sake steam, which serves to bring out the natural flavour of the clam. Eating it is a roller coaster ride: it starts off demure, gains force with the splash of salt, reaches full brawniness with the mouthing of the clam, then shrinks back down to modesty with the clean finish of the cooked radish.
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| Umami Soup |
Palate Cleanser
Wine Lemongrass Sorbet sits on fine rock ice, with a slice of orange basing the pink scoop. Adorned with a single fresh raspberry it cleanses any remnants of the starters, but is also so pleasant we imagine it in a larger portion as a refreshing treat on a hot day.
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| Wine Lemongrass Sorbet |
Mains
Sizzling Red Hot Seafood arrives searing in a cast iron pan. Black stones in the base add to the heat. Puffer fish, tiger prawns, butterflied Canadian scallops, queen crab, and angler fish liver provide a tempting bounty from the sea. Rolled balls of somen noodles and an egg fill in the remainder of space. We crack the egg. Surprise! Inside is not what we expect. No yellow yolk and transparent white. It’s sauce, and it quickly spreads across the plate bubbling in the high temperature. A white foam atop the prawn dribbles down to meet the sauce and chef encourages us to mix the two together.
It’s our first time eating the notorious puffer fish – Chef assures, “Don’t worry I have license.” Said to be one of the deadliest creatures on earth, if utmost care is not taken in its preparation, poison 1200 times more deadly than cyanide can contaminate the flesh and kill anyone who ingests it in minutes. Rigorous training of at least three years is required to obtain the license and assessment for certification is so strict that 70% fail the test. We’re relieved in knowing that chef is accredited but still bite in with trepidation.
The dish is a winner: the freshest of seafood cooked with perfect execution; the sublime sauce adding seasoning and intrigue in its carriage; and the revered fugu – that’s a lot to pack into one course.
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| Sizzling Red Hot Seafood |
After this excitement, the wine has not been given the attention it deserves. Schubert Marion’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 contains grapes from New Zealand made with old world technique. Nosing gifts us with cherry aromas. Fruit and minerals fill the mouth with a tad of complexity, and a light pepperiness is found in the finish. This is a great wine.
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| Schubert Marion’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 |
Smoked Dutch Veal Tenderloin with Marinated Red Amera Tomato arrives on white ceramic resembling a painter’s palette. A glass dome holds the flesh in a disguise of applewood smoke. Pistachio, soy and black olive make a savoury crust to the house-smoked veal. The meat proves supremely soft with traces of smoke imbued in the flesh. A petite copper pot holds a cherry port wine sauce and a stubbled glass jar carries rock salt infused with chilli – chef assures, “Don’t worry. It’s not too spicy.”
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| Smoked Dutch Veal Tenderloin with Marinated Red Amera Tomato |
A brush stroke of truffle, carrot and celeriac mash is used as acrylic on a canvas leading the eye from the meat to a tumble of veggies. Pickled chillies, baby carrots, asparagus, glazed shallots, black truffle and beetroot are each prepared separately in a distinct style most suitable to the individual veg and then assembled on the plate.
The smokiness of the dish is brought out further with the pairing of Painter Bridge Zinfandel 2008. Berry and tea aromas in the bouquet, and fruit and spice on the tongue confirm this wine as an elegant match for the veal.
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| Painter Bridge Zinfandel 2008 |
Dessert
Warm Almond Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Ginger Mascarpone Cream, Sweet Hot Chilli Marinade and Mango Compote are carefully positioned on a white square plate. The cake is moist and a surprise layer of chocolate sauce oozes from underneath the firm chocolate topping upon forking in. The sweet is balanced with the introduction of ginger and some savoury spices in the fruit. A pickled chili adds a lasting suggestion of heat.
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| Warm Almond Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Ginger Mascarpone Cream, Sweet Hot Chilli Marinade and Mango Compote |
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| Up Close |
Bringing the meal full circle, we end with a cocktail, The Hot Pipe. Intriguing: it arrives in a dramatic glass dome filled with smoke. Upon removal, a captivating port sniffer sits in the middle of a crystal plate. We sip from a fine glass straw attached to the bulb shaped glass. As we tip the glass to drink, the nose dips towards the beverage giving a good whiff of smoke, chocolate and vanilla. Overtones of passionfruit complement the fruit in the dessert, while the subtle notes of chili infused vodka reflect the touch of spice. We can’t imagine a better ending.
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| The Hot Pipe |
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| The Hot Pipe |
Without wine pairing the menu is priced at RM288 nett per person. An additional RM110 nett gifts guests with a wonderful mix of beverages from sochu, to wine to cocktails. In our opinion, the drink pairing is well worth the extra ringgit.
Additional benefits for MIGF diners include a complimentary cocktail on arrival, beverage discounts, 50% off room rates in Genting Grand Premier Room, and 20% discount on massage and facials at M-spa and Fitness. The biggest advantage of all however, besides the magnificent food, is this window of opportunity to dine in the exclusive Genting Club.
Reasons to visit: rare opportunity to dine in Genting Club; excellent drink pairing; other discounts in the hotel such as room and spa offers; sublime setting; a menu full of surprises.
LTITUDE Restaurant Bar and Lounge
Resorts World Genting
+603-6105 9009
www.rwgenting.com
6pm – 11pm weekdays
Friday, Saturday, Sunday 6pm – 2am
Awesome place, presentation superb!
Thank You Very Much!
Pls. try our MIGF menu, also Ala Carte from Chinese Chef Yee,Taiwanese Chef Woo and me Japanese Chef Umeda.
we will start new memu from 1st Nov.
A quite fancy place! Love that hot pipe…a very creative cocktail to end the meal.
looks delicious,
the portion is torturing me!
very cool setting, and i love the presentation of the dishes .. very vibrant colours and wonderful inventiveness
very pretty! too often it's style over substance.. but glad this was good;)
The culinary experience is beyond imagination! It's mouth-watering even just by reading this well written reviews. Well done guys 🙂
Great post!