YOU could just fill up on tapas at D’Caveau Restaurant and Wine Bar, beginning with the Penang basket and chicken liver pate and moving on to grilled octopus, baked escargots, Gambas Pil Pil and Thai sausages.

The variety of flavours, from Asian to western, piques the palate at D’Caveau in Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

The moist and tasty lobak or five-spice meat rolls are a standout in the Penang basket (RM18), which is also filled with pandan chicken and crispy moneybags stuffed with minced chicken and prawns.

We are won over by the plump Thai sausages or Sai Krok Isan style, that go ‘ping’ at the bite, spilling out a yummy filling of pork and finely chopped glass noodles.

They are made by chef Amy from the Thai restaurant Meat & Sea, also run by the owner of D’Caveau. More Thai tapas include Green Curry Chicken and Moo Ping (pork on sticks).

The chicken liver pate (RM16) is creamy and lovely, served with onion jam, pickles and toast. The pate hints of XO brandy within, while the sweet onion jam gets a heady lift from red wine. Together, both taste amazing on a thin slice of toast.

Grilled Galatian octopus (RM45), seasoned with paprika, makes luscious bites, sinking into its tender, sweet flesh, with slight heat from paprika. In the centre are potatoes deliciously baked with French butter and rosemary.

Buttery and cheesy baked escargots (RM18, half a dozen) add to the enjoyment of a selection of French wines at D’Caveau. It has its own cellar with shelves of Old World wines from France, Italy and Spain.

Gambas Pil Pil (RM26) is a popular Spanish tapas, comprising prawns fried in olive oil with garlic, chilli flakes, sweet paprika and parsley.

I love the thin crust Quattro Formaggi pizza of four cheeses (RM30). There’s the melty, distinctively smelly but absolutely wonderful gorgonzola reigning blue over the pizza, supported by brie, parmesan and mozzarella. I could just have this for dinner.

The seafood paella (RM68) is so warm and comforting – saffron rice cooked with prawns, squid and clams imparting their sweet flavours to the rice. I pick up small chunks of flavourful Spanish chorizo in the rice spiced up with paprika.

Argentinian ribeye (corn-fed) and Australian black label ribeye (100 days grain-fed) are the beefy side of our dinner.

The meat has been grilled on lava stone heated over charcoal briquettes. Argentinian beef is deeper and richer in flavour for me; it brings to mind corn-fed steaks from the American Mid-West that we used to enjoy many, many years ago.

Both come with garlic confit and a house salad. We add to these side dishes of potato mash and roasted cauliflower with paprika. The Argentinian ribeye is RM80 and the Aussie one RM66, both for 200g, D’Caveau has a cache of stellar wines that are reasonably priced to go with the food.

For the Penang basket we had a glass of Fleur de Thenac 2013, a Bordeaux white of Semillon and sauvignon blanc. Then it was the P. Ferraud & Fils, Saint-Veran 2017, a chardonnay from Burgundy for the other tapas.

P. Ferraud & Fils Cote de Brouilly Domaine Rolland 2016, one of the Grand Cru of Beaujolais, was an excellent pairing with the pizza and the beef.

A northern Rhone wine that’s 100% syrah – Stephane Ogier La Rosine 2016 – was another memorable wine to go with the ribeye.

Dessert was Creme Brulee, lightly sweet, vanilla accented and deeply rich. At the weekend, from 3pm to 6pm D’Caveau serves a wine buffet with food such as oysters, sashimi and raclette cheese at RM118++ per person. It’s a free flow of selected red and white wines then.

D’Caveau Restaurant & Wine Bar is on 38-1 Jalan 24/70A Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur. Call 017-899-4833 for reservations. – April 17, 2021.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.