Romantic Dining Spots – Madisons @ Jalan Bangkung


Updated Dec 2015 – Madisons has ceased operations
[Romantic Dining Spots]

My partner in crime (for convenience sake let’s call her Miss C) frequents an eatery along Jalan Bangkung quite often, and this time round I decided to bring her over to an unassuming little restaurant called Madisons tucked among the older establishments there.
Typically Aussie, Madisons is a laid back restaurant but don’t let looks fool you as they serve up some modern Australian fare at prices that won’t leave you broke. The restaurant although only occupying a single shoplot, offers a cosy dining area with sofas at the back, a large bar counter for those more inclined for a couple of drinks, and an al-fresco area with high tables and chairs outside for those who prefer some “fresh air” (not advisable during the haze season of course).
As we were there for dinner, the friendly staff seated us in the main dining area which offered a good view of the happenings in the open kitchen. We were there on a weekday and the restaurant offered a nice quiet ambiance (there were a couple of tables of diners but otherwise it was not full) and there weren’t any rowdy drinkers around. I guess the location (ie. Bangsar) has a big impact on the customer profile and customers were generally well-mannered and absorbed in their own conversations with their friends. 
Apart from Miss C, with me for this visit was the newly launched Sony Alpha 5000 camera and this was my first real test to see how it would perform to shoot food in an indoor setting.
My partner in crime – let’s call her Miss C as she’s somewhat of a reserved person
The warm and stylish interior plays with just a few colours – wood tones matched against clean white, while the long mirror adds the illusion of space to this single shop lot restaurant. Tables were set comfortably apart so you won’t feel like people are listening in on your conversation, while the open kitchen is where you can see Chef Kelly and her assistants in action whipping up food for hungry customers.

Madisons has a wide selection of wines, liquors, and beers to go along with your meal. If you need a recommendation you can ask the friendly staff to suggest some that will match your food. For our meal, we had a different wine specially paired with each course. FYI a glass of Asahi Super Dry goes for RM17.00 and a pint for RM30.00 while a glass of Stella Artois will set you back RM20.00 (all prices before taxes).
For white wines, prices start from RM115.00 per bottle while red wines start from RM124.00 per bottle. There’s also a premium range of wines starting from RM257.00 while there are also single malt whiskies like AUCHENTOSHAN, Yamazaki and Hibiki, cocktails, mocktails, fresh juices, coffee, tea and more available from their extensive beverage list.
BTW for those of you who enjoy a drink or two or three, Madisons has special happy hour prices which I’ve included at the bottom of this post.

Pate
Tuft duck and chicken liver pate, red wine jelly, compressed baby pears
Paired with Villa Sandi Rose Prosecco.
Ice Cream? Surely not? At first glance Miss C and I thought we were served dessert but it turned out to be a scoop of deliciously creamy and earthy duck and chicken liver pate. To be eaten together with the pate were garlic croutons (below the scoop of pate) and to my delight we were given extra croutons. The red wine jelly was something new to me but acted together with the sweet compressed baby pear to balance out the creamy taste of the pate while the croutons added some crispy texture to each bite. Liked the presentation of this dish which is simple yet eye-catching. The prosecco that was paired with this dish was dry and fresh with fruity and flowery notes that also helped to balance out the creamy pate.
The garlic croutons were tremendously addictive especially when eaten with the pate, and I had to stop devouring them and remind myself that there were more dishes for us to savour that night.

Asparagus
Butter poached asparagus spears, sous-vide egg, sultana & shaved almond panna grattato, and truffle honey.
Paired with La Gioiosa, Pinot Grigio Italy.
This was Miss C’s favourite dish of the night as it contained two (2) of her favourite items – asparagus and a beautifully cooked egg. This was a play of different textures and flavours – the silky smooth and creamy egg yolk against the crispy asparagus and almonds while the sultanas and truffle honey added just a hint of sweetness and earthy aroma.  The La Gioiosa Pinot Grigio was a clean and neutral flavoured wine with hints of peaches and a nice crispness about it. Just what was needed to complement a dish that was bursting with flavours!
Now that’s the way to eat this dish with all the beautiful flavours in one bite. #yolkporn
Chef Kelly putting the finishing touches to the sea bass making sure that the dish looks as well as tastes great!
Chef Kelly hails from Australia and her resume includes award winning restaurants in both Adelaide and Melbourne.  Now plying her trade in Kuala Lumpur with her husband and daughter Madison (yes the restaurant is named after her daughter), Chef Kelly offers Malaysian diners an opportunity to taste some sophisticated Australian cuisine in the swanky neighbourhood of Bangsar.

Local Sea Bass
Pan seared, parsnip puree, house made cured sausage, beetroot chips
Paired with Stanley Estates, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand.
The sea bass was nice and fresh but the most outstanding part of this dish was the beetroot chips! Cut and fried to resemble potato chips, these flavourful chips really added a fresh dimension to the dish while I also liked the silky smooth parsnip puree and little bits of sausage that provided a savoury flavour. I wonder if Chef Kelly would give me a whole bag of beetroot chips to take home. I must remember to ask her next time. 
I’m really starting to like New Zealand wines. I know New Zealand is not really a traditional wine-growing country but they have been producing some good wines of late. The Sauvignon Blanc had citrus note with a pleasant slightly floral bouquet that complemented the dish.

Beef Cheeks
Slow cooked with potato puree, roasted cherry tomato, horseradish cream
Paired with Escale Pinot Noir, France.
Miss C and I both liked this dish a lot. Melt in the mouth tender beef cheeks over a bed or smooth potato puree with roasted cherry tomatoes to add some acidity and horseradish cream to add a tiny bit of zing. Don’t worry, the horseradish is not at all like wasabi. I really liked the balance of flavours in this dish, and I experimented eating with different amounts of the horseradish cream with the beef.
This dish was paired with the Escale Pinot Noir (red meat = red wine? white meat = white wine? Well it depends on your personal preference however unless you are well versed with your wines you should try to stick to this guide. If in doubt ask your server for a recommendation) which was a somewhat fruity wine with hints of berries while being smooth on the palate. Quite an elegant wine which did not overpower the dish (is was a Pinot Noir after all).

Selection Of Mini Desserts
Lemon meringue, Hazelnut chocolate dips, and Chocolate torte with white chocolate mousse
Paired with Prosecco.
I love chocolate so two out of three items in this dessert were already winners for me. OK I’m biased but in all honesty the hazelnut chocolate dips were the first to go then I needed some tartness from the lemon meringue to balance out my palate before I proceeded to finish the creamy white chocolate mousse which came with something resembling and tasting like a chocolate brownie. Miss C who’s not much of a sweet tooth was busy enjoying her Prosecco.
The way to a girl’s heart – champagne! Or a Burberry bag…

The degustation menu above is priced at RM200++ per pax and is NOT available yet. Madisons will start this special chef’s pairing of food & wine in April 2014 and will range from RM180++ to RM220++ so do keep an eye on their Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/madisonskl
I think a 5 course meal paired with wines for RM200++ per pax is acceptable, especially for the quality of the food and wines and its location in the upmarket neighbourhood of Bangsar. I’ve had far more expensive (and sometimes less impressive) meals and I think this special degustation menu at Madisons does warrant a visit for a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary. 
If you’re looking for something not so taxing on the wallet in these cash-strapped times you could always look at the ala carte menu OR try Madisons Classic Lunch Menu which goes for RM35++ (choice of 1 entrée and 1 main) or RM40++ (choice of 1 entree, 1 main and a dessert plate).
Madisons also provides special group packages for groups of more than 10 pax, with prices starting from RM50++ to RM100++ per pax for lunch, and RM70++ to RM120++ per pax for dinner.
Romantic ambiance: 7/10

MADISONS is located at
65, Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya,
Bangsar,
59100 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

Telephone: 603-20921222
Email: info.madisonskl@gmail.com

Operating hours: Open daily (Mon – Sun) from 11.00am till late
There is ample parking along Jalan Bangkung in the evenings.
More info at http://www.madisonskl.com

Photos shot with the Sony Alpha 5000. More info on the camera at http://bit.ly/1eLboU1
#sonymalaysia #sonyalpha5000

As promised, here are the happy hour prices!

I’m looking forward to trying this sometime soon as I’m quite a sucker for a good breakfast.

Apart from their normal menu, Madisons also has chef specials every now and then and here’s the latest one.