A French Affair for One Night only @ The Restaurant, Saujana

One of the most versatile chefs I know is Austrian Head Chef at Saujana, Chef Alexander Waschl. Beneath his tall chef hat and distinct Austrian accent is a humble yet talented man, who brings an amazing Austrian flare to the table, each and every time he cooks for us.

And people actually forget that the Austrians had their own empire once, and their cuisine has a diverse lightness and sophistication to it, and no one executes this better than Chef Waschl. However, this particular dinner, he would be cooking French for us.

And so we found ourselves at The Restaurant, ready to dutifully pontificate our experience firsthand.

The selection of wines, to be paired with our 5 course dinner.. 

amuse bouche – crab meat prawn cracker

Sashimi of Ahi Tuna, marinated asparagus, cucumber relish, almond gel and, caviar

This dish was superb. A rather unusual seaweed caviar (i.e. not from sturgeon fish), was a pleasant pair with the super fresh tuna slices. The almond gel made from almond soaked in milk then made into a mousse was just heavenly. An excellent pair with the Pascal Jolivet Attitude Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Loire Valley.

The Pascal Jolivet Attitude Sauvignon Blanc, was fresh and clean with delicate nuances of lime and green apple. It had a nice acidity, but was medium bodied and paired well with the subtle tuna sashimi.

Fine Celeriac Cappuccino – truffle flavoured milk foam, smoked duck brioche crouton

The duck crouton was just sublime and went perfectly with the rich, bisque-like celeriac soup. This was a great pair for the Chanson Chablis AOC 2013 Burgundy. This Chablis was delightfully luscious, sweetly-citric, with a hint of spice.

Next up, the Chicken leg roll with mushroom stuffing. This was like a mini roulade, baked on the outer layer, till it had a crispy skin. Loved the Barbajuan it was served with. Barbajuan or Barbagiuan is an appetizer mainly found in the eastern part of French Riviera and Northern Italy. It originated from Monaco. It was a lovely crumbly pastry stuffed with Swiss chard, spinach, ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, onions, leeks. This course was paired with a rose. The Whispering Angel Rose 2013, Provence.

Such a pretty pink! Pale salmon in colour, this delicate yet fresh rose, had plenty of crisp strawberry fruit notes and a long finish. Definitely a delicious rose from the South of France.

Chef Alexander Waschl in action!

I was looking forward to the mains, in a big way.

Here’s my Medium rare, Black Angus Tenderloin, served with Parmesan Cream Sauce, Spinach Canelloni and Vegetable Stew. The lobster tomato stew was just fabulous. And so was the pink, juicy steak cooked a perfect medium rare. This main course was well complemented by the Chateau Grand Pey Lescours AOC St Emillon Grand Cru 2009, Bordeaux, which exhibited an exquisite bouquet of dark berries and forest fruits, making it supple on the palate yet tannic enough to complement the hearty steak.

This same wine was paired with the Pan Fried Atlantic Salmon, with the same side dishes as the steak. It did surprisingly well with this fish dish too.

Finally dessert was served and paired with the Camus VSOP Cognac.

Slightly sweet with a floral entry , yet pleasantly dry, the cognac was the perfect pair for the sweet Caramel Chocolate Panna Cotta, served with White chocolate gel and Macadamia nut Shortbread.  Loved this light bodied tipple, with a fair amount of flowers and fruit notes. Not a lot of the usual oaky notes which was nice – I can’t really appreciate cognac when it’s too full on.

Chef drops by to greet his guests.. 

For more info : www.shr.my or call 03-78431234 ; email [email protected]

Definitely a huge fan of Chef Waschl.. don’t miss this chance to dine at his table! This 5 course, French inspired and French wine paired dinner, will be coming your way, on the 27th of March 2015, at The Restaurant, The Club Saujana. Priced at RM240 nett (dinner only) this event is for a single night only. Wine are by Albert Wines & Spirits.