Maison Francaise, Elegant French Cuisine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Maison Francaise 

Maison Francaise, New Chef, New Menu

Words by Patricia Podersok
Photos by The Yum List aka Monica Tindall

The chic elegance of Maison Francaise can handily seduce a gourmand under the best of circumstances, but add a new chef to the mix and now you’ve added the ganache to your torte. When we were invited to preview some of his specialities last weekend, I was ready to be mesmerized. And I was not disappointed.
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Dining Table with Lovely Natural Light
Thierry Le Baut made his debut at Maison Francaise just one month ago, and has wasted no time in personalizing the starters, the mains, the desserts, just about, well… everything. The full new menu will be unveiled next month. He brings to Maison Francaise a shiny length of experience married to an unpretentious demeanor. He entertained us with stories of culinary challenges and unusual client requests, many of them having to do with building sculptures out of sugar and chocolate. And by sculptures, I mean cars, animals, guitars, even bodies! We enjoyed his genuine humor and the obvious affection he holds for his craft.
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Chef Thierry Le Baut
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Baguette
An architect of flavor and presentation, Chef Thierry began our degustation with an extraordinary tower of layered foie gras, thinly sliced apple, and smoked barramundi capped with a brulee topping of caramelized sugar. Each bite unfolded new dimensions of smoky, smooth, crispy, sweet, tart. The combination was sublime, melting the taste buds into puddles that you could make you pull out your gumboots and stomp around in all day.
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Tower of Foie Gras
From towers we moved to ramps. The second course was a single spear of asparagus leaning across a perfectly browned sea scallop, adorned by a dollop of black caviar. Monica declared the crisp exterior and perfectly tender interior “the best cooked scallop in Malaysia.” The seafood lay upon a thin sheet of shallot reduction carrying just enough butter and white wine vinegar to deliver a subtle but fully-balanced flavor of earth and sea.
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Scallop and Asparagus
The “ramp” of the second course made way to a house of cod, a solid wall of tender meat turreted by a golden crust. The landscaping included a lawn of green pea puree and parsley foam and the fruit of a single roasted tomato. A tiny forest of enoki mushrooms added texture and dimension to the plate and to the eye. 
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Cod
Next we sampled a brick of herb-and-nut crusted lamb, sturdy in flavor, but soft on the palate. The mortar that accompanied will forever be cemented in my memory: a lithe pasta pocket filled with luscious thyme cream that was like an herbal explosion to my tongue. It. Was. Just. So. Delicious.
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Lamb
Lastly, our culinary tour took us through a palace of desserts, a dazzling array of fruit, ice cream and chocolate. The volcano lava cake could possible make me enslave myself to the chocolate gods for want of another bite of its dark, gooey magic. 
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Perfectly Executed Dessert
Along with the meal, we enjoyed the house wines from the French label Lavila, available in cabernet, sauvignon blanc and the rosé Cinsault Syrah, which we found most pleasing to accompany a lunch fest. However, these three do not even scratch the surface of the depth of the wine list at Maison Francaise: the selection is pages long, mostly French, and can accommodate any taste or budget.
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Lavila Sauvignon Blanc
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Lavila Cabernet Sauvignon
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Lavila Rosé
On Sundays, Maison Francaise offers a table service brunch which may include mains like tender Black Angus oyster beef or the classic dessert creme brulee. It runs from 12 – 3pm at a fair price of RM188++ (free-flowing) or RM148++ (non-alcoholic). High tea is also served on Sunday from 1 – 5 pm for RM 8++. Last week’s menu included toasted brioche, cheese tartine and raspberry tart.
In the lower level of the restaurant, guests can enjoy Soiree, a bar area with views of garden and pool, comfortable stools and a daily happy hour, open from 5pm.
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Soiree – Maison Francaise
Maison Francaise, Kuala Lumpur
Soiree
Maison Francaise has much to offer anyone with discerning taste, and continues to be a winner with the arrival of Chef Thierry Le Baut. Welcome, Thierry!
Reasons to visit: Experience the artistry and architecture of Chef Thierry Le Baut, a sublime eating experience in an elegant atmosphere. 
Maison Francaise
5 Jalan Changkat Kia Peng 
50450 Kuala Lumpur 
Malaysia
Mobile:0192431200 
Tel: 03 21441474 

5 Comments

  1. That asparagus is huge! Ours here are all so skinny, so miserable. Good luck to the new chef, hope he likes it here in Malaysia.

  2. Beautiful and elegant dining experience! The presentations are very creative. As far as what suituapui said, I agree on the size of the asparagus, and when the asparagus is large and thick like this, it is sweeter and more savoury than the thinner ones. Great post!

  3. Been following your blog for a while. Great blog by the way. You take the most beautiful pictures. Wish I could afford all those expensive food…but I can still look and salivate, right? That scallop looks amazing…perfectly seared 😉

  4. What a charming place! And with such a talented frenchman in the kitchen, you can't go wrong!

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