A Night with Chef Fournier Baptiste at Mezze

Chef Fournier Baptiste was down in Malaysia as Malaysia was one of his pitstop for his 2013 cooking tour. This wasn't the first time this one Michelin Star chef visits Kuala Lumpur, similar to his last visit, he was at Mezze in Jalan Medan Damansara serving up a storm for customers who had reserved tables at Mezze just to savor his master piece.

Fournier's cooking style focuses very much on simplicity and the freshness of his ingredients. No, you would not find any fancy or extravaganza food art, what you get is a simple but yet so delicate plate of dish. Every ingredient was visible to the naked eye. He does his best to bring out the flavor of the ingredients and not let it be overpowered by too much decorations or excessive herbs or spices.

I was given the opportunity to savor his master piece thanks to my dad who was sent an invitation for the dinner.

Aperitif

Aperitif

I apologize for the blurred photo, I didn't realize it was blur till I was editing it. This was the courtesy of Chef Fournier. Aperitif is usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite, it is usually dry rather than sweet.

Among the choices present were avocado salad, rocket salad spring roll, Spanish pedrone pepper and a cucumber like hors d’œuvre.

The two aperitif that I failed to took a picture was the rocket salad spring roll and the cucumber like hors d’œuvre. The rocket salad spring roll was simple and fresh - wrapped in a thin vietnamese roll with rocket salad, white pear and parmigana. It was an epitome of "a little of everything good". 

The last aperitif was sliced cucumber topped with oyster, almond, shallots and a light dose of vinegar topped with dill. I love the toppings as they were well seasoned and goes well with the cucumber blandness.

Spanish Pedrone Pepper

The pedrone pepper was sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with salt. Unlike Jalepeno, the spanish pedrone pepper was not spicy to begin with. I am not much of a fan for peppers but I like it how Chef Fournier kept it simple with basic olive oil and salt to add in some taste. 

Avocado Tartlet with Marinated Sardine and Rocket Salad

As pretty as it looks, it was savory in terms of flavor. The crisp of the tarlet with the well marinated sardine and avocado was a refreshing start to begin the night.

Amuse-bouche

Amuse-bouche is a single bite size hors d’œuvre and defers from appetizer. It is usually served courtesy of the chef. In this case, we were served amuse-bouche to clear our palates after savoring the aperitifs. This was a surprising take on coconut milk. It was rich and creamy like, the texture felt like mousse.

This was made out of fresh coconut and topped with potato violet powder, thinly chopped lemon, crispy thinly sliced cauliflower and fried carrot leaf. I love the amuse-bouche! The rich creaminess of the coconut was so sinfully good and it was even better with each bite of a small piece of lemon. 

Starters

Slow cooked organic egg with mushroom and black truffles sabayon @ RM 48++

Slow cooked organic egg with mushroom and black truffles sabayon @ RM 48++

Simple and fresh. True to his style, every ingredient used was visible on the plate. The eggs were slow cooked and was beautifully hidden by the raw ingredients on the top. Yes, you got that right, the mushrooms were raw! I never had raw mushrooms and this was a new experience. The brown blob is actually mushroom paste and my, the taste was excellent! Truffles are expensives and when I finally had a taste of it, I couldn't really distinguished the taste!

Duo of Green and White Asparagus with caramelized Unagi

I had this as my starters and I love it. The asparagus was a tad too soft for my liking, I prefer them crispy. The first reaction I had upon tasting the sauce was "SO BUTTERY!" But the subsequent taste gets better - this starter gets better after each bite. 

But what really stands out in this plate was the caramelized unagi. The unagi was well seasoned and cooked to perfection with a slight crispy on the outer layer but soft in the inner. However, the unagi and the asparagus were a great combination of crisp and tender.

Baptiste's Favourite - Mid Course 

Poached Red Snapper in Chicken Broth, Spinach and Lemon @ RM 71++

Mains 

Poached Kingfish Fillet with Pearl Bean, Spinach in Lemongrass Chicken Broth @ RM 105++

Similar with the mid course, the fish was served in the bowl and the waitress will pour the broth from a small jar upon serving. The lemongrass chicken broth was boiled with coconut shred for 6 hours, then the coconut shred was removed. That is why patrons would be able to smell the presence of coconut but yet they could not really taste of see it in the broth. This was a simple dish and Fournier aimed to enhance the kingfish fillet's flavor without overpowering it broth that could have outshine the fish.

Veal Chop, served with Creamy Cep and Pommes Puree @ RM 185++

Veal Chop, served with Creamy Cep and Pommes Puree

The first thing I noticed was the lack of food art, but hey, it was Fournier's style to keep it simple. A rich velvety and buttery texture for the pommes puree which was basically mashed potato in simpler terms. I requested for medium rare for my veal chop and it came out just nice. I love the slight crisp exterior but the tenderness of the veal when sliced through.

The sauce itself was rich and flavorful. Each bite makes you crave for more! The portion is pretty huge for me and the aperitif and starters had me quite full.

PLU1127 Bourgogne Rouge Marechal 2009 @ RM 42 per glass

The red wine was recommended by the sommelier to compliment the veal chop and was described as light to medium body. Surprisingly, I found it well bodied instead of being light to medium. It was rich and had an excellent aroma. The longer it was left to oxidize, the better it was.

PLU187 Fournier Sancerre Rose 2010 @ RM 36 per glass

The white wine was recommended by the sommerlier to compliment the poached kingfish fillet dish. It was deemed to be slightly dry, however, I find it rich and well bodied. It had quite a fruity taste too and I personally think females will love this wine.

Desserts

Iced Crispy Cappuccino of Chocolate, Cream with Crumble @ RM 39++

Iced Crispy Cappuccino of Chocolate, Cream with Crumble 

Chocolate lover will be love this. It was too rich for me, too much of chocolate, beneath the cream was a thick, gooey layer of chocolate. The crumbles were a great touch for the soft velvety chocolate. However, it was too sweet for my liking.

Pineapple Ravioli with lIme, Basil and Yogurt Sorbet @ RM 42++

This is one really weird combination. I would have never guessed ravioli as a dessert! This dessert was savory and well, I doubt everyone will take a liking to it. It was a bold dessert. The sorbet was refreshing to counter the slight sourness in the dessert.

This was my first fine dining prepared by a Michelin Star chef. The wait was surprisingly long as the courses were served over a period of 3 hours. It was a great experience. Like what many blogs had reviewed, Chef Fournier's style of cooking remains simple as he aims to enhance the freshness and the natural flavor of the ingredients. However, sometimes, his dishes could be a tad too salty for one's liking. 

Perhaps his next visit, I will give it a shot again.

-thevanillapudding-