Marchè Restaurant, The Curve: It’s All about Fresh European Dining at a Marketplace!

Shopping for Freshness in a European Marketplace!

Food excites me! Especially when I know there are plenty of choices and quality is good. When I was told about meeting our usual foodies at Marchè Restaurant, The Curve, I was a happy camper! I have been to Marchè several times since I discovered the restaurant because I enjoyed their food tremendously each time.

Renowned for its Fresh concept, Marchè takes its model from European marketplace where food served is as fresh as one can get from the abundance of fresh produce in the marketplace itself! The restaurant proudly features its ingredients on the various stations so that diners can actually see and select the ingredients before see it being prepared by chefs. Everything is prepared and cooked to order in themed with the Fresh concept. Diners can actually watch their food being whipped up or even chat with the chefs… a niche personalization that most restaurants lack until recently. I was even told that you can even buy the ingredients displayed if you wish too!!

With an extensive culinary choice, one can expect a satisfactory selection of Western cuisine at Marchè. Even the drink list alone makes one work hard at their decision! The most popular station would have to be the grill station where loads of meat, poultry, seafood and sausages are displayed for selection.  Other stations include a Swiss favorite of Potato Rosti, Salad Bar, Soups, Pizza, Crepe, Pasta and even Paella. Various desserts and baked goods are freshly made each day depending on the fresh ingredients available.

While food is fascinating, ambience is equally enchanting! Marchè features three main section dining area named La Poterie, Bistro and The Swiss House, each one unique on its own theme. The regular seating area has plenty of casual and rustic table seating scattered on their flagstone flooring. Colored tiles and awnings are seen everywhere while knick knacks like wooden barrels, baskets and even a wagon added the rustic touch to the marketplace.

Here’s how Marchè Restaurant’s dining system works…

Check in with a Market Passport card when you enter and bring this passport around to purchase your food. Each station will proceed to stamp your choice of dish on the passport upon your order. Keep this passport till you leave the restaurant.

As mentioned, the drink list is pretty impressive and definitely held the theme well. Upon entering the restaurant, the Fresh Fruit Bar will captivate your eyes with its colorful display of rows after rows of fresh fruits. Freshly squeezed juices are chilled in ice bath else one can also select their choice from the available fruits on displayed.

All juices are 100% freshly squeezed juices. There is another Beverage Bar as you walked deeper into the restaurant where choices like Fruity Lemonades, Sodas, Tea and Coffee, Beer and Wine are also available. My usual choice would be Dragon Fruit or Pineapple Juice but since there was a berries promotion, I opted for the Fruity Lemonades which were deliciously refreshing. Blueberry Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade and Passion Fruit Lemonade were the popular choices. I even spied a Kedondong Sour Plum!

I headed straight for the salad station to check out the daily specials. Choices are pretty decent that day with Caesar Salad being offered as a special. There are three sizes on portion wise and one can opt to add in additional ingredients to luxe up their salad. A Marchè Member Card allows members to benefit from special promotion price for certain specials at the restaurant. One of our foodie opted for Caesar Salad with Smoked Salmon. Romaine leaves are coated in the creamy Caesar dressing while sliced smoked salmon, ham, tomato and shredded cheese provided a rich salty edge to the salad.

Soup of the day was a classic rendition of Mushroom or Potato Soup. Rich and earthy, the mushroom soup is thick and delicious. Choose Fresh Baked Buns to go for the soup else opt for a bowl of Sautéed Mushroom for a buttery selection of soft smoky assorted mushrooms.

Light eaters may opt for Fresh Baked Goods, Pies and Savory Crepes. An abundance of baked bread, scones, muffins are baked each morning or simply go for Australian Beef Pie for some comfort food. Savory Crepes filled with Roasted Chicken, Sauteed Mushrooms or Smoked Salmon are available with either a mushroom cream sauce or sundried tomato paste. We tried a lovely Mushroom Crepe that had thin crepe rolled and filled with sautéed mushrooms in a cream sauce. It was light and aromatic with a cheesy touch!

Heading for my favorite Grill Station, check out the display of Beef, Chicken, Lamb and Sausages! Everything is displayed in small portions and refilled accordingly. The Seafood section also features several types of fish from Salmon to Sea Bass and others. We were late that evening so only a limited choice of seafood was available. Go early for more variety!

Beefing up my Olympian meal, I chose Australian Rib Eye and Salmon. Catching a glimpse of how the Pro grills up my steak was such pleasure!  He even made sure all the sides of the steak were nicely seared… J

Here’s a luscious peek at our meaty affair that night…

My Australian Rib Eye was grilled to medium perfection and served with mushroom gravy. Others that this also had the beef gave thumbs up. Price is very decent for my Rib Eye since other places charges a fair bit more than this for such a quality steak. Even buying it at supermarkets cost almost the same price for a Rib Eye!

Grilled Chicken and Snail Sausage was also yummy. Chicken was succulent, especially with the gravy and sauces while the Chicken Snail Sausage was tender and flavorful. Don’t mind ordering this the next time I am there actually. I also spied Veal Sausages…drools…

There was a special that day featuring Roasted Lamb Leg served with Mashed Potato and Blueberry Sauce.

Blueberry Sauce??

Yes, Blueberry sauce and you know what? Tender moist slices of pink lamb (ask for a medium) served with creamy mashed, blueberry compote and black pepper gravy (just in case) may sound like a weird combination but the rich sweet and tangy blueberry sauce actually went beautifully with the lamb. The combination worked like Ikea’s meatball with Lingonberry where savory and sweet harmonized sweetly. I didn’t need the black pepper sauce for the lamb.

Grilled Norwegian Salmon was decent but not overly impressive. Tasted fresh but a little under season.

Potato Rosti got mixed reviews. One of their famous star dishes at Marchè, Rosti is basically shredded potato shaped into disc and pan fried till crisp on the outside and soft inside. Usually served with simple sour cream, the versions here are jazzed up with sausages, smoked salmon, meatballs, mushroom and cheese. I simply loved mine original and loaded with a huge dollop of sour cream and some mustard for sharpness. A must-order for me whenever I visit Marchè since I am too lazy to make this at home… wink!

Paella, a popular Spanish one pan rice dish, is also available at Marchè Restaurant. When I was there, I happened to catch the chef in action making fresh Paella so it was without a doubt that an order was required.

The Paella at Marchè is made with chicken and sausages instead of the usual seafood. It also has celery and bell peppers and served with lemon wedges. One taste and it was instant gratification! Savory flavors of meat stock and hints of spices made the al dente rice very delectable. I like how the sausages’ flavors compliment the paella. Yum… J

Pasta station had limited choice with pasta in red or cream sauce. Basic enough with options of small or large portions. Kid meal portion is also available. Other stations also includes Pizza and Stir Fried Vegetable which I didn’t manage to visit.

Moving to desserts… almost everyone hit the Häagen-Dazs bar. Simple but one can always count on it for pure satisfaction in the dessert department.

There is also a few cakes, mousse, pudding on the dessert list. White Chocolate Cheesecake looked really tempting but I had the Crepe with Fresh Berries and Ice Cream instead. Thin crepes are slightly chewy but partnered well with the fresh berries and very luscious ice cream. If you still have room, do check out the crepes!

At the end of the meal, simply hand your Market Passport at the exit when the cashier will ring up your bill. Here’s my damage on my passport… J

Marchè Restaurant’s concept is truly unique in Malaysia. Food quality is very commendable hence one does pay a little more than some restaurants or bistro. I certainly don’t mind paying if food is good and quality is worth the price.  Ambience is fairly casual and yet charming, certainly comfortable for gathering with family or friends. Another plus point in having meet-ups here, bills are separately paid so it definitely makes it easier for gatherings with friends. I find myself yearning to return always because I know what I can expect at Marchè. With the many visits I had at Marchè, I have always encountered a good solid experience in food and service.  

If you are up for a good piece of steak or sausage, head to Marchè… oh… and don’t forget to order the Potato Rosti with loads of sour cream!

  

MARCHÈ RESTAURANT

Lot G87, Ground Floor, The Curve,

Mutiara Damansara,

47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Phone: +603 7727 8461

Email: info@marche-malaysia.com

Website: www.marche-malaysia.com

Opening Hours: 11.00 a.m. – 11.00 p.m., seven days a week