Affordable French Dining in the City
There
are honestly not many French restaurants available here. Not enough anyway but
I am glad that Frenchmen Florian Nigen and Arnaud Chappert took their passion
and turned it into reality by sharing Rendez-Vous
with us. Located in a quieter section in Bangsar, Rendez-Vous is not your
typical French fine dining restaurant.
Housed
on a corner lot with two levels of dining, the bright yellow exterior of the
restaurant sends a wonderful joie de
vivre vibe the moment we arrived that Sunday.
The
restaurant is set in casual al fresco chic with a bold red interior flanked by
dark wood, pristine white table settings and red napkins. A long brick bar held
court at one side of the room while a big chalkboard states specials of the
day. One can even catch a peek at the kitchen through the kitchen window on the
side of the restaurant. Eiffel Tower is seen on walls and ornaments, reminding
us of its French origins. Spacious and comfortable, it is certainly a lovely
place to enjoy a weekend brunch or a candlelight dinner.
We
were told that Rendez-Vous is
offering Sunday Brunch! And while many fine French restaurants cater more
towards the adults, Rendez-Vous is actually kids-friendly. Every Sunday,
Rendez-Vous is featuring their special Sunday Brunch menu for adults and kids
too.
And
while the adults are enjoying a wonderful brunch, the kids get to play. Being a
parent, I was pleased to see that there is a corner filled with games and
activities for the kids. There’s nothing more satisfying to a parent than to
know than that they can spend time with their little ones and also enjoy a
relaxing moment while are kids are kept busy.
Rendez-Vous
has recently setup Upstage by
Rendez-Vous on the first floor of the restaurant. We paid a quick visit and
fell in love with the dim but classy decorated space filled with a bar, lounge
chairs, jazz posters and an open sunlit roof. It’s great for private events or
a casual relaxing space where diners can hang around to catch some live shows
or stand ups.
Hoping
to change our perception of French food being pricey, both owners wanted Rendez-Vous’s
menu to be affordable and filled with dishes that one can enjoy regularly. One
can opt for their 3-course Sunday Brunch menu or their a la carte menu filled
with French classics.
Helming
the kitchen for the last few months in Rendez-Vous
is a young and talented chef from Toulouse in the South of France, Chef
Benjamin Reilhes. Chef Benjamin brings a modern touch on French cuisine cooked
the classic way in his seasonal menu.
The
Sunday Brunch Special is such a
steal at RM69++ for a 3-course menu. There are options for a Basket of
Viennoiserie and Bread served with condiments or a plank of Starter
Assortments. This is followed by an option of main course of Meat of the Day or
Seafood of the Day and a finish of your Choice of Dessert from the dessert
menu.
Rendez-Vous also has a Sunday Brunch menu for kids featuring a choice of Stuffed Crepes with Creamy Ham Croque Monsieur and Mash or Fish Fingers with Fries, a Mocktail, a dessert of Chocolate Mousse and a little sweet gift pack at RM32++.
The
Basket of Viennoiserie and Bread with
Condiments looked so inviting at sight. Don’t be fool by that plain looking
pastry and bread because these are some of the best ones I have had. Warm
crusty bread dipped into salted butter or assortment of jams are heavenly. There’s
also a buttery and flaky Croissant and Pain au Chocolat too.
The
Starter Assortment is filled with
lots of French bites. From the small balls of crispy Gribiche to the mini Onion
Mushroom Tart, Tuna Rillettes, Pork Liver Pate, Comte cheese and a soft and
creamy Baked Egg with crispy toasted
soldiers, the platter is really a masterpiece of French delights.
The
crispy Gribiche, made with porky parts of gelatinous bits, gherkin pickle,
capers, onion, egg and herbs, is wonderfully tasty. I also adored the pork liver
pate with its rich and creamy moreish notes while the tuna rillettes is good on
toast. What made this dish a brunch must have is the ooey gooey soft egg
smothered in luscious béchamel and cheese sauce…
For
main course, there was a chicken and a fish dish of the day. The Poulet Facon Cocotte translated to a
pretty looking chicken roulade with bits of stuffing, served with a medley of
vegetables. A generous portion indeed of thick coiled of chook cooked on sous
vide till achingly tender and smooth. A rich and silky sauce enveloped the
chicken nicely. Chef Benjamin’s artistic side of vegetables rendering added
art, texture and taste to the dish.
The
fish dish was just as pretty as the first dish and the Filet de Loup de Mer showed off two beautiful pieces of crispy skin
seabass fillet with a citrus sauce. The fish was firm and sweet, matching
really well with the light citrusy tang of the sauce. A dish that is light and
easy to enjoy…
The
French are famous for their desserts. And since it’s Sunday, there never a
better time than to enjoy Chef Benjamin’s beautiful version of Tarte au Citron Meringue. Little
florets of torched meringue hides a gorgeous and tangy lemon curd and tart base.
This is served with crisp apple slices, lemon sacs, dragon fruit bits and a
lime sorbet. And since I love bold fresh and citrusy flavours, this dessert is
right up my alley. A great and vibrant ending to a Sunday brunch.
Besides
the Sunday Brunch menu, there are also a sumptuous a la carte filled with
French classics. One must-have dish at Rendez-Vous is the indulgence of duck
liver in Foie Gras de Canard (RM48).
Chef Benjamin’s canvas of sublime wedges of duck foie gras terrine with a layer
of port wine jelly sat on swipes of creamy puree and a pool of mushroom jus.
Bits of mushrooms, herbs and more completed the dish to near perfection.
Decadent and delicious… so good that you may not want to share!
My
favorite dish of the day had to be the Poitrine
de Porc Fondante (RM49). A slab of golden pork belly took limelight on the
plate. The dish looked deceptively simple but it takes 2 days to prepare the
pork belly itself according to Chef Benjamin. The textural component of tender
and unctuous fatty and lean bits, coupled with the crispy edges of the pork
belly is marvelous. Well flavoured and tasty, we all agreed unanimously that
the dish is indeed top-notched. The pork was accompanied by crispy balls of
Gribiche, mushroom cannelloni, asparagus, baby corn, snow peas and more.
Tranche D’Agneau au Jus (RM62) reads pan seared lamb,
pissaladière and smoked herring cream. French trimmed lamb racks were cooked to
medium pinkness and served with jus. Succulent and tender, the lamb racks are
delightful. The smoked herring cream is quite unusual and it gives the lamb a
different take of flavours from the usual classic ones that I have had. Served
with crispy bread of caramelized onions and anchovy, the dish is rather unique
on its own.
From
mains, we finished off with more desserts from the a la carte menu. Don’t ask
me to choose a dessert here because after sampling all the desserts here, I am
literally lost for words at how gorgeous the French desserts are.
Delice au Chocolat et Caramel (RM22) is a dynamic duo combination of
dark bittersweet chocolate and salted caramel. Two nutty chocolate disc
sandwiched dark bitter chocolate mousse that hides a sinful surprise of salted almond
and peanut praline inside. Savor the rich and dark dessert with a nutty ice
cream and orange sauce with fresh fruits. The dessert is worth every calorie it
has…
The
prettiest dessert of the lot, Paris Brest
(RM20) is Chef Benjamin’s ode to French pastry. Petit choux with a crusty top
is filled generously with hazelnut custard and served with more cream, caramel
and fruits. The nutty luscious custard is wonderful and so satisfying. I like
the bits of fruits which gave the dish a touch of freshness.
Wine
lovers will also be pleased to know that both Nigen and Chappert keeps a solid
list of wines, liqueur and aperitifs. We had the house signature Rendez-Vous cocktail, which tasted as
good as it looks, as well as a beautiful Le
Contesse Prosecco and house white of Pinot
Grigio.
Rendez-Vous is certainly place to look out for
when one wants to dine French. We like how unpretentious the restaurant and its
menu is. Prices are definitely affordable when compared to other French dining
eateries. We look forward to more of Chef Benjamin’s seasonal creations as the
young chef definitely has great potential to whip up more enticing French
dishes at Rendez-Vous.
RENDEZ-VOUS
RESTAURANT
100 Lorong Maarof
59000 Bangsar
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2202 0206
Website: www.rendez-vous.com.my/accueil-2/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rendezvousbangsar
Business Hours:
Open daily, 12noon to
3pm, 6pm to 12midnight
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