CHASING FOOD DREAMS: Romanza le Restaurant, Terrace at Hock Choon: A Stellar Mother’s Day Menu!

A Brand New Kid in Town with an Impressive French and Mediterranean Inspired Menu with a South African flair!

The word is out… there is a gorgeous new restaurant in the town revealed at Terrace at Hock Choon! Romanza le Restaurante is barely two months old and word has gotten out that this French and Mediterranean inspired restaurant is a knockout! Feast your senses on a gastronomical journey as the unique menu will evoke satisfaction from appetizers to desserts!

Whether it’s named after the infamous opera Andrea Bocelli’s First Compilation album or the word Romance, one can be assured that the whole restaurant is designed to woo its guest with much romance. Obviously, romance is in the air as soon as one steps into Romanza from its elegant color theme of red, black, and grey with splashes of white to the gorgeous black candlelight chandeliers. Sublime warm lighting evokes a sensual atmosphere suitable for a romantic dining experience or light casual dinners to smart business functions.

Guest has the options to dine in cool comfort or al fresco in the patio of the restaurant. Rest assured, plenty of fans are equip for a cool and breezy ambience when dining beneath the moonlight.

For the coming celebration of Mother’s Day, Romanza is proud to present a fusion of French and Mediterranean menu injected with a South African touch concocted by Head Chef Steven Kruger and team. A native of Cape Town, South Africa, the young and talented chef started his career at tender age of 18 before gradually moving up the ladder from commis to head chef today. Accompanying his team is an extremely gifted team consisting of a beautiful and brilliant pastry chef, Lauren Walsh and sous chef, Shaun Buys, both also from South Africa.

The evening kick off with a glass of Gran L’Orange, a fruity mocktail rimmed with blackcurrant sugar for a refreshing head start. Fresh pressed orange juice laced with grenadine is definitely a thirst quenching mocktail!

Prior to the starter course, we savored complimentary Amuse Bouchè featuring cubes of Tuna Sashimi intermingling with Brunoise of Tomatoes, Onions and Plum Chutney finished with Alfalfa Sprouts and Lump Fish Caviar. Flavors of sweet and sour are all tied up nicely for a savory ending from the caviar!

Starter course is an option of Gorgonzola Croquettes or Duo of Chicken.

Gorgonzola Croquettes with Pear Puree, Roasted Pears, Crisp Salad Leaves and Roasted Walnuts came in an interspaced affair of golden balls of cheesy affection crowned with sliced pears contrasting against crisp leafy greens. Expect nothing of the heavy scented gorgonzola cheese but a luscious light creamy cheese croquette with crispy shells. Sweet pear puree lightened and sweetened up the savory croquette while salad brings forth light textures to the dish. Sampling a croquette from my foodie neighbor made me craved for this luscious cheese ball even more. A surprising winner in my books!

Duo of Chicken, Master Stock Chicken Roulade served on a bed of Kimchi and topped with Crisp Leeks accompanied by a Liver Pate and served with a Strawberry Salsa is indeed a mouthful but all components gelled harmoniously. Chicken roulade was tender, moist and flavorful while the chicken liver pate was ultra smooth and rich. A hint of spicy and sourness from the kimchi went well with the poultry. The unexpected touch was the small dollops of strawberry salsa that added the remarkable tangy and fruity flavors that lifted the ordinary chicken roulade into something extraordinary!

Palate Cleanser was a powerful Passion Fruit Sorbet with Lime Yoghurt and Apple Chip. Passionately flavored with the fruit, the sorbet was superbly refreshing while the creamy citrus yoghurt added a loving richness to the sorbet.

Main course has a fish, lamb or duck option. It was indeed a tough decision as all three sounded equally promising in its own merits!

Jade Perch Pan Seared, Pomme Puree, Thai Red Curry Sauce, Mango Salsa, Seasonal Vegetables and Crisp Leeks is definitely a thought out dish of fish. Although I only savored a bite, it was enough to conclude that I like the medium firm, flaky and sweet flesh of the Jade Perch, more commonly found in Australia. Overall flavors hinted an Asian influenced touch on the dish and yet, emanated a Mediterranean dish it is own way!

Meat lovers will be pleased with Lamb Shank, Slow Braised served on Spring Onion Pomme Puree, Carrot Emulsion and Seasonal Vegetables topped with Crushed Minted Peas, finished off with a Thyme Jus.

A gargantuan lamb shank had tender meat well flavored with a deep rich brown sauce. Sides of puree and emulsion partnered well with the red meat to soak up the delicious thyme jus while mushy peas added a creamy touch to the meat. Presentation was a platter of colors to my eyes… J

I am extremely pleased with my choice of Black Current Duck Breast with Pomme Fondant, accompanied by a Confit Duck Leg Croquette, Marinated Red Cabbage, Steamed Vegetbales and Sauteed Mushrooms, finished with a Red Currant Jus!

Every piece of the dish was well thought off in textures and flavors. Highly noteworthy is the confit duck leg croquette and pomme fondant. Crispy outside with a rich and moist shredded duck confit is a beautiful mouthful. Pomme Fondant is ultra satisfying from its buttery coated fluffy potatoes to the creamy taste that melts-in-the-mouth. The potato recipe is definitely one of France’s best creations. Overall flavors are tangy and slightly sweet from the red currant and cabbage. Sliced seared duck breast was good but as I prefer a medium edge, the duck was a little overdone for my taste. Do let the servers know if you are particular like me about my duck! J

Dessert in the Mother’s Day menu was a Milk Chocolate Marquee with a Ruby Red Raspberry Sorbet and Chocolate Tuilles with Pistachio Crumbs. However, due to the unavailability of the dessert that night, we savored another dessert in their ala carte menu of Almond Parfait.

Maybe it was destined, as I adored the Almond Parfait served with Apple Sorbet, White Chocolate Choux and White Chocolate Honeycomb immensely! Kudos to the pastry chef Lauren for her creation in combining an array of textures, flavors, and ingredients as the dessert was an art by itself. The crunch, soft and cold textures played like a symphony orchestra together with the luscious creamy parfait with a nutty touch. The craving for the decadent chocolate honeycomb and chocolate choux is being evoked as I write this post!

House-made Bread studded with roasted baby tomatoes and feta cheese was gladly savored together with a Mediterranean Piri Piri Sauce. Piri Piri sauce is simply divine with its punchy and spicy flavors that make one reach for more bread just to savor the sauce alone. J

With Mother’s Day menu aside, Romanza is aimed to please with its list of non alcoholic wines from Germany to the real McCoy from all over the world in the drink menu. Cocktails, beers and more are also available.

One worthy mentioned is our waiter, Conrad! The man is a walking menu, full of knowledge with excellent serving skills that can outdo most of the F&B servicing team in the restaurants here.

The management was also kind enough to let us sample one of South Africa’s favorite snacks called Biltong, a cured meat resembling jerky! Flavors are spicy and salty while textures can really give your mouth a good exercising time. Find out more about Biltong here.

At fine dining Romanza le Restaurante, I finally understood what the rave was about. The fusion menu coupled with the romantic ambience and satisfying service with a smile puts Romanza in a class of its own! Every dish from starters to desserts is bold and creative under the hands of Chef Steven and his team. Portions are a good size as one is assured that they do not leave this restaurant hungry. Decadence is the order here and I would return just for the desserts alone!

Romanza Le Restaurante Mother’s Day Menu is priced at RM130++ per person. Kids a la carte menu is also available. For reservations or enquiries please call Jo at 03-4245 6059 or email jo@romanza.com.my. Doors open at 12pm. Book a table in advance to avoid disappointment.

*Stay tune for a Complimentary Voucher on the Mother’s Day Menu for two by Romanza le Restaurante give away in my facebook account, ChasingFoodDreams! Follow me if you have not… J