Three comedians are on hand to entertain couples on Valentine’s Day at Samplings on the Fourteenth Restaurant
Valmurugan
Subramaniam, Sous Chef of Samplings on the Fourteenth Restaurant of
Berjaya Times Square Hotel, holding the dessert of strawberry delight
served with homemade double chocolate ice cream and heart-shaped almond
macaroon biscuit.
The relatively new eatery, which was opened in April last year, is giving lovebirds a refreshing alternative, which has become an increasingly popular trend in the West in recent years.
Whether it catches on here is left to be seen, what with the three comedians lined up to hopefully create a rollicking good time, if not have the diners clutching their ribs or rolling along the aisles in laughter.
The one-and-a-half-hour show, expected to start at 8.30pm, will see Australian comedian Greg Sullivan sharing the stage with his two local counterparts, Andrew Netto and Rizal van Geyzel.
However, questions hover whether the trio's performances will be as relishing as the five-set Western Classic Cuisine whipped up for the evening, and which the media had the privilege of partaking at a recent food-tasting session.
Getting the proceedings off to a ravishing start was the appetiser of house smoked duck and scallop (with wild mushroom salad and lamb lettuce), which was sinfully succulent and savoury.
Valmurugan Subramaniam, the restaurant's sous chef, said the local duck meat was dipped in brine stock (mixed with vinegar) for two days, following which it was left to dry for one day.
"On the fourth day, the duck is kept in the smoke chamber for 80 minutes," said Murugan, as he is fondly called.
This was followed by the sweet-sourish saffron seafood soup (flavoured with fennel and tomatoes), offering generous portions of king crab's leg, seabass, salmon, scallop and clam.
"The ingredients are slow-cooked in fish stock for 45 minutes, with thinly-sliced fennel, tomatoes and sauteed onions added on," said the Segamat-born Murugan.
Whetting the appetite was the pink grapefruit sorbert with campari, which was expectedly cool and refreshing.
For the main course, diners could choose between the grilled beef tenderloin with seared foie gras (or goose liver), port wine reduction and spring vegetables or pan-fried codfish fillet with sea urchins and caviar sauce served with spring vegetables (both beef and cod are imported from the US).
The codfish sampled was scrumptious while the sea urchins (from France) were uniquely tasty and tantalising, which was accentuated by the rich and creamy caviar sauce.
Murugan, whose speciality is Western cuisine, said the sauce was made of Chablis wine, cream and shallots finished off with chives and butter, which was then mounted with trout caviar.
For dessert, there was the delectable strawberry delight served with homemade double chocolate ice cream and almond macaroon biscuit (which was heart-shaped to suit the dinner's theme).
Murugan said he picked the Valentine's Day menu based on the cost factor and the popularity level of the dishes.
"I could have opted for duck as the main course but it was too costly. And chicken has been overdone," said Murugan, who started off as a kitchen helper at an Indian restaurant opened by his school's headmaster in Segamat in 1986.
From there, he picked up cooking skills from his seniors, and moved up the ladder to where he is today.
He was roped in by Berjaya Times Square Hotel in 2010 to help build Samplings on the Fourteenth Restaurant into one of Kuala Lumpur's premier fine dining eatery.
And judging from the quality of his dishes, the hotel certainly did not make any mistake in hiring him.
Price for the Valentine's Day special is RM158++ per person, which is inclusive of dinner and show as well as a glass of Carlsberg beer.
Berjaya Times Square Hotel is also offering a special Valentine's Romance Getaway package at RM838++ for couples, which entitles them to a welcome drink at Broadway Lounge, a night's stay in a club superior suite, Valentine's Day dinner at Samplings on the Fourteenth and an-hour-long Jojoba Special Lovely Chocolate Massage for two.
Cheng Siew Yee, the hotel's marketing and communications manager, said the restaurant is revamping its a la carte menu, which would be launched either next month or in April, and thereafter it would be changed every six months.
"The restaurant is only open for dinner (6.30pm-10.30pm) from Mondays to Saturdays as it is used by lecturers of the adjoining Berjaya University College of Hospitality to conduct table-serving classes for students in the daytime," said Cheng, adding that an open-kitchen concept is practised in the pork-free establishment whereby there is eye-contact between the chefs and diners while instant feedback can also be facilitated.
The hotel's Big Apple Restaurant is offering a special Valentine's Day dinner buffet, priced at RM78++ per person.
Among the items on the menu are cold roast beef, smoked seafood platter, roast lamb rump with thyme shallot sauce and veal ravioli with butter sage.
Diners will receive a complimentary glass of wine while the ladies will also get a stalk of rose.
For reservations, call 03-2117 8000 (ext 8131 or 8133) or email bth.samplings@berjayahotel.com.
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