So when I first read about Nathalie's Gourmet Studio (and saw pictures of her food), I was blown away and it was only a matter of time before I would dine there.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by the colourful macaron display at the entrance. Other than being a restaurant, Nathalie's Gourmet Studio also houses a sleek professional kitchen for cooking classes. As I did not want to sit on one of the high stools in the main dining area, we chose to dine in the professional kitchen. It was great, as we felt we had more privacy and it was much more spacious in there. However, lighting is not that great back here for pictures.
Colourful macarons on display
Learn to cook like Nathalie. Find her recipes in her book, Cuisine Passion available to purchase for RM150.
Nathalie's operates an open kitchen concept, so we watched her and her staff work away in the kitchen. It was nice to see the chef herself putting the finishing touches to our food.
The menu selection here is pretty small, with 5-6 items per course. Small it may be, everything on the menu sounded good.
Freshly baked French bread is so good. So good that I'm now inspired to bake my own bread. Available to buy for RM1.50 each.
Thick, luscious mango smoothie
Refreshing Virgin Mojito
Being a scallop lover, I was instantly drawn to the Crispy Scallop Tart, Melted Onions and Sechouan Pepper Sauce (RM29). The scallops, served on a bed of sweet caramelised onions and light, crumbly pastry were seared to perfection. Did I also mention how big, plump and juicy the scallops were? I was delighted with my choice of starter. Absolutely gorgeous.
Again, The Unc surprised us by ordering the Revised Nicoise Salad (RM20), a bed of fresh salad leaves with generous strips of tuna and a boiled egg with a still-runny yolk. Hearing The Unc utter "love" and "salad" in the same sentence was non-existent, until today.
The French, especially in the Nice area, will clearly state no cooked vegetables are to be used. "[...]la salade niçoise ne contient pas de légumes cuits." However, Nathalie's has revised the salad to include blanched and sun-dried tomatoes.
Starters were excellent, could Nathalie repeat her ingenuity with her main courses?
The Unc's main course of Risotto Like a Paella with King Prawn, Squid and Chicken and a Saffron Emulsion (RM57) arrived first. The risotto, cooked al dente was rich and creamy. The king prawn was succulent. The Unc declared this the best risotto he has EVER tasted.
Hubby's Pan Fried Beef Tenderloin with a glazed red wine sauce, grilled polenta and vegetable skewer (RM59) was equally amazing. The meat was so tender, it cuts like butter. Cooked medium, just the way he likes it. So excellent, that he also declared this the best steak he has had in KL.
My appetite has been waning as of late. Wanting to leave room for desserts, I thought it would be a good idea to order from the kids menu for my main as the portions would be smaller. Kids are not food critics, so it was unfair of me to pass judgment on the fresh lasagna served before me.
Desserts are said to be Nathalie's forte. I couldn't agree more.
The trio of Raspberry Mille-Feuille, Lytchee and Raspberry Espuma and a Lytchee Sorbet (RM22) was beautifully presented. Beautiful to look at, beautiful to eat. Each component perfect. The pastry was light and flaky with layers of fresh, tart raspberries and raspberry puree. The lytchee (or lychee) sorbet was wonderfully refreshing. The espuma (foam) was mousse-like, light as air and not overly sweet.
Famed for her macarons, a visit to Nathalie's is not complete without tasting some of the delectable morsels. From the 16 flavours of macaron available that day, Hubby had to choose 1. Tough choice, but he settled for the coconut flavour (noix de coco) which was rather nice. He received another complimentary macaron, framboise flavour (French raspberry) since his expresso was slow to arrive. Of course, I made him share his macarons with me! And we ended up buying another 6 macarons to take home with us (which I shall write about in a different entry).
Espuma, macaron and choux
Macarons, perfect for those with a sweet tooth
The menu here changes on a monthly basis, so there is still time to come and try the August menu. Can't wait to see what the September menu has to offer.
Verdict: Nathalie's food definitely hits all the right notes and it is now one of my favorite places to dine in KL, along with Cilantro and Sage. Sure, the food here is not the cheapest, but the quality of the ingredients used was evident. Great flavours and food presented with grace, there is nothing not to love about this place.
Informal and relaxed setting, whereby one can turn up in casual clothing and not be frowned upon and still enjoy some fine French cuisine.
Service: Food service was good, but we had to wait quite a bit for our drinks to arrive.
Price: Expensive. Our bill came to RM370 for 3 persons (3 courses + drinks + macarons).
Location: Nathalie's Gourmet Studio, Solaris Dutamas, Unit A4-01-5, Jalan Dutamas, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Walk to the left hand far end [left when you're facing the main road] until you spot Heidelberg Kaffehaus, then take the escalators to the fourth floor)