I used to live a stones throw away from the original Four Seasons Restaurant in Bayswater, London and the smell of roast meats never failed to make me feel welcome as you exit the Bayswater Tube Station. As a poor student, one does not indulge too often in restaurant food so trips to Four Seasons were far and few between. The taste lingered in my memory however – succulent fatty roast duck, huge chunks of char siew and hot fragrant rice – the perfect cure for a cold winter’s day.
So, when I found out that Four Seasons Restaurant was spreading its wings here to Malaysia (no pun intended) I was intrigued. Would it evoke my memories of London? Would I find myself sinking into the soft tender succulent roast duck that Four Seasons is so famous for?
I visited the Four Seasons Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur quite recently. The restaurant is located at Capital Square in the heart of Kuala Lumpur (Alliance Building on Jalan Munshi Abdullah). You can’t miss it.
I was of course, there for the roast duck. This would be the ultimate test of whether the Four Seasons Restaurant in Malaysia measures up to the mothership in London.
There were 2 of us and we opted for the Two Combination BBQ platter (RM25). There was Roast Duck (but of course!) and Char Siew Pork Ribs.
The Roast Duck was tender, not hard like some of the ones you get at other restaurants. However, I felt that there was something missing. I realised, it might be the fat. The ducks here in Malaysia aren’t as fat as those in the UK, so the meat was not as succulent. The skin was nice and crisp but on the whole, it tasted just so-so. Slightly better than a normal BBQ Roast restaurant but nothing exceptional. The Char Siew Pork Ribs however were quite good – meaty and tasty. I found the sauce a little too sweet. I prefer the use of the light soy sauce to flavour the meats rather than the thick sweet sauces.
We also had a bowl of Won Ton Soup (RM12). There were about 8 wontons in there. Not very large, but not insubstantial either. Each wonton had a crunchy prawn and minced pork in it. Tasty.
Steamed white rice was RM1.50 a bowl which I thought very expensive as it was not a large bowl. Next time I’m here, I’ll order the roast meat on rice platter. At RM8.80, you get a generous portion of roast meat of choice on a large plate of steamed white rice and some steamed vegetable. Much more worth it than ordering separate dishes.
At the end of the meal, after you call for the bill, you will be served with a little platter of fresh chilled fruits.
I was waiting to see if we would be served this. In London, you will be served with a complimentary platter of chilled cut oranges after your meal. It is a nice touch in a Chinese restaurant where as everyone knows, eating out is a luxury. Here, we got a slice of orange and some local fruits – watermelon and honeydew melon. Its nice to know this little tradition is preserved.
With 2 cups of drink, the meal came up to RM51.70 for two. Not tremendously expensive, but quite pricey all the same. I might go back for the novelty, but I don’t find myself craving the roast duck the way I do in London – and I don’t forsee any queues outside the restaurant as they do in London too!
Pink Parisian [rating:4/5] for taste
Pink Praisian [rating:3/5] for price
Four Season Restaurant
Lot G16-17 Capital Square Center
No. 7 Pesiaran Capital Square
50100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-2698 9393
Popularity: 19% [?]
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
The roast duck looks delicious, I would not mind paying for that. I hungry now.. :O
Is this part of you and K’s mission to find the best roast duck rice in the whole of Klang Valley? LOL
Dang. I love roast duck. So does Dad. I’ll bring him there when I’m next back.
I like duck duck but I think I won’t pay the amount of $ to have it
@fooi: It IS delicious too.
Cheesey: LOL I’d actually forgotten about that, but it might just make the cut!
@mimid3vils: Expensive, but not much more so than most other roast duck restaurants.
FOUR SEASONS-KUALA LUMPUR REVIEW
I’m from London and am a regular at Four Seasons Bayswater, also a regular at most of the Chinese restaurants in Bayswater. Lets start with the one thing that’s given me a bad taste. The service was rude, slack and SLOW…. they only had 3 covers at 8pm, my table being one of them. they weren’t exactly busy.
The duck was chewy on some parts of the meat. I was expecting ‘melt in your mouth’ roast duck like the London branch. I never thought i’d say this but the ducks used here lacks the fat to give it the flavor it deserves. It’s OK-but just that. The gravy used is not what I’m used to, way too thick and not sweet, more soy if anything-i didn’t touch the honey/orange sauce.
Out of 10 i’d give it a 5.5, to have the same name and experience as ‘The Four Seasons London’, the chef needs to be reviewed. Over all and to blow my own trumpet, I’ve had roast duck in the USA, London and now Malaysia. London without a doubt has the best. (PS China IS on my list).
Overall experience and because of the price out of 10. I’d give it a 5. It’s just OK nothing more!
PS no fruit platter at end of meal… very disappointed!
@count duckula: I actually agree with you – Please read Four Seasons Capsquare Revisited
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