THE stellar luxe brunch at Chateau Dionne last Saturday already has me thinking of a return visit to this new French restaurant in Damansara Heights. 

We had seats at the counter in the open kitchen, watched our food being prepared and, best of all, had the close attention of executive chef Andy Choy, who carries impressive culinary credentials. At Dionne, he serves up fine contemporary French dishes.

A tray of canelés, hot out of the oven, sat on the counter near us. They are irresistible French pastries flavoured with vanilla and dark rum, with a dark caramelised crust and a soft custard centre. We were going to have these at the end of our brunch.

It may be a three-course weekend brunch menu (RM168++), but we are also served canapés of Ikura Tart with Cauliflower Puree and Choux Pastry with Truffle Cream Cheese and 64-degree Organic Egg with Sauteed Mushrooms and Red Wine Jus. This is not forgetting the freshly baked sourdough, French baguette and croissant with French butter and apricot jam.

The Ikura Tart has the sheerest pastry, crumbling and tumbling out salty bursts of salmon roe cushioned with sweet cauliflower puree. It is a similar delicate bite with the choux pastry, sinking into truffle cream cheese. Deep mushroom aromas in a winey sauce set apart the 64-degree egg with a runny yolk.

For the starter, it was a hard toss between the “Roughie” Foie Gras Au Torchon, Figs Chutney, Mique Bread; and Beetroot Smoked Salmon Gravlax, Dill Sponge, Sour Cream, so we had a taste of both.

The velvety smooth Foie Gras Torchon stood out, with light hints of cinnamon, clove, black pepper and nutmeg, to be touched with sweet fig chutney and eaten with thin crispy Mique bread (made with stale bread according to a Perigord recipe). The deep red, smokey and smooth Salmon Gravlax had been smoked with applewood and bathed in a beetroot marinade. Sour cream with dill oil, mimosa egg (devilled egg) and dill sponge completed this elegant starter.

Andy served us an additional course: a lovely Mushroom with Artichoke Soup, truffle and baby brioche. It is a light mushroom soup with sweet and tangy notes from artichoke and scented with truffles.

I am glad I sat at the counter and watched how Andy shaped up the Beef Wellington for our main course. He rolled up the beef tenderloin in puff pastry after layering it with spinach and mushroom duxelles, making a design on it with strips of pastry and dotting it with herbs.

The Beef Wellington was scrumptious: juicy medium rare beef rolled up in crusty pastry, with the spinach and mushroom duxelles (finely chopped mushrooms with shallots and herbs and black pepper sautéed in butter) making it a textural, flavourful delight. An asparagus spear, red wine sauce and shallot completed it. The secret to a beautiful crust? “Bake in high heat with salt sprinkled on it,” said Andy. “In this way the meat stays moist.”

Halibut with Saffron Potato and Bouillabaisse was outstanding too, in the fried halibut with crispy skin sitting in a delicious fish and seafood broth. A scoop of saffron garlic mayonnaise on a thin potato slice added a creamy piquancy to the sweet fish. I drank the broth to the last drop.

My Grand Marnier Souffle, Orange, Vanilla Cream was perfectly turned out – light and frothy. The thrill was, of course, seeing it rise in the oven before us. A cross cut was made in the centre through which a thick-cut marmalade was inserted into the souffle and Grand Marnier poured in. 

I was in dessert heaven. Our petit fours were the sublime canelés and chocolate truffles.

Chateau Dionne also offers a lunch tasting menu: Two courses (RM98++), three courses (RM128++) and four courses (RM158++). 

There is free flow of champagne for the Weekend Brunch for an additional RM200++. For dinner it can be four courses (RM248++), five courses (RM338++), or the degustation menu of seven courses for RM488++.

Chef Andy has honed his craft in Switzerland, France, China, and Dubai where he worked for Gordon Ramsay’s Verre. He first won a scholarship to study European cuisine in Switzerland. 

He trained at a Michelin-star restaurant in Perigord and also at the 3-Michelin star Guy Savoy in Paris. He was executive chef for Groupe FLO Asia in Beijing.

The first Chateau Dionne is in Shanghai, set up in 2014 by David Lim, the Malaysian founder of Denise the Wine Shop. 

Chateau Dionne is at 24 Jalan Medan Setia 2, Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara Kuala Lumpur. Call: 03- 2011 2333. It is closed for lunch on Monday. – September 26, 2020.

* 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.