I FIRST met Cafe Cafe co-founders Pascal Yeong and Toto Ooi 20 years ago, when their first restaurant took root near Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in Kuala Lumpur.

This iconic French restaurant has stood the test of time, fuelled by the drive, creativity and passion of the two owners. Now, there’s a second Cafe Cafe in the heart of Bangsar.

I loved my dining experience in the first Cafe Cafe, soaking in the ambience of its maximalist European ambience – replete with ornaments and chandeliers – that’s also cosy and homey.

A similar decorating style has been employed at the new Cafe Cafe in Lucky Garden, Bangsar, oozing opulence and drama with a gold ceiling, chandeliers, a peacock presiding over the dining room with chequered flooring.

The food is classic French, and, truly, you can’t get a more traditional duck confit than at Cafe Cafe. The duck leg is slow-fried in duck fat, cooled, then put back in the fat where it remains in an airtight container for at least six months. The longer it sits in the fat, the softer and waxier the duck is.

It was superb; with rich, lightly salted layers of crispy skin and meat. Cubes of pumpkin with a touch of curry spices and fried curry leaves, together with mushrooms, were its accompaniment.

We had started dinner with an amuse-bouche of a risotto ball with lentils, all crispy and nutty. Pan-seared scallop on foie gras, served with framboise cubes, pear and apple balsamic reduction was next. The scallop was lush and sweet; the pan seared foie gras or escalope of duck liver landed rich bursts on the palate.

Apple balsamic, thin pear slices and tart framboise, or raspberry cubes, gave it a sweet and sour balance.

There were nutty, sticky sweet and crispy bites from the truffled honey prawn, another worthy starter. It presented a crispy fried prawn coated with truffled honey cremeux and roasted almond flakes.

The tomato capsicum soup had a tart, welcoming lift. I turned up small cubes of pan seared foie gras in it – they were a luscious, unexpected surprise.

The beef cheek slow-cooked in red wine, in the classic beef bourguignon style, was rich, dark, melty meat, well-infused with the flavours of its winey sauce.

Parsnip puree touched with truffle, grilled asparagus and quick-fried foie gras chunks were the perfect pairing for this scrumptious beef cheek.

Desserts are Pascal’s forte, having spent a few months training under the world-renowned pastry chef Eric Perez at his Macaron Pastry Training Centre in Bangkok a few years ago. Pascal laid out a spectacular and heavenly ending to dinner.

But first, the dessert amuse-bouche of camembert, mango sorbet and sesame soil for a smooth transition from savoury to sweet. I loved this – from the soft and creamy camembert with a touch of salt to the fruity mango sorbet and the black sesame soil, crumbly with sweet potato in it.

Then, chocolate was served – a small dark chocolate cake with truffles and a soft, flowy centre. It was topped with gold flakes, and with salted chocolate sand completing it. The truffle sets this apart from other chocolate cakes of its type.

Then an ensemble of sticky, nutty pistachio rocher, macadamia sable, burnt financier and raspberry cream. It was a journey through sweet, salty and sour elements and sophisticated textures.

This was followed by an exotic-looking creme brûlée, mango and passionfruit and parmigiano crisps. Again, sweet, salty and sour came into a fine, delectable balance. The saltish parmigiano crisps brought it all together.

Pascal’s tiramisu “drips with alcohol”, in his own words. Instead of a snifter of brandy at the end, have it in this simply marvellous tiramisu, with heady coffee notes from kahlua. Desserts are at RM45 each à la carte.

Four-course menus from RM160 to RM200 and RM280 are available, including two amuse-bouche. The dishes can also be ordered à la carte.

Cafe Cafe is open for dinner every day from 6pm to 10pm. It’s located at 7 Lorong Ara Kiri, Lucky Garden, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Call 03-2201 9013 for reservations. View the menu at cafecafe.com.my. – September 18, 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.