September 27, 2024

Molina presents food for the gods

Sitting pretty on the 51st floor of THE FACE Style hotel, Molina is the product of a partnership between epicurean Datuk Alex Tan and 2-Michelin starred chef Sidney Schutte from the Netherlands.

A visionary chef, keen to bring a spectrum (also the name of his restaurant in Amsterdam) of delicious and intense flavours to this part of Asia, his menu is a wonderful avant-garde selection with Northern European sensibilities.

Vegetables and seafood are the big stars of Molina’s menu; this is where Sidney’s roots are established, at
the shores of the south of the Netherlands. Recognised as an SVH Master Chef, the highest recognition a chef can achieve in the Netherlands, Sidney was awarded Chef of the Year by Gault & Millau and ranked number 65 on the list of “The Best Chef Award 2017”. Known for his use of bold flavours and unique culinary style, his dishes
render an exquisite aesthetic appeal, superior display of textures, and perfectly balanced tasting notes.

He has entrusted the kitchen to his former sous chef, Belgian Guillaume Depoortere, to flesh out the tastes and flavours of his choice, and this he has managed to capture beautifully.

Molina is cozy and intimate, oozing sophistication with gorgeous views of the KL skyline. One floor up is a private room for 12, with huge windows showing off more of the spectacular view. Only 7 to 9-course tasting menus are available (RM788), with an option for wine pairing (RM378); it felt like 4 hours went by almost too fast in this private space.

We were gobsmacked right at the start with Lobster that had beetroot, cherry, foie gras, tomato and tonka bean. Plating was on another level – everything from the whimsical sugar cylinder, twirly bits to the fuschia coloured base – were edible. And how do we eat this? Just mixed everything together, we’re told.

This, and the rest of the dishes, revealed a taste sensory fiesta; a tinge of sour when you least expect it, a note of sweet which didn’t seem possible, a hint of woody savoury which you can’t put a finger on. Every dish was too pretty to eat, in particular Potato with oyster, vanilla, sour cream, pear and caraway, that looked like a miniature beach with pebbles and tree branches reaching to the sky. Even the Brussel Sprouts looked like a lush forest.

Sepia was octopus with verbena, peanut, blueberry, goat cheese and Red Hornweed.

The main course was lamb, perfectly done, still red at the centre, with artichoke, ramsons and buckwheat.

Followed by Sorrel which had white chocolate, basil, fennel, rhubarb and wheat grass. Yes, this was dessert, so different but still delightful in every facet.

Another astonishing creation was Carrot, a mix of liquorice, cream, pumpkin caramel and smoked butter.

Even the Petite four had so much effort put into them, despite being just a light end to a meal.