Showcase Lunch @ Lafite, Shangri-la Kuala Lumpur

Lafite for a lazy lunch?...that sounded like the perfect Friday.


Despite the heaving traffic in downtown Kuala Lumpur, I managed to make it to the hotel in a nick of time.





It's been a while since I dined here (Read about our previous visits here.)


There's little tweaks here for the better such as the slightly friendlier service. It's still not perfect though as they tend to leave us to our devices that getting the check was a bit tiresome (waving to get their attention).





One major change was the lunch menu. There's a new selection of dishes and different sets available.


Firstly, the showcase lunch is priced at RM88++, which includes a selection from the showcase (aka that spaceship shuttle lookalike in the middle of the restaurant, a choice of main course and the dessert of the day.





Other set menus also include the Business Set Menu for RM108++, which consists of a three-course meal with a choice of soup of the day or truffle orzo pasta for the appetizer, three choices of protein (meat, poultry or fish) for the main and an affixed dessert.


The other set is called Executive Set Menu for RM128++, which is quite similar to the Business Set Menu except it has four courses. You get two starters - a soup of the day and truffle orzo pasta. Then comes the same three protein choices for main and the affixed dessert.


A la carte choices are also available.





We went for the Showcase Lunch, ordering various choices for our main course.


Honestly I didn't think much of the Showcase's selections  since it looked almost like a buffet spread - left out a while that it looked mighty dry and lonely.


Chief favourites was the tuna tartare served with a squid ink cracker and a dab of avocado puree. Also good was the octopus paired with the sweet mango on a skewer. The pumpkin and coconut cream was a  weird combo as the pumpkin didn't have a sweet taste and the coconut cream tasted from a can. The prawn was too salty and the salmon roll with kebab was mediocre.


What's lovely to start with is the bread basket especially with its beetroot buns. They have the earthy taste of the beetroot that colours it a beautiful ruby red.





I was blown away by my main course - the parmesan corn fed chicken served on squid ink scrambled egg, green asparagus and pesto. I loved how it resembled the siu yoke with a golden crust. The tender chicken meat is topped with a crispy thin parmesan crust. The black eggs add a nice soft touch to the meat and while it didn't have much taste, it was an eye popping sight.


Equally worthy was the American Kobe-style beef short ribs (simply melt in the mouth) with a fava bean ragout, crispy spiced bread crumbles and carrot strow. On the other hand, the citrus thyme cured Norwegian wild salmon had a soft oily mouth feel of the pink fish famous for its Omega-3 oils. It is served on sauteed romaine lettuce, potato dumplings and lime jus.


But I reckon the best was the chocolate bar, an unassuming name for a wondrous dessert. Rich chocolate filling with a beautiful flaky and crunchy crust. The pink flower and the caramel sauce added a touch of beauty. Simple looking but so divine.


Despite the hitches of a cold and boring showcase selection, I must admit I enjoyed the meal at Lafite. It is also slightly less artic in customer relations so it makes pleasant dining.




Lafite
Shangri-la Hotel
Jalan Sultan Ismail
Kuala Lumpur




Tel:03-2074 3900


(Pork Free. Open for lunch and dinner. Closed on Sundays. For more pictures, see the Flickr set.)


*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.