Dining Out @ High Tide, Menara Taipan, Off Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur

smoked monkfish with fennel shavings and a citrus dressing

When I first read Sean's review of High Tide, I was appalled with the prices (RM48 for a salad with no seafood!). Ouch! That will definitely burn a huge hole in the pocket especially if I wanted to sample more items here for a good review, that I shoved the idea of dining here for about 2 months. Then a week back, a chef I knew raved about the place so much that I knew I should make an effort to sample the food prepared by Belgian chef Evert Onderbeke, who had trained under a 2-star Michelin chef, Roger Souvereyns.

oysters galore: 1. Fin de Claire, 2. Belon, 3. Irish or Pacific varieties

Luck was on my side as I called up and discovered they're doing lunch specials (2 courses for RM75++ and 3 courses for RM95++) from Tuesdays to Saturdays (they're closed on Mondays). It sounded good and definitely more affordable for us especially since we both wanted to sample the food first before forking out more monies.

the pretty pea shoot decorates shooter glasses of potato and spinach soup with foam

We felt a little lost since we have not been to Menara Taipan (it's so well tucked on Jalan P Ramlee opposite Menara Hup Seng that we never noticed it!). At the moment, parking is non existence within the building itself but the restaurant is trying to arrange for some so cross your fingers. However, you have open-air parking across the road under the shadow of KL Tower or you can even park at the Weld and walk across to the restaurant

1. Tuna tartar too pretty to eat, 2. the cosy interior of High Tide with fish staring at you while you eat their cousins

The place is very comfortable with plush brown seats and crisp dot linen on the tables. Keeping with the aquatic theme, aquariums filled with colourful fish dotting around their watery home surround the diners. Its dining area is not too large, probably about 10-15 tables giving it a pretty cosy feel. Light pours in from the tall unadorned glass windows on the side. The kitchen is kept hidden behind glass walls sandblasted to offer some privacy for the chef except for a tiny window at the bottom for service.

pan seared ocean trout with spinach, turned potatoes and pumpkin puree

Service was impeccable, helmed by their French restaurant manager, Carole Pinel who kept us well informed about our dishes. We were the only diners there hence we also enjoyed their undivided attention. Not many people know of this place even though it opened 2 months ago but they have been getting diners through word of mouth recommendations. Plans to advertise are in the works soon, hence hopefully people will start recognising this little gem of a restaurant.

kingfish served with mushrooms, roasted eggplant and tomato puree with roasted potatoes

Feeling decadent, we went for a platter of oysters to accompany our set lunch. There are three varieties available - Belon, Fin De Claire and Irish or Pacific oysters. We decided to give all types a taste run and ordered an assorted platter (RM135 for 12 oysters). Oysters were very good (but weirdly enough, still not as fantastic compared to the Canadian ones we had at Sage!) - fresh, creamy with a briny taste of the sea especially eaten plain with a squeeze of lemon juice. Gorgeous! Our favourite was the Belon with its briny mineral taste while the Fin de Claire and Irish ones were more creamier.

1. strawberry bavarois with milk sorbet, 2. chocolate bar with mango ice cream

Our food just kept coming in, we actually started off with the chef's amuse bouche, salmon tartare, parmesan crusted seafood and a potato and spinach soup with mushroom foam. The soup served in a shooter glass was excellent and so pretty with the pea shoots. Then it was our starters for the set lunch: a gorgeous tuna tartar arranged like a flower for him that looked almost too pretty to eat and a smoked monkfish for me. Plating here is reminscent of the landscapes, Michel Bras is famous for making us go Aaah! at every plate we were presented with.

an assortment of petit fours to end the meal

Mains was a choice of ocean trout or king fish, we don't usually see on our Malaysian tables. Both fishes were cooked to perfection and incredibly good when paired with their side sauces, pumpkin for the ocean trout and a mix of roasted eggplant and tomato for the kingfish. We end with dessert - a decadent chocolate bar served with mango ice cream and a pretty ordinary tasting strawberry bavarois for me served with a milk sorbet. At the end of the meal, we were also presented a selection of petit fours (more desserts!) - a chocolate and nut square, fruit tart (I love the sweet raspberries and blueberries) and my favourite, this almond and apple cake.

Ingredients are top-notch with the seafood flown in from Europe, Japan and etc almost on a daily basis hence the hefty prices that reflect the top quality of the ingredients. Depending on what they get, they will recommend you the daily fish specials. Menu items may also change due to availability of items, hence it is best to check ahead what they have. Prices are RM48 for the salads, starters are around RM98, mains are around RM98 onwards. They do a seafood platter with oysters, lobster, mussels, langoustine, prawns, clams to share between two diners or more, that costs RM248 per person. For both of us, we definitely will return for the menu items and dinner again (just have to wait for the moo-lah first!), as we both loved the food. For more pictures, see my Flickr set.

High Tide

Ground Floor

Menara Taipan

Jalan Punchak (on the way to KL Tower)
Off Jalan P Ramlee
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2072 4452

(Pork free. Open for lunch and dinner. Closed on Mondays. Place is under the Nero group who also owns Italian restaurants and a deli at Changkat Bukit Bintang and Damansara Heights, like Nerodeli, Neroteca, Nerovivo and Nerofico.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Tagged with: Seafood+ High Tide