The Library at The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur: Cosy, refined and good food

The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur recently celebrated its official relaunch and besides refreshing its look inside and out, the hotel has also welcomed a brand new space: The Library. While it does resemble one with cosy armchairs, elegant wood panelling and floors, and of course, a huge selection of books, it is, after all, a restaurant. Casting a warm ambience over a somewhat familiar environment, The Library offers a place for heartfelt (and candid) conversations over food and drinks that will satisfy your palate. 

Many restaurants these days love to play with the idea of experimental dishes or giving guests a different experience with each visit, and The Library is one of them. The Menu Du Jour changes every day and gives you the option of either a 3- or 4- course dinner and either with or without wine pairing. And even so, each course comes with two or more options for you to choose from. Knowing I have a small appetite and seeing such an extensive course menu, I just had to start with something light—the Potato Salad with Asparagus Spears—over the selection of seafood, which my dinner partner had. My choice was light and pleasing while the plate of New Zealand blue mussels, Australian Bay prawns, brown crab claws and scallops was one generous and highly recommended, ultra-fresh appetiser. My starting wine? A glass of Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio—medium bodied, fresh and fragrant with notes of herb and a tinge of pear and lemon flavours. 

Knowing we were off to a good start, I was excited for the soup because: Lobster Chowder. Personally, I find that not many places serve a good bowl of it with perfect consistency, an almost creamy texture and a nice amount of lobster pieces; but The Library has ticked all these checkboxes with theirs.  

 

For the main, the four options were overwhelming simply because they all sounded so good but I went with the Carvery of the Day, which was boneless beef ribs carved in front of our table by the chef, with a glass of Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Merlot. The portion was huge—perfect for big meat eaters—and done medium rare—you can’t choose your preference as it is served right from the carvery—and yet, sadly, not as tender as I’d have liked but still satisfactory. 

My favourite part of any course menus is without a doubt, the dessert. At The Library, it’s pretty much a mystery because it’s the chef’s selection of the day. If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, you can opt for the chef’s selection of international cheese. My surprise dessert was a green tea cake with a thin layer or mango—delectable with the signature bittersweet taste of matcha—paired with a dessert-style wine, Roustabout Late Harvest Viognier, and that was definitely the perfect end to the evening.

 

The Menu Du Jour at The Library is priced at RM300 nett for the four-course menu or RM450 nett with wine pairing. For more information, visit their Facebook or website.

 

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