DC Restaurant is dishing up cuisine that is uniquely its own, prepared by chef owner Darren Chin and sous chef Tran TT.

“We have strayed away from Japanese French and it’s our cuisine now,” said Chin. He described it as “classic cooking with restraint and “versatile” cuisine that is acceptable to a lot of people.

It’s been seven years since DC opened in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. I have dined here a few times and noticed how it’s evolved. These days, there is harmony on the plate and each dish has its own character, starting light at the beginning of the meal and acquiring weight with each course.

These were all evident up in a six-course dinner with Kuheiji sake pairing we enjoyed at the restaurant. 

First the amuse-bouche of Hiramasa kingfish with black sesame, avocado, kumquat, yuzu and ice plant. A scented burst of yuzu foam lifted up the sweet kingfish, harmonising with the ice plant, avocado cream, kumquat and black sesame sponge.

Mini tartlet of cured mackerel, daikon and lime aioli and crispy fungus in mushroom stock topped with fresh cream with herbs and bottarga skrei pearls presented diverse flavours to the palate.

Kuheiji sake, one of the most popular premium-grade sakes in the world, was showcased in the DC pairing menu. We had the first one – Kuheiji Kurodasho, Yamadanishiki, Junmai Daiginjo 2019 – poured for the Blue Swimmer Crab, charred avocado, ao nori and oyster emulsion. The luscious crab with velvety avocado and lime jelly was well paired with the mellow and fruity sake.

The Scottish diver scallop was a textural delight, pleasing with fresh sweetness and added flavours from corn veloute, clam juice and haricort verts. With this we had the Koheiji Voyage 2019, a rounder junmai (no added alcohol) with a mineral note.

Shiitake dashi, our third course, presented charred Hokkaido daikon topped with sliced shiitake and resting on parsnip puree. Then it was a shower of Plantin black truffle shavings and a pouring of mushroom dashi to bring it all together. I loved the crunchy smoothness of daikon, subtle parsnip cream and the deep mushroom infusion. Kuheiji, Eau Du Desir (water of desire), the third sake, complemented this, with its round mellowness lingering on the palate.

Echo of the Sea, the fourth course, was the DC signature cold cappellini with Hokkaido Bafun uni, Alaskan king crab, cured Amaebi, savoury seafood sabayon and fresh grated wasabi. It’s a dish that has remained a favourite of DC diners since the restaurant started. The cappellini had been rendered even more delicious with more enhancements and a deeper complexity. Kuheiji Human 2019 with its mineral character was just the sake for it.

Alaskan king crab (served two ways) and Silverhill Irish duck supreme were our two main courses, paired with the elegant and smooth Kuheiji Betsuatsurae 2019. King crab leg, seared with buttermilk, is finished with smoked cauliflower cream, fried capers, umami sabayon and black truffle. Altogether it is simply sublime.

The delicate sweetness of confit crab is brought out with tomato water and concentrated pizzutullo tomato. There is the nutty bite of crispy, smoky buckwheat that is surprising and pleasing.

The Silverhill Irish duck supreme with herb crust was perfection – pink, juicy meat and skin oozing fat, accompanied by carrot laced with cumin yoghurt and topped with toasted buckwheat, eggplant and delicious pommes anna (sliced, layered potato cooked in butter).

We were won over by the 25 varieties of A.O.P cheeses on the trolley. We were to choose five (we had seven!), to be served with fresh honeycomb and wildflower nectar collected from the hills of Mae-rim Province in Chiangmai.  Brebis, from sheep’s milk, gives you lacy shavings done in a circular motion on a cutter on your table.

House-made truffle brie, mimolette, fourre au bleu d’avergne (a brie blue), truffle gorgonzola, picoretto (with pistachios) and Montasio (unpasteurised goat milk cheese) made for the loveliest ending to our dinner.

Rhum & Raisin is a divine dessert of light rhum mousse, soft chocolate sponge, cacao brittle, dark raisin puree, boozy rhum and raisin ice cream. (Rhum is rum made of fresh sugarcane juice).

The six-course menu with Kuheiji sake pairing is RM750++ per person (minimum two persons). There is also a five-course “fruits de mer” seafood menu at RM498++, with an optional wine pairing at RM350 (five glasses), and a four-course seafood menu at RM398++.

DC Restaurant is at 33 Persiaran Zaaba, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. Call 03-7731 0502 or 012 223 2991, for reservations. – March 13, 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.