What do you get when you bring creative heads from different disciplines together? You get an extraordinary creative space that fuses bespoke fashion and culinary delights. With Malaysia’s iconic fashion designer Beatrice Looi paving the way with her ever-changing designs and bold statements, Elegantology Gallery & Restaurant is bound to make heads turn. Backed by celebrity chefs Sherson Lian and Johnny Fua, these two are creating gastronomic delicacies never-before-seen on plate, and not to forget, one of the finest cognac’s ever to be crafted: Martell. I guess you could say I was counting my lucky stars when I received my exclusive invitation to this glamorous event, being able to rub shoulders with KL’s top socialites, fashionistas, VIP’s and everything in-between.
Situated in one of KL’s trendiest shopping malls, Publika, they picked a perfect spot to open up a restaurant/clothing gallery, seeing as Publika caters to both parties.
Elegantology, as you know, houses limited edition men’s fashion and lifestyle products exclusively created by talented local designers, coupled with taste-bud tingling delights conjured by their celebrity chefs.
There’s always something fresh, new and exciting brewing behind Elegantology’s kitchen doors, as resident celebrity chefs frequently collaborate with guest chefs to create fresh, new culinary experiences to customers. At Elegantology, they call it the “Ever-changing menu.” Simply apt, I call it the “Surprising-and-fulfilling menu”.
With their menu forever changing to draw in new crowds, this fits Elegantology’s personality to a T. As local designers are given the chance to let their creative juices flow and produce limited edition goods, it is an artistic space that provides a foundation for the latest up-and-comings to help nurture growing talent.
The launch was lavish, yet elegant as they were only an attendance of 70 of the city’s most stylish and fabulous (obviously, I’m not one of them) celebrities and special invited guests. Some notable faces that graced the event included Amber Chia, Steve Yap, Carmen Soo, Alan Yun and Elaine Daly. In total, there were about 900 invitees who came to celebrate the grand launch. How everyone seemed to just mould well together at the venue will be one of life’s greatest mysteries!
The event commenced with welcome notes from the emcee of the evening, the gorgeous Nadia Heng, styled in a Beatrice Looi original and was followed by a welcome speech from Pernod Ricard Director Francois Plantecoste.
Creative director Beatrice Looi kick-started the fashion show with her regal menswear line which paid homage to Martell’s rich French heritage, set on a very prestigious-looking stage. The men’s fashion line was designed by well-known local fashion designers – Daniel Chong, Hayden Koh, Ian Chang, Jason Zeck Lee, Joe Chia, Justin Yap, Michael Ong and Venie Tee and paraded by over 60 professional models. The entire collection was spectacular and there were even several pieces that caught my eye.
The most eagerly-anticipated part of the launch was of course, the dinner! How not to be when you have two culinary geniuses concocting palate-stirring offerings on a platter?
For appetizers, a serving of smoke muscovy duck with foie gras mousse, shitake mushroom terrine red onion jam and grilled korean “bae”. The duck was cooked perfectly and was very succulent and juicy. The tender meat of the duck was so fantastic, the mousse complemented the duck well and of course there’s nothing quite like foie gras for that touch of panache.
Just as your palate got accustomed to the taste of opulence, a somewhat more down-to-earth, but no less tasty, Asian-inspired dish came next. Kelantanese laksa with Hokkaido scallop, quail’s egg, julliened ulam with a sambal twist just to keep things interesting and a little spicy. A more smooth textured soup, compared to the typical laksa broth was very different, and a lot more satisfying than the latter. Although I was sceptical at the start, a single taste was all it took to knock the wind out of me! Never have I thought that a combination of ingredients like these would ever work, but it did! The Elegantology kitchen did a fantastic job in creating a fine balance between the ingredients, sweeping me off my feet in the process.
The highlight of the evening was of course, the beef ribs slow-cooked to perfection for 24 hours at 72 degrees. Served with glazed carrots and shimeji mushrooms, it is making me salivate this very second. You know how a beef is perfectly cooked when it is about to fall off the bone and just melts the moment it makes contact with your mouth. Very safe to say, one of the best ribs I’ve ever had in a long while.
Lacking a sweet tooth for desserts, I was overwhelmed by their choice of dessert as it was not too rich and sweet. Especially after the beef ribs, it was a perfect counter, being not too rich and sweet. A platter of sesame sorbet with compressed melons, yoghurt cream, candied walnut macaroon and a D’Anjou pear. The sorbet was soft, the yoghurt creamy, the macaroon bursting with flavour and the pear to balance it all. It was the closest thing to being a perfect dessert platter.
Overall a good sampling of what Elegantology has to offer in terms of gastronomical delights.
To top off the night, Miss Malaysia/Universe 2010 Nadine Ann Thomas aka DJ Nadine provided entertainment for the evening with her eclectic mix of tunes from the deck.
As a parting gift to us bloggers, a beautiful hand-painted plate was given to us all. The detail put into the painting was incredible, as you can see the pressure and slant of the painting onto the plate itself.
A splendid night for fashion, food and fabulous people at the Elegantology Restaurant & Gallery, this place is definitely a new and upcoming hangout spot for all those wanting to experience the luxury of a fine-dining meal and not having to break the bank in the process. A definite must-visit if you are ever around Publika.
Visit www.elegantology.com.my and www.facebook.com/elegantology for the latest men-inspired styles and gastronomical experiences.
