This week only: A British dining experience with Guest Chef Dan Moon at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur

Guest chefs from award-winning or popular restaurants around the world have been making their way to our vibrant city, giving us a chance to discover new interpretations of ingredients put together. The latest talented culinary artist to arrive in KL is none other than Chef Dan Moon of The Gainsborough Bath Spa in England. For a mere four days, he’ll be taking over the reins in the kitchen at The Library of The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur. 

West Country-born and recipient of numerous awards—from Von Essen Chef of the Year to three AA Rosettes—Chef Dan is known for his creative way with ingredients. The six-course dinner degustation menu that he has curated for this trip paints a clear picture of that testament. 

It starts with a chicken liver parfait made with the right balance of savoury and sweet. The accompanying almond granola and orange sorbet not only add flavour but texture as well. This is followed by caramelised onion velouté served with pané quail’s egg, wild mushrooms, truffle and hazelnut -fragrant and heartwarming. Next is the smoked salmon ballotine. Velvety on the palate and heightened with that familiar—yet minimal—pungent taste of horseradish (which appears in a mousseline form). 

The main star, however, is the roasted duck breast with duck leg confit spring roll (crispy), plum (sweet and crunchy) and sesame seeds (for added fragrance). Depending on how you like your duck cooked, however, note that during our tasting session, it was a tad too raw for our personal preference; but beautifully pieced together nonetheless. 

Cheese served after mains is typical of European dining and Chef Dan’s version is an elegant creation that is goat’s curd prepared with lavroche, toasted walnuts and pickled apple on a plate. Bold and generous. For those with a sweet tooth, worry not as the dinner ends with something sweet—a decadent dark chocolate ganache accompanied by peanut butter mousse, banana ice cream and salted caramel popcorn. Our only comment on this? That there was more banana ice cream because it was just that good. Overall, we were definitely chuffed. 

Available from 24 to 27 April, from 7pm until 11pm, the six-course dinner is priced at RM350 nett per person with an option of wine pairing at RM500 nett per person. For reservations and enquiries, call 03 2142 8000 or email [email protected].