MIGF Sensory Signature Dinner @ Five Sen5es, The Westin KL

Wow.. already we are entering the season for MIGF.. and here’s our MIGF Sensory Signature Dinner @ Five Sen5es, The Westin KL

And before you know it, it is that time of year again. MIGF 2013 (Malaysia International Gourmet Festival) is upon us and we visit Five Sen5es, at The Westin KL, to see about an Asian inspired Wine-Food pairing menu.

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Five Sen5es is a contemporary Cantonese restaurant which serves both traditional as well as more innovative Chinese cuisine. I’ve always loved dining at this restaurant and I find that the most exciting thing about Five Sen5es is their emphasizes on dining with the five human senses of Sight, Taste, Scent, Touch and Sound. The presence of these five elements is usually evident in the preparation, cooking and presentation of their dishes.

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First up, the Three Hot Delicacies that consists of, a trio of Deep-Fried stuffed Fresh Oyster, Foie Gras and Duck Roll and Steamed stuffed Fish Maw. This lovely bite size starters were paired with the Pascal Jolivet, Altitude, Sauvignon Blanc 2012.

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Deep-Fried stuffed Fresh Oyster, Foie Gras and Duck Roll, Steamed stuffed Fish Maw paired with the Pascal Jolivet, Altitude, Sauvignon Blanc 2012

The trio was superb – loved the foie gras duck roll especially because the foie gras was cooked perfectly and the duck meat was moist. The collagen rich fish maw was also a winner – stuffed with shrimp paste , top with enoki mushroom, carrot and asparagus, it was rather pleasing to the eye and tasted fabulous too. When paired with the wine, we found the Altitude somewhat young and sharp with a minerality that wasn’t as pleasant to drink on its own, as it was, when paired with the food. I guess you could say that it was a fair choice of wine-food pair.

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The Deep-Fried stuffed Fresh Oyster were fresh and nicely seasoned. Loved how it was stuffed with shredded onions, shallots and crab meat, lightly battered in breadcrumbs and then deep-fried. Off to a good start.

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Double-boiled Seafood Dumpling Consommé served in Whole Coconut paired with the Pascal Jolivet, Altitude, Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Next up was the soup. I have to say, that the Double-boiled Seafood Dumpling Consommé was incredibly sweet which could only mean one thing – all the essence of the seafood had gone into the broth. No wonder they call it, a superior stock.

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Unfortunately though, when I tasted a bit of the crab claw (and God knows I love claw), it was bland and rubbery. I guess it had been boiled for too long. The other components in the coconut tasted good though – I loved the scallop, the prawn and the pearl clam stuffed with shrimp paste and minced pork, as they seemed to have retained their flavour.

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Stewed Pork Belly with “Luo Han Guo” paired with the Chateau D’esclans Whispering Angels 2011

Then it was time to get down to some porky business. The Stewed Pork Belly with “Luo Han Guo” was a winner. Some folks don’t like the taste of Luo Han Guo, but I found this worked well with the rosé it was paired with. Again the rosé on its own was nothing to shout about, but paired with the food, it really worked its magic.

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The pork was literally melt in your mouth delicious. It had obviously been slow stewed with chinese herbs and boiled with luo han guo. The cereal crackers it was served with kind of reminded me of a kid’s snack, but it rather effectively provided a base for the absorption of the pork gravy. Loved the creativity of this one. Cumi found the pork belly too fat, but I ate the entire thing, fat and all. I mean, what’s the point of eating pork belly if it ain’t fatty, right?

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Fish Fillet with Duet Corn in Crab Meat Sauce paired with the De Bortoli, Gulf Station, Pinot Noir 2010

The next dish was a cod fish. It was such a light tasting dish, we felt that the incredibly bold Stewed Pork Belly with “Luo Han Guo” that preceded this dish, kind of obliterated its taste. If not somewhat anti-climatic, the fish was paired well with the Pinot Noir. The fish should have come, before the pork.

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As with most chinese meals, dining isn’t complete till you have had your rice, and so we were served a final dish of Steamed Red Rice with Abalone, Fresh River Prawn and Shrimp Gravy. Loved the steamed red rice and the abalone. The prawn was somewhat overcooked but the overall experience was pleasing enough to the Five Sen5es.

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Steamed Red Rice with Abalone, Fresh River Prawn and Shrimp Gravy paired with the De Bortoli, Gulf Station, Pinot Noir 2010

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Chef Tan , the man behind this meal

Finally, we reach the final leg of our meal. Dessert is a pretty affair, in the form of this Asian inspired trio.  We learn from Chef Tan that what we had before us was a lemongrass shooter, Snow skin with Ohni (Yam Paste) and an Asian inspired Crème Brulee with white fungus. All terrific and well executed sweets – hard to fault the taste as well as presentation.

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Sweet combination –  3 different desserts conclude the meal

All in all, more hits than misses. One of the best things about Five Sen5es is that it keeps trying out new things and innovating its cuisine. Every year is a surprise and I am sure that the restaurant will keep growing from strength to strength.

For this MIGF menu, wine-food pairing will set you back by RM330++ and without wines, RM190++. MIGF week runs from the 1st- 31st October 2013.

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Add:
Five Sen5es
The Westin Kuala Lumpur, 199, Jalan Bukit Bintang.
Contact Details : +603 2773 8338
Website : westindining.com.my
Open daily for lunch from 11.30am to 2.30pm,
dinner from 5.30pm to 10.30pm.

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