For more than two decades, Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur’s fine dining restaurant, Lafite has been considered by food connoisseurs as one of Malaysia’s top Western eateries. Under various helms, Lafite has delivered on high-quality European cuisine, matched to an extensive list of carefully picked international wines. The setting is smart, sophisticated and modern, making it the ideal place for business meetings and special occasions.
It is classy but not overly pretentious, formal but not uptight, and it has the feel of a restaurant that knows it's the best. However, in such a setting, the food has to be able to stand for itself and at Lafite, the food is definitely the star.
Currently, Lafite’s menu features French Classical cuisine created by Chef de Cuisine Jean-Philippe Guiard. He believes in the simplicity of cooking, which is one of the core principles of French Classical cooking.
And this was exactly what the guests of the recently held Preview Dinner experienced at Lafite. At the start of the evening, arriving guests were invited to The Red Room, an intimate and cosy bar adjacent to the passageway of Lafite’s entrance for some pre-dinner cocktail drinks. The cocktail served is a mix of Crème de Cassis and Ruggeri Prosecco.
YAM Tunku Naquiyuddin Ibni Tuanku Ja'afar, YM Tunku Nurul Hayati Tunku Bahador, Puan Sri Pernille Goh & Tan Sri Jason Goh
Distinguished guests of the evening included MIGF Royal Patron, Tunku Naquiyuddin Ibni Tuanku Ja’afar and his wife, Tunku Nurul Hayati; Director of Syarikat Pesaka Antah Sdn Bhd, Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Naquiah Al-Marhum Tuanku Ja’afar and her husband, Tunku Kecil Besar Tunku Datuk Mudzaffar; Tunku Datin Mir’atun Madihah Tunku Mudzaffar and her husband, Dato’ James Iskandar Ja’afar Greaves; Managing Director of Kawaguchi Development Sdn Bhd, Tan Sri Jason Goh and his wife, Puan Sri Pernille Goh; Executive Chairman of Seni Jaya Corporation Bhd, Dato’ Eddie Teo and his son, Justin; Chairman of Kok & Associates, Dato’ Kok Wee Kiat and his wife, Datin Poh Thiam; Senior Executive Director of Sunway University College & Sunway Group of Colleges, Elizabeth Lee and her husband, Cheah Ming Chew; Chief Operating Officer of Berjaya Higher Education Sdn Bhd, Mae S.K. Ho and her husband Professor Dr. Walter C.K. Wong.
YAM Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Naquiah Al Marhum Tuanku Ja'afar, Tunku Mir'atun Madihah Tunku Mudzaffar & Datin Su Wai Fun
While guests were mingling at The Red Room, Shangri-La KL’s Executive Chef, Rudolf Kunkel dropped in to greet our gourmands. Shortly after, Chef Jean-Philippe came out of the kitchen and joined MIGF Organizing Chairman, Dato’ Steve Day in formally welcoming everyone to Lafite. The group then adjourned to the private section of the restaurant’s dining area where a long table awaited.
As soon as the guests were comfortably seated, the dinner kicked off with the first course of the evening, a starter of seabass and oyster tartar with caviar tomato vinaigrette and beetroot coulis. It was accompanied by a glass of Chablis 1st Cru Montmains, Chardonnay.
The soup came next, the porcini soup with pan-fried Hokkaido scallop, garlic cream and parsley coulis. This was followed by the fish course, a Dover sole fillet grenobloise served with French spinach and seaweed butter; this course was accompanied by a glass of La Ciboise, Grenache Blanc or Vermentino or Ugni Blanc or Roussanne by M. Chapoutier.
Next came the main course, Wagyu beef tournados Rossini with truffle reduction, accompanied by a glass of Le Grand Pompee, Syrah by Paul Jaboulet Aine.
After the main course, an assorted French Bordier cheeses were served. Then, the sixth and final course was served – the traditional French peach melba with crispy tuile and caramelized hazelnuts.
As the dinner came to an end, Dato’ Steve called out Chef Jean-Philippe and his kitchen and service team, and invited Her Royal Highness Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Naquiah to say a few words on behalf of the diners. She praised the dishes of the evening were wonderful and complimented the entire Lafite team for a job well done; this was followed by a round of applause from the diners.
Due to the long running history and faultless reputation of Lafite, it comes as no surprise that a significant number of our gourmands had dined at least once in this restaurant in the past. And all of them were very impressed with the quality of the food; both in the past and present.
The COO of Berjaya Higher Education, Madam Mae shared her dining experience with us. “I haven’t been to Lafite for a while and when I received an invitation from MIGF to dine here, I was so excited about it! And I must say that I am not at all disappointed with tonight’s dishes, it was excellent.” Madam Mae further stated that her standout dish of the evening was the starter. “The seabass was very good. The blend of the oysters with the seabass was just wonderful; every single bite was so delectable,” she said.
When asked about how Malaysia, as a gourmet food destination is compared to other more established countries, Madam Mae replied, “Actually, we are so blessed as Malaysians. You see, I do quite a bit of travel overseas, and me and my husband love to seek out the best restaurants in those places we travel to; but you have to pay a large sum of money to taste those food. Whereas in Malaysia, to get that same level of quality food, we only have to pay a fraction of what those countries charge. Therefore, our premium dining scene here offers great value for money.”
The Senior Executive Director of Sunway University College & Sunway Group of Colleges, Elizabeth Lee is also one of the returning diners of Lafite. “Tonight has been a very pleasant evening; delightful company, great food and lovely ambience. I haven’t been back to Lafite for a couple of years, so it’s a lovely surprise to be dining here tonight. And the dinner was excellent,” she said. “And this is the very restaurant that my husband proposed to me. So, this place has a very special place in our hearts,” she added with a warm smile on her face.
Being a trained chef and educator, Madam Mae sees the importance of MIGF as a platform to lift up the awareness and standards of the country's premiun dining scene. “We are very fortunate to have people like Dato' Steve and Datin Su who are so supportive of this industry. The efforts they have put in to this Festival have been relentless. As an educator, I always encourage the young ones in Berjaya University College of Hospitality to emulate and learn from the best in the industry, and the best ones can be found here in MIGF,” she said.
Elizabeth, the head honcho of Sunway Group of Colleges also shared similar sentiments with Madam Mae about MIGF, she stated, “MIGF brings out the best from our chefs. It's a venue for them to showcase their talents and what they are capable of. On the education front, I was very happy to see that our students in Sunway Le Cordon Bleu had a golden opportunity to get themselves involved during TasteMIGF. It was a wonderful learning experience for them. And I can definitely see Sunway Le Cordon Bleu playing a part in future MIGFs as Le Cordon Bleu is very serious about their craft, and MIGF is very serious with its involvement in the culinary industry. There's a symbiosis between these two entities, and it's a great match.”
For a classic, no-nonsense French dining experience, book a reservation now with Lafite. The Full Festival Menu is priced at RM490++ with wine and RM330++ without wine. Those who prefer a lighter meal can opt for the Light Festival Menu priced at RM350++ with wine and RM230++ without wine. You will be served a complimentary glass of champagne when you order from the Festival Menu. Also, if you prefer to order your dishes from the a la carte menu, you will get to enjoy a 20% discount; this is valid throughout the Festival period. For further details on Lafite’s offerings, please visit
www.migf.com/2013/restaurant/lafite.
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