Known as one of the best restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, Cilantro combines the inspiration of French gastronomy and the precision of a Japanese chef. The result is convincing but there are still some steps to climb.
During the (late) preparation of my trip I had tried to identify some good restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, which is not too difficult. Finding available tables the weekend before Christmas was another matter. In the end, I chose Cilantro because I have always had a soft spot for Japanese chefs when they tackle French gastronomy.
And then, more anecdotally, I was going to try to answer a question. In this month of December 2022, the Michelin Guide does not yet exist in Malaysia and its first edition is expected for the spring of 2023. Cilantro is, according to local magazines, among the potential starred. Will I find that it deserves this distinction? And will it get it?
For the record you will find at the bottom of the page all the articles about this trip in Malaysia.
The concept of Cilantro
Chef Takashi Kimura, at the helm of Cilantro, applies his Japanese influence to a solid foundation learned in France, suggesting a certain form of fusion cuisine. He has previously worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in France and was previously chef de cuisine at the Japanese Embassy in Malaysia.
The setting
Strangely, the restaurant is located in a hotel that looks anything but premium, to say the least. That said, the restaurant itself is all about classicism.
Chairs, benches, white tablecloths and predominantly wood.
Classic…maybe even so classic that it may seem old-fashioned. Unfortunately, this often happens in Asia when a property wants to give itself a “European” cachet: by exaggerating the codes too much, it sends back an image that may please the locals but seems a bit outdated to us.
The menu
I would say that it looks like its author: European and especially French fundamentals and a Japanese touch. As for me, I will take the tasting menu.
What interests me beyond the meeting of the two cultures in the conception of the dishes is also the Japanese precision in the execution which often gives a new face to dishes that we think we know.
Moreover, as the chef says on the restaurant’s website:
“I’m convinced that the best meal you’ve ever eaten is not only due to the quality of the ingredients, but also to the correct cooking method combined with the right seasoning, which makes it truly memorable.”
Dinner and service
When I arrive I am greeted very cordially and accompanied to my table.
They bring me the menu and I am surprised not to see the tasting menu that I had identified on their website and that had motivated me.
“Oh, you want the tasting menu? No problem, we bring it to you“.
A little weird…if I hadn’t asked for it I wouldn’t have been given it.
I want to have a glass of champagne as an aperitif...but there is no champagne by the glass! So I’ll have dinner with a champagne bottle and if necessary I’ll have a glass of wine when the it is finished.
They bring me some brioche bread.
Very good but what I notice most is the butter that accompanies it: it is with truffle and parmesan! A real treat.
Then we begin with appetizers: pumpkin with consommé of I do not know what and basil octopus.
The consommé is fresh and very tasty, as is the octopus, whose flesh is very firm.
Then the meal as such begins.
Carpaccio of scallops with Oscietra caviar
Very fresh and fine with a pleasant smoky taste that remains in the mouth.
Cold capellini with sea urchin and botanebi (large shrimp)
The pasta is surprisingly fine and light! The sea urchin is present but not too much and it’s so much the better because it’s often a rather divisive ingredient so I’m not a fan even if a recent experience at Lucas Carton taught me to appreciate it.
Kamchatka king crab and avocado soup
The soup is a bit bland but the combination with the crab makes for a tasty combination that keeps the mouth full.
Cod fillet with black trumpets.
The fish is perfectly cooked but I find it a bit bland. As with the previous dish, it is the combination of the main ingredient and the sauce that makes the difference.
Pan-fried foie gras with truffles
Simply perfect!
Granité
A little freshness break before attacking the last straight line!
Wagyu tasting plate
A real killer! You have different parts of the animal, the cooking is perfect and the meat melts. It comes with different types of wasabi and even Dijon mustard.
Honey ice cream infused with truffles, roquefort and brioche.
Very surprising but very good. Once again an assembly that hits the nail on the head!
I will finish with a tea and a cognac but for lack of available cognac it will be a double Bowmore.
Finally a very good meal with a few drawbacks on some dishes but finally it is perhaps voluntary: two a priori bland elements tasted individually can give something succulent when they are taken together.
I will also regret the poverty of the choice in certain domains: no champagne by the glass, rather limited choice of wine especially for the French wines, no digestif…
But I will have an explanation from the sommelier, Guillaume, a Frenchman who took care of me with great attention during the whole service.
Malaysia has restarted long after Europe after COVID and some distribution channels are not yet rebuilt. To my surprise, he told me that it was very difficult to find French wine, especially from the major producers, and that they had to make do with what they had.
I will also learn a local specificity. The restaurants do not buy their wines but take them in deposit!
The service
It was attentive and perfectly paced. But I was lucky: being one of the only customers in the room at that hour and being French, the sommelier took special care of me. In addition to the service and the explanation of the dishes we had many discussions about the restaurant industry in Malaysia, the COVID, the revival of the sector, the new behaviors of the customers…
In fact, our exchanges alone justified my coming here regardless of the meal!
Good staff always takes the perception of a meal up a notch.
And thanks again to Guillaume if one day by chance he should read this article.
The atmosphere
On the one hand very quiet because of the low attendance, on the other hand sad for the same reasons and the rather sad decoration of the place.
If the restaurant had been full I might have said “classy and cozy”. It’s a matter of a few things.
Bottom line
A promise finally kept and I got what I expected (and which confirms the promise made on the website): if the dishes were good it was often the assembly that made the difference and gave them an extra dimension. And in terms of fusion, if there was any Japanese influence it was more in the execution than in the design of the dishes themselves. and gave them an extra dimension.
As I was leaving I was wondering if Cilantro would get a star or not in the first edition of Michelin in Malaysia. My idea was “not sure but why not”. In terms of cooking, it’s on track, or almost, but too many details made me doubt. The lack of choice in wines and spirits, no champagne by the glass, the tasting menu that I was not offered… Details, certainly, but at this level it is precisely the details that make the difference.
But if the Violon d’Ingres has one with its catastrophic service and its too noisy environment all hopes are allowed!
Well no: if the Michelin mentions Cilantro it will not have its star in 2023. Maybe another time?
Anyway I keep a very good memory of it.
The articles about this trip in Malaysia.
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