The transformation of the new poolside restaurant, Aqua Restaurant
& Bar at The Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur offering an uninterrupted views
of the city’s skyline and brings a new global tapas concept that is refreshing yet
makes it easy to find something for everyone. mylifestylenews writes……
The Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur, has just recently finished a complete refurbishment of their Sports & Leisure floor on Level 3 with a more laid back ambience.
The fit-out with the open kitchen concept at Aqua restaurant & Bar is rather more relaxing, with an outdoor dining feel as befits the space which you need to walk through to get to the pool deck proper (tempting you with all the fabulous food on display as you walk past) and they have created the perfect place to unwind and to enjoy the hot weather from a shady perspective.
The food is the focus and we decided to travel from one end of the culinary spectrum to the other, sampling a wide range of tastes. We ordered a wood-fired Chorizo Pizza, Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Traditional Malay Chicken Satay, Norwegian Salmon Tataki, French Onion Soup, California Maki Rolls, Durian Ice Cream Supreme and Baked Lemon Meringue Pie.
Now the eclectic choice may sound very strange and make you ask what were we thinking, but we had a lot of fun mixing up the choices and taking a tapas tour around the world. Almost, there is comfort food for every global citizen that you could possibly find here but when it comes to highlights, a few dishes really hit a home run.
The menu touches all your favourites, with some having a distinctly local touch, more spicy than you may think in some cases, plus they have a great cocktail list to match the flavours of the food. So we deliberately ordered the <Tom Yam Margarita> and boy were they knockout cocktails. Have you ever imagined a Thai flavoured cocktail? Apart from the usual spirit base of tequila and cointreau, the Margarita had lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf and chili padi to create that unique spicy Thai flavor, which is the base for Tom Yum Soup and the spice quotient provided that slow build heat as you sipped, but at the same time was a delightfully refreshing summer cocktail. The <Caipirinha> to follow and it was equally perfectly refreshing to go with our global tapas smorgasbord.
The <French Onion Soup> was absolutely authentic with the caramelized onion and three type of cheeses (that was the local touch) and while the bowl may look small, this is one of those dishes that makes you rather full by the time your spoon is scraping the bottom of the bowl and take it from us, you will want to scrape the last drop of this soup from the bottom of the bowl.
The <Chicken Satay> had such a gorgeous nutty, spicy, dense texture that the sauce alone was to die for, with the chicken meat so juicy and tender to have you craving for more.
The <Chicken Lettuce Wraps> had just the right spicy zing to them and the crushed peanuts gave the dish a slightly dry texture which we loved, so no dripping juices to contend with. The salmon with avocado was a lovely balance of flavours and a refreshing taste combination.
Lastly, the <Baked Lemon Meringue Pie> is fluffy and airy with a nice crunch of the pastry and <Durian Ice Cream> is such a unique Malaysian dish that you have to try such a wondrous fruit without hesitation, as while the durian is a strange flavor at the first taste, this is the most user friendly way to try this flavor at first bite and perhaps get hooked on it at the same time.
The new face-lift of the Aqua restaurant a& Bar is ideal for catching up over a leisurely lunch or after-work drinks and dinner, with such great destination for alfresco dining in Kuala Lumpur while enjoying superb cocktails to compliment the food with views overlooking KLCC Park.
Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 3.5/5
Food & Beverage: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Experience: 3.5/5
Highlights:
Malay Satay
French Onion Soup
Durian Ice cream
Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur City Centre
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +6 03 2380 8888
Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.
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