Restaurant: Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant, Concorde Hotel, Kuala Lumpur There is no need to travel to Beijing to sample the famous Peking duck delicacy. Here, at Concorde’s Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant, traditional Peking duck is featured throughout the month of March.

The Peking duck was first created and introduced by the palace chefs back in the Ming Dynasty where only exceptional quality dishes were cooked for the emperor. The preparation of the dish is rather interesting but time consuming. The duck have to be inflated to separate the skin from the fat.

It is then hung up to dry before being roasted to perfection in an oven until its meat is tender and the skin shines golden brown. The meat is often eaten with pancakes, spring onions and hoisin sauce or sweet noodle sauce.

Xin Cuisine features Peking duck prepared in eight different style. Some of the highly recommended, stir-fried sliced duck meat with ginger spring onion, double-boiled soup duck bore with preserved vegetable, wok-fried rice with diced duck, stir-fried egg noodles with shredded duck, stir-fried diced duck wrapped with lettuce and more on the list.

The Peking duck is available during lunch and dinner, patrons can enjoy this delicacy at RM58.00++ per duck.

For reservations, please call 21442200 extn 2338 or 21448750 (direct line).

Restaurant: Le Bouchon, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

Duck Leg Confit served with Fondantes Potatoes topped with a slice of Pan Fried Goose Liver

The duck confit was slightly on the dry side but the goose liver was the star despite the cameo role it was made to play. The roast potatoes was crunchy with a bite, and the vegetables mask the saltiness of the meat. It was a perfect combination except for the tenderness that was maybe missing somewhere. For RM78, i would order this again though.

Dordogne Salad with Goose Liver Terrine, Gizzards Confit, Smoked Magret of Duck and Marinated Sultanas in Cognac Vinaigrette

Available under their Gourmet Menu RM 148. With generous portions of terrine and duck breast pieces, this was not what i expected of a dainty salad. It was a muscular and filling salad and definitely could be a meal for a lady. The pieces of confit, was like pork lard to me, crunchy and absolutely gave the salad a crunch, just like croutons.

Restaurant: The C. Club, Kuala Lumpur

THE VIBE
The C. Club is not just an annexe offering expensive “bling-bling” to arouse the desire of the rich and famous, but it is also a showcase of life’s finer things which encompass wining and dining. The interior of the C. Club is absolutely stunning. With the significance of the spiral staircase, cascading crystal chandeliers, sleek black floor and an open space Moon Terrace overlooking the hustle and bustle of the cityscape, it’s all about glamour and style.

THE FOOD
My gastronomic indulgence began as I sat down on the cosy sofa. As one browses through the menu, there is the wine list, giving the first hint of what is to come. Every wine has symbolic and detailed descriptions to guide diner to the dry, sweet, fruity, peppery, or oaky wines. Besides, the menu veers from delicately priced, delicious snacks, salads, and desserts to competitively-priced and well-prepared exciting main courses visuals. As I was sipping though Sunset whilst waiting for my food, an instant sense of aesthetic surrounded me as my eyes lingered through the expensive “wares” and the very relaxed setting overwhelmed.

For appetisers, Chef Jimmy Liew a.k.a. sous chef did minor improvisation; soups were served as a combination of two mini starters. The Cream of Forest Mushroom with truffle chantilly or better known as the mushroom soup is definitely my all-time favourite. Not forgetting the crouton, added texture to the soup. Well, it does require good taste buds to differentiate

the delicate flavours of the soup consisting three different varieties, namely shitake, button and shimaji. The other appetiser also came out wonderfully; The Shellfish bisque aromatised with a dash of cognac had a strong shellfish bitter-like taste, bobbing with scallops, crabmeat and prawns.

Next to arrive was The Foie Gras; a well prepared version of the standard noted for its less gamey, musky nutty and subtle smooth flavour, paired with scallops, onion marmalade and pickled pumpkin was a near perfect starter. Like any good marriage, this combination provided both diversity and harmony.

Totally seduced by meat, it was time to try some old school French preparation for the main course! The well-browned Duck Confit turned out to be juicy and tender accompanied the savoury flavours of the mashed potatoes and French beans; all laid to rest on a nest-liked potato basket (reminded me of the Beijing bird nest stadium!). I was in total awe when I saw the Seared Cod with Aglio Olio Fettucini. It was served together with the poached asparagus, mushrooms, coriander miso hollandaise and a dash rosemary wine. For dessert, Chef Jimmy Liew recommended me to go for the Sinful trio chocolate delights, which was smooth and creamy. Thanks to the combination of the dark layers of dark chocolate sandwiched with chocolate mousse and chocolate ice-cream. Besides, I was also adventurous to take on the The C. Club Supermisu which was served too with crunchy almond praline, raspberry coulis and dusted cocoa powder. Totally divine!

THE SERVICE
Smiles can be seen all around at the C. Club. The friendly and attentive service staffs are quick to tend to one’s needs. One can easily strike up a conversation with them or if you prefer privacy, they will go into stealth mode but all the while attending to your needs. It is a delight to find a restaurant like the C. Club that prides itself in showing an access point to the finer things in life. Prices are relatively reasonable considering that it is a ‘fine dining’ restaurant.

And of course, The C. Club is perfect for a romantic night out especially on Valentine’s Day!