Tanzini Upper Deck, G Tower (Review)

I am glad that the haze is no longer a major daily problem that we need to face after caused by the choking smoke coming from forest fires in Sumatra. Now we can happily dine out without needing us to wear a face mask and getting eyes irritation. So the week after when the air quality is better, I was invited for a food review at Tanzini Upper Deck in GTower. For those of you who have been following my blog actively, I am sure you might have read about my Ramadan buffet and The View's cocktail review in GTower but believe it or not, this was my first time dining at Tanzini.

Tanzini Upperdeck is located on the 29th floor of GTower. We took the lift all the way up to Level 28, enter in to Tanzini's main entrance, head right, then take a left and go up the staircase to Tanzini Upper Deck.

Interior of Tanzini at Level 28.

Tanzini serves course menu as well as ala carte menu while Tanzini Upperdeck only serve course menu and it's best to always make a reservation 1 week in advance just to secure your table and to avoid disappointment.

The view from Tanzini Upper Deck

Although I'm not really a fan of dining in KL city since I'm staying and working in PJ but one of the things that I like most about dining in KL is the breathtaking panoramic view of the city especially at night!

There's a noticeable differences of Tanzini Upper Deck's interior compared to Tanzini is that the lighting is warmer, the seats seems to be more cushion on it hence it's more comfortable and the setting on the dining table is more equipped and again, there's no ala carte menu in Tanzini Upper Deck. I really like the ambience of this place with a class on its own.

Tanzini Upper Deck also cater for corporate events, celebration or occasions other than just for casual diners. I personally think this place is suitable for a small group of crowd to have a appreciation dinner or a simple dinner discussion or gathering over good food and wine.

Each of us are greeted with a bag of chips upon seated. They can customize the wording on the paper bag and you can actually see my name on it. It gave each of us a very personal welcoming experience with this little things.

Chips & Dips

A bag of “chips” our way, welcomes diners with personalized name printing on the bag. Served with a homemade Chipotle in Adobo dip. I find that the chips were a little too salty for my taste bud and the dip has a bbq sauce like taste. We were informed by Chef Eugene that the saltiness of the chips are to open up our taste buds. I think it does works on some people but definitely not to me.

Amuse-bouches: Foie Gras Mousse & Flavoured Pearls

We had our very first dish, it's actually a Amuse Bouches. Have you heard of that term before? The Amuse-bouches are different from appetizers in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons, but, when served, are done so for free and according to the chef's selection alone. So if you have a different dish than this, don't try to make a fool of yourself trying to get the waiter or chef for an explanation why they didn't get the same dish in this review.

A very unique way of sealing this dish inside a can, this Foie Gras Mousse & Flavoured Pearl is a small bite size foie gras mousse that is crumbed and fried (which look like a small piece of chicken nugget) placed amongst Aged Balsamic Pearls, Apple Pearls and Pomegranate Pearls. It was my first time having this fried foie gras, crispy on the outside but creamy on the inside. Foie gras was good but I can hardly taste the flavor of the pearls.

Wild Caught Japanese Madai & Yellowfin Tuna

For appetizer, we had Wild Caught Japanese Madai & Yellowfin Tuna.

Crudo of Wild Caught Japanese Madai & Yellowfin Tuna, Simmered Ratte Potato & Lotus Root. The madai has a lighter taste while the tuna has a more flavourful taste which complement each other. Lightly dressed in a soy dressing paired with lotus root and ratte potato that is simmered in a konbu broth. It's not easy to get a good Japanese Madai dish in Malaysia since it's a seasonal fish type and also quite pricy but I wouldn't mind to have more of this.

Shellfish-Tomato Broth

Next, we had a soup dish which is called Shellfish-Tomato Broth.

This soup is made of Roma Tomato & Shellfish Broth, Crystal Bay Prawns Mosaic and Jelly Fish Orb.

The broth is made from the extraction of flavours from lobster shells and heads infused with roma tomatoes that give acidity and also sweetness. A carppaccio of Crystal Bay Prawns that are carefully rolled and thinly sliced resembling a mosaic. This dish is paired with a Marinated Jelly Fish that is enrobed in an orb of mirin. I have tasted a balance combination of roma tomatoes and shellfish in the broth which went pretty well with the prawn and jelly fish orb.

Smoked & Brined Muscovy Duck

Now we proceed to the starter, we had the Lightly Seared Cold Smoked & Brined Muscovy Duck.

“Pudding” of Chanterelle, Swiss Button, Morel & King Trumpet, Baby Sardine Tuile 

The pride of Tanzini Upper Deck, the Muscovy Duck is house brined and smoked. Slightly seared before serving. Pairing alongside with their very own Wild Mushroom “Pudding” which uses the gelatinous properties of the robust mushrooms. A thin slice of pressed baby sardine tuile for contrasting of texture and toasty flavour. The chef actually discovered the Wild Mushroom Pudding by accident when cooking the wild mushroom soup. The Muscovy Duck was tasty and had a nice texture but I still prefer mushroom soup over the pudding.

This is not common when it comes to fine dinning in KL, the Intermezzo was served before the main course to cleanse our palate before entering the main course. We had Watermelon Lime sorbet with Pop Rocks & Orange Crunch which is the Sorbet of the Day. A refreshing concoction of watermelon and lime infusion. Sprinkled with Pop Rocks and Orange Crunch to add another dimension of citrus flavours. I have not eaten Pop Rocks for ages and this reminds me of my primary school when I use to buy this from the school bus drivers after school session ended.

Pike Perch

We have two choices of main course. The first one that we had was Pike Perch.

Roll of Pike Perch in Baby Zucchini Carrot-Miso Marmalade, Crispy Skins. This dish was inspired by the maki rolls in Japanese restaurant. Rolled Pike Perch in Zucchinni on a bed of Carrot Marmalade infused with Miso. The Pike Perch which is more common in the western part of the world has a very unique taste compared to our Asian fish. The texture is harder but goes well with the carrot marmalade and miso. The skin of the fish has a very light taste and it's crispy.

Tajima Wagyu Tenderloin

The next choice was the Tajima Wagyu Tenderloin. It is a lightly Seared Tajima Wagyu Tenderloin that come with Apple-Potato Terrine, Wasabi Custard, Spinach and Morels. Using only the primest cuts, The Tajima Wagyu Tenderloin is a full blood wagyu. Plated alongside an intricate modern take on Pomme Anna. Done sous vide with layers of Granny Smith Apples alternating the potato. As you can see the two small custard like next to the garnish on top of the wagyu is actually a Wasabi Custard that is blended with Foie Gras. The wagyu is tender, flavorful but not too hard and it was one of my favorite dish of the night. I am swallowing my own saliva a couple of times by just looking at this picture now.

Just look at that piece of prime meat, how I wish that it came in a bigger portion but this is fine dining so every dishes are made into a smaller portion so that we can appreciate the taste and to make us crave for it over and over again.

Hazelnut Praline M Sponge

After finishing our main course, we were surprised with a special pre dessert, Hazelnut Praline M Sponge. A combination of fluffy sponge of Valrhona Hazelnut Praline and Earl Grey Fluid Gel. Once again, they were very good in element of surprise by placing this dessert on a rock, by the way the rock is actually clean lah. Hahaha...

Reinterpreted Concorde

Finally, we ended our course dinner with a Sweet Ending - Reinterpreted Concorde. This dessert consist of Caramelized White Chocolate Namelaka, Green Tea Meringue, Violet-Raspberry Gel and Hibiscus Confit. According to Chef Eugene, this is actually their reinterpretation of the famous dessert Concorde which is created to celebrate the plane named Concorde. The 12 hours caramelized white chocolate has turned into a Namelaka. To contrast the creaminess, a green tea meringue and dallops of violet raspberry gel with hibiscus confit. After hearing about the effort of 12 hours caramelized white chocolate, we dug into the dessert immediately and found that this is a very pleasing and cooling dessert that you just can't stop eating although we had quite a few dishes before that. This is indeed a wonderful sweet ending for me.

Prices for this Course Dinner as below:-

RM 155++ 4 Course Dinner
• Chef’s Special
• Choose 1out of  Appetizer, Soup or Starter
• Intermezzo
• Choice of Mains
• Dessert

RM 185++ 5 Course Dinner
• Chef’s Special
• Choose  2 out of Appetizer, Soup or Starter
• Intermezzo
• Choice of Mains
• Dessert

RM 215++ 6 Course Dinner
• Chef’s Special
• Appetizer
• Soup
• Starter
• Intermezzo
• Choice of Mains
• Dessert

This course menu is only available through out the month of July and August 2013.

Chef Eugene Lee

Chef Eugene Lee represents a unique blend of creative passion and unconventional cooking yet retaining the fundamental building blocks of cooking. His education background influenced his perception and has given him the courage along with the knowledge to cook with the mandate that is not limited by the structures of traditional techniques and flavour pairings. His principles in the kitchen is that chemistry and science play a vital role in what he does and dishes should be a multi-sensory experience from the way it is prepared to the way it is presented to the diners. A meal should ooze with creativity coupled by a balance of flavours and textures and last but not least a dish should encompass a perfect blend of history, art and design. Creating a harmonious art on the plate.

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Tanzini Upper Deck
Level 29, GTower,
199, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2168 1899
Email: info@tanzini.com.my
Website: www.tanzini.com.my

Opening hours:
Mondays to Saturdays
6:30pm - 10:30pm
*Closed on Sunday 

.: Peace Out :.