QBA Latin Grill - MIGF Wine and Dine with Patricia Yeo
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The Malaysia International Gourmet Food Festival (MIGF) 2007 is on going until the end of November 2007 and I was treated to a special wine-pairing dinner at Qba Latin Grill at the Westin Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
It was a special promotional dinner by their celebrity chef, Patricia Yeo, that ran for 2 days on Nov 9 and 10 whereby they had a 6 course dinner paired with corresponding wines for each of the courses.
This was the menu we had. I must apologise in advance for the lack of more photos. The camera batteries died on us (someone forgot to charge them up! 
) and this was all we could get. Fortunately, I got a picture of the menu so I wouldn’t forget what was served.
The meal started with the Yukon Gold Potato Knich with creme fraische and caviar. I was expecting a boiled potato but what is was was mashed potato wrapped with a thin layer of pastry (maybe?) or lightly pan fried to create a light crust. It was then topped with a dollop of creme fraische and a spot of caviar. It was recommended by the chef to just pop the whole thing into the mouth to best savour the explosion of flavours. She was right. The flavour was exquisite even if there was a bit of a “fillet o fish” flavour about it.
The next item was pickled mackerel carpaccio which I knew was raw fish. I don’t enjoy raw fish at the best of times so I was rather wary when this dish appeared. However, it was surprisingly very nice. The orange sauce complimented the fish well and so did the pickled cucumber. There was no fishy smell or taste at all.
The next item was the orechiette ricotta salad which was a pasta salad. It was nice if a tad uninspiring I thought. Slow poached salmon came next. Again, I’m no fan of salmon whether raw or cooked, but this one was yummy. There was no strong fishy taste of salmon that usually accompanies poached salmon and it was done just right where the outside was cooked and the inside was just lightly done and not overcooked. I love risotto so the risotto base was promptly finished up by me.
A piece of grilled lamb porterhouse came next. I’m no fan of lamb. In fact, many items on the menu did not grab my fancy. However, I was again pleasantly surprised. The lamb was tender and delicious and was a treat. It helped I think, that the piece given was quite small because I was already quite filled up at this stage.
Dessert was a Molten chocolate Ancho cake with yogurt ice-cream. The chocolate cake came warm with chocolate sauce drizzled over it. It was soft and light and so sinfully chocolately, but yet was not too sweet. It was absolutely yummy, but I could only stomach half the cake because it was so rich. It did not go to waste though… thought it might have gone to waist
We had 5 wines to go with each of the main courses - 2 whites and 3 reds. The wines were all from a Chile vineyard and although I’d not had good impressions of Chile wines before this, I have changed my mind. The whites provided were sweet and light and I loved them. I found that the cabernet sauvignon were a tad too dry for my liking though.
All in all, for RM288++ for a full 6 course dinner + wines, I think it was a great deal. Food portions were small, but it was just nice for me. Big eaters might feel the need to order more food though.
Qba Latin Grill is a grill place that serves South American grilled meats. The restaurant is divided into a bar downstairs (with live music after 9pm) and a restaurant upstairs. They also had some salsa dancing as entertainment, which was fun and the dancers’ slick moves were fun to watch. The restaurant is rather small and doesn’t accomodate many, but they do have lovely alcoves if you have a small group of people and want some privacy. The space is open and you can look down into the bar below.
Most of the 2 people tables are placed by the sides, which gives the impression of dining on a balcony. The lighting is rather dim and there is just enough light to see by. The music is latinic and upbeat but can get a bit loud so it does make it a bit hard to talk. I would like them to turn down the music a tad only so I don’t have to shout to be heard.
Qba has another festival menu though which looks equally if not more interesting than the special wine pairing one. That one features wagyu beef galore, which in my mind was what I’d expected of a grill, instead of fish.
QBA LATIn GRILL
The Westin Kuala Lumpur,
199, Jalan Bukit Bintang
Festival Reservations: +603–2731 8333
Related posts:
- Grilled Ham and Salad Sandwich
- Review: Sushi Zen Japanese restaurant at The Gardens Midvalley
- The C. Club at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
- Pastis Cafe at The Gardens Midvalley
- Healthy Green Salad
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Comments
I saw her in the papers! Wow… Princeton grad !(or was it Harvard?) Anyway, it was one of those Unis I’d always dreamt of but knew was beyond my reach.
Looked like a lovely dinner!
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