Frangipani Restaurant & Bar

January 2011

Fine dining in Kuala Lumpur is in rude health. New additions to the highest end of gastronomy such as High Tide, il Lido, and il Primo have joined Sage, now two years into its life at The Gardens, and hotel establishments such as Lafite and Senses, to present a formidable front and help put the city on the culinary map of the region.

However, the old hand in the game, a place that has not just maintained its
quality but innovated to keep diners guessing – and loving the answers they
are presented with – is Frangipani.

Frangi’s fans are many and broad. Visitors to KL in search of international
class cuisine are guaranteed a positive result, plus a visual treat in the shape of a spectacular dining room replete with intimate lighting, divine furniture and a water feature that lives proudly in the annals of the city’s restaurant culture.

I went recently to check out whether Frangipani were still delivering cuisine
to match its décor and how the restaurant has been affected by the emergence of rivals to challenge Chef Chris Bauer and his renowned kitchen.

Taking our seats it was clear that the ambience certainly hasn’t been affected one jot. And business was brisk. An early midweek dinner visit saw us in the company of half a dozen other tablesworth of people. A good sign.

A stunningly brilliant scallop starter with porcini mushrooms and
gazpacho both threw down a gauntlet and set the bar if you’ll allow such a
confused directional analogy. No such confusion from the kitchen though as
my companion’s tea smoked salmon served with salmon roe drew appreciative mumbles but I barely noticed as I was busy tucking into a pan seared foie gras with apple rendang in a strudel.

That dish deserves a moment’s reflection. Those familiar with Frangipani
will know it and love it well. If you haven’t yet indulged then the name gives away what to expect. But no mere words could really do it justice. The foie gras melts in an indescribable manner almost through your tongue, while turning the apple into a rendang complements the flavour of the liver perfectly. A ring of pastry encircles the invention completes the ‘strudel’, a dish that was about top of the list when we were compiling our recent ‘25 Best Things We Have Eaten in 2010’ for this magazine.

Regular followers of my food critiques may think this review is out of turn for
me. It’s rare that I fawn. In truth, writing such nice things has left a sour taste (the only negative taste recently thanks to Frangipani’s). However, for me, there can be no doubt that Frangipani is still the premier cosmopolitan, sophisticated place to dine out in KL in spite of the many newcomers. Technically, Chef Bauer is peerless in the city and the dining room is a tranquil oasis that seems a million miles from the busy happenings of Changkat Bukit Bintang less than 20 metres away. Matthew Bellotti

Awards

Frangipani was specially commended in the Best Fine Dining Restaurant category of the Time Out KL Food Awards 2009, and shortlisted in the same category in 2010. Our food awards are 100% voted for by the people of KL. This way, we guarantee that popularity and consistent performance is rewarded.

Food 40 is our monthly, definitive guide for where to eat in the Klang Valley. No entry into the Food 40 has provided any Time Out team member with a free meal or other incentive. If you have eaten somewhere that you think should rank amongst KL's top 40, email us and we'll check it out: [email protected].