The Journey of Flavours @ Marco Creative Cuisine, One Utama Shopping Centre

Fine dining concept is always associated with sophisticated dining area and the strict dining etiquette alongside with the dresscode that usually turns people away from venturing in to enjoy and appreciate their specially crafted dishes in fear of the uncomfortable thought of not dressed appropriately or the price of it that is normally goes hand in hand with the fine dining concept restaurants.. 

Well in the 1Utama Shopping centre especially the old wing side of the mall, there lies a little minimalistic looking restaurant that exudes classy vibe and there it was an eye catching and classy signage which calls you out of gold wording that contrast well with the cool off white marble background.. 

This little classy place is called Marco Creative Cuisine! 

This place has lately been a hotspot for an affordable fine dining experience that doesn't make you shock to death with it's pricing or make you rather out of place with it's simplistic and mouthwatering description of scrumptious dishes made available! Not to forget that they too have an extravagant 7 course menu and the price of RM98+ which is a great deal and also an eye opening experience that would give you a little glimpse of the chef well crafted dishes with the option of 3 dishes to choose from in each course! 

They also feature an acceptable wine list with sufficient amount of options ranging from their sparkling up to desserts! You are allowed to bring your own wine bottles to better enhance the dining experience or for a special celebration with a corkage charge of RM80 for both the wines and the champagne.. 

The servers there are really friendly and welcoming to every guest! After seated us in a private little corner which reminds you a homey french restaurant, we were presented with a turquiose menu that within it reveals an endless stream of enticing dishes from appetizers up to dessert accompanied by glamorous shoots of food that would make you hungry and difficult to make up your mind! 

Thereafter much analysing and discussion on which menu to take up on for our dining experience here, we decided to forge ahead with their set menu called The Journey of Flavours priced at RM98+.. This is a great thing to explore and it's the best decision ever made! 

Moments after the orders were placed for our personal journey of flavours, we were happily greeted with a petite appetizer which is a Savoury Eclair! The plating and portion of this appetizer do remind us of an amuse bouche.. We were really astounished of how the eclair which is heavily associated with desserts rather than the savoury side.. After much documentation of it's dainty beauty, we had our first bite and it was filled with fireworks of flavour in every bite as the saltiness and the smooth puree of the anchovies that was paired together with the sweet and crunchy texture of the fried onion is a marriage in heaven! The anchovies also goes well with the green chili pesto which brought out the herbaceous and spicy notes to the entire eclair which is on the plain side.. 

This truly excite us with their well thought after flavour combination! And we can't contain our excitement for the other courses to grace their presence to our table! 

Savoury Eclair 

The anticipation builts up quickly with the aromatic arrival of the classic and most loved soup dishes; French Onion Soup..  It is one of the 3 choices available for this Journey of Flavours and it wasn't an easy choice to make as all the options given and listed in their menu is really interesing and quirky in concept and it's combination! 

French Onion Soup 

The presentation of this french onion soup is really simple according to their description in the menu which said caramelised onion broth in a ramekin accompanied by french toast.. 

Eventhough the presentation is really homey and simple, the first spoonful of this onion soup which has a tantalizing aroma of the sweet onions but on the palate it is really robust in terms of flavour! 

The broth is really intense with depth and complexity and the onions are really soft yet it retains its structure! The onion broth has a  bold flavour and meaty sensation in every spoonful.. 

The gruyere cheese which is the finishing touch for this bowl of mighty bowl of onion soup! The french toast is has a soft and spongy interior that is perfect companian to soak up all the sweet onion goodness!

The flavour of it truly swept us off our feet!

Strawberry Gazpacho

The 2nd soup from the entree is the Strawberry Gazpacho which a cold soup option from their choices available..
This is something that is unheard of and mainly can be found and popular with the Spanish cuisine! When we spotted this dish, we were in a huge dilemma that literally takes more than 5 minutes to decide on which soup to go for! And thank god we did have this gazpacho for a taste! This soup is made entirely of strawberry that is garnished with a dehydrated strawberry and mint!

In terms of the portion, it is great for 1 person but since it's a cold soup you also can opt to share if you aren't a huge fan of the cold soup.. This soup is really an ideal soup rendition for our tropical weather as the taste of it is really refreshing and it has this quite dominant sourish strawberry notes on the soup and also a slight hint of creaminess but it was made really well as it wasn't too rich and overwhelming in every spoonful! The sweetness aspect of the strawberry brought out the fruity side of this soup that just made it even more enjoyable when it was eaten alongside with the dehydrated strawberry that has an intense strawberry ripe taste!

Savoury Ice Cream Salad 

Succeding the fantastic course of Soup, we know shift our tummy, attention and the palate over to the 3rd  course which is the Entree and it consist of Salad.. They have this creative approach on salads as usually this course is quite plain and boring which heavily focuses on the greens aspect only.. But in Marco, they won't non-chalantly create a plain old salad for you to enjoy and call it a day! They would go further and beyond the human mind can comprehend in the meaning of Salad! 

We had a Savoury Ice Cream Salad as the first one and subsequently followed by the classic homey french Ratatouille.. Let us focus on the Savoury Ice Cream Salad which truly a dish that challenges the concept of a salad!
This salad consist of an assorted Baby leaves, heirloom tomatoes, seasonal microgreens and violet flowers which are served with a savory ice cream.. The stand out element would be the savoury ice cream as you may find it rather out of place being that ice cream is heavily associated with desserts! But in this dish, it is really the complimentary element that ties the whole salad together..
The presentation is really simplistic and modern with the garden of greens that are decorated with layers of varying texture of radish, bitter greens and not bitter greens and finally it was dressed with olive oil and a beautiful cornell of the savoury and salty ice cream that beneath it hidden a dehyrated sprinkle of olives!
In terms of taste, it is really amazing as you get the umami taste of the ice cream that is the key element which ties together the bitter green with the cream texture and after taste of it!

Ratatouille

The 2nd salad from this Entree course is the much loved Ratatouille, this is a famous french peasant vegetable stewed dish that is also made popular by the namesake movie!

 Their classic presentation would instantly remind you of the memorable scene from the movie that features Remy which plates the ratatouille dish for the food critic Anton Ego.. 

It may look very simple in presentation and photogenic but it does strikes as a colorful rainbow of vegetables which would evoke the chilhood memories if done right! 

The Ratatouille consists of a mosaic of thinly sliced green & yellow zucchini, eggplant and roma tomato confit that is laid just beside a thin yet luscious spread of piperade sauce! The first bite of the vegetable sliced was really delicious, tender and naturally sweet despite it being baked for a long time the slices of vegetables has managed to retain it's sturdy texture and bite to it! The piperade sauce complements harmoniously well with the vegetables as it brought out layers of complexity and taste in every bite!

Green tea & Lime Cappuccino 

Following a successful and taste alluring courses from appetizers to entrees, and now we are presented with a petite and intriguing looking palate cleanser which is known as Green tea
& Lime Cappuccino.. The color of the crockery does represent the palate cleanser and the size of the cup would make it rather easily to be mistaken as an espresso.. 

The striking color of the lime green is really mesmerizing and you wouldn't able to get pass of it's beauty! The frothy foam is really refreshing and the lime zest was really powerful but it managed to complete it's duty as a palate cleanser.. 

Hidden beneath the foam is a cute little melon scoop of sorbet that is made entirely from lime juice and the strong acidity aspect of it is a great relief for our palates and also for our tummies as it really helps in lifting our spirits and tummy spaces to venture in to the final 2 courses!

Lastly we are in one of the final 2 course which is the Main! 

Firstly, we had the Salmon with Green Chili Pesto.. This salmon description is really uncommon as you would normally get a salmon being pan fried or baked but in this case, the approach of the salmon was done Sous vide style..

 This style always affiliated with fine dining restaurants and chef's using high tech equipment for the premium produces.. The fresh Norwegian salmon is being string along sweet pickled beetroot, tender puy lentils, crunchy radish and dollop of green chili pesto..

The presentation of this salmon dish is really exquisite! After much documentation of the elegant beauty of this dish, we had our first bite and the moment we pierced the fork into this gorgeous norwegian salmon, we could feel the tenderness of the meat texture and the the first mouthful of this salmon is truly out of this world as the salmon was exceptionally tender, juicy and the consistency of the meat is amazing! 

Salmon with Green Chili Pesto 

The salmon was further enhanced with the confit tomatoes that brought out the acidity notes that would complement well with the salmon and also the spicy kick of the green chili pesto! The marriage between this juicy salmon and sweet pickled beetroot is incredible as it wraps the salmon like a second skin! Let's not forget the beautiful crispy skin of this salmon which is really crispy on the outside but not oily or heavy on the inside! The fish roe which was together with the beetroot is really an amazing addition to the dish as it brought out more crunchy pop with a briney taste!

The 2nd main to materialize on the table from the kitchen is the Smoked Duck Breast! This is one of the 6 choices of mouthwatering mains that was available on the menu and it wasn't an easy thing to select as everything featured in this special set menu was unique and not to be missed! 

This smoked duck breast has been on our to eat list as soon as we spotted it on the menu as the description is really attractive! 

Smoked Duck Breast 

This duck breast is a smoked and juicy tender duck breast that is beautifully cooked that comes alongside beetroot puree, orange confitslices and puy lentils.. The smoked duck breast portion is really great for sharing as it was generous with thick cuts to be enjoyed! They really know how to make a photogenic dish that is irresistibly too beautiful to eat! 

Focus back on the duck breast, the breast was cooked to perfection as it was really as per the description; it was moist and juicy yet tender on the mouthfeel and the meat was pink and beautiful! The smokey aspect of the duck is there but not a very dominant one and it is great as the subtle hints of the smokey notes do compliments well with the tartness of the orange confits slices and the orange sauces that has a combination of bitter notes and sweet yet it retains the orange fruity and floral notes.. The tender breast also goes swimmingly well with the beetroot puree which we mistaken it as cranberry sauce as the flavour is really similar to it! 

Truly an enjoyable breast to savour with a great glass of Grenache! 

After a whirlwind of amazing taste and flavours that has excite our mind and palate as well as invigorates our sensation, we finally have reached the last hurdle of this course which is the Dessert course and we are more inquistive on what the chef would surprise us with eventhough we had already been given a tentalizing description of the desserts in the menu.. 

Texture of Chocolate 

For my dining partner, he had gone for the seductive and rather alluring Texture of Chocolate.. This is one of the dessert that we found it to be really creative and sensation challenging as the description of it's ingredients that made this dish is really mind blogging! This chocolate dessert really sounds creative and alittle bit weird at the same time as we read along the description and found out that there was an element in this dessert which make us totally in awe on the combination of flavours between chocolate and dehydrated olive and cayenne pepper!

The appearance of this texture of chocolate is truly breathtakingly alluring with a modern plating approach that you would spot in the food magazine.. The dessert was petite and nice for 1 person and it was plated in mind from the chef wanting the diners to experience every element of taste and texture from the dark and ivory valrhona chocolate in varying forms and it was accompanied by beetroot gel, dehydrated olives and cayenne pepper which was just a dusting of it on the plate..

 In order to full enjoy the taste of it, we tried individually and it was really surprising with creamy texture, crispy shards of dark and ivory chocolate and there was cubes of white chocolate that has a bitter chocolate soil underneath it.. Together it was truly a mind blowing experience in it's taste, texture and sensation as there was a bitterness and salty brine taste from the olive eaten together with the dark chocolate and the cream alongside the sweet and vanilla scented cornelle of white chocolate ice cream!
The amazing part of this dessert is that each element help to better elevate the dish and not to make it overpowering on the palate to be enjoyed!

Deconstructed Lemon Meringue Pie 

The 2nd dessert that graces it's magnificent presence to our table is the Deconstructed Lemon Meringue Pie.. This is one of the 3 desserts featured on the dessert course for our selection.. We are really intrigued with how a simple and classic lemon meringue pie can be deconstructed and to be envision in another form.. 

This lemon meringue pie is plated with elements of lemon curd, passion fruit gel, well executed brulee italian meringue and white chocolate sherbet which is plated side by side.. It was truly majestic in the approach of it's plating with a very modern approach!

 It may not look like an ordinary lemon meringue pie but there are elements scattered on the plate with the accompaniments placed together.. The italian meringue is really delicious and not overly sweet and it has that taste reminiscent of a marshmallow and the passion fruit gel is a great delight as it brought more sourish and fruity notes that helps to enhance the sour notes of lemon curd and the white shards.. The white chocolate sherbet is really light and creamy without being over powering or too heavy to enjoy with the crumbly texture of the pie based..

This is an additional dessert from their Ala carte menu which we are really tempted to try! Their food description is truly mouth watering that would seduce you into eating more without the guilt! 

And that's what we did after a tentalizing and explosive tasting menu which has delight and revive every sensation known to man in every course; we decided to go for this little chocolate dessert that is really interesting and it is called the Absolute Chocolate! 

At first, we thought it would be made with an additon of the Absolut vodka that would somehow complement the dark bitter chocolate but in the description we noticed that it was made with the infusion of campari that is found in the orange sorbet.. 

This dessert may require some patience which is around 5-10 minutes of waiting time but no fret as the short waiting time is totally worth the wait in the end with it's seductive presentation that would make any chocolate lover or sweet tooth to be the dessert heaven! 

In terms of presentation, the chocolate dessert is plated with massive attention to detail and the color and flavour contrast to boot!

The moment of truth has arrived!

 After much documentation for our memory that would be everlasting, we finally dig into this seductive dessert.. 

The first spoonful of it, we noticed that the texture of the chocolate bar is really smooth and silky on the inside that represents a mousse and a sharp and clean snap of the chocolate on the exterior of the coating.. 

This proves that the chocolate was well made and tempered to it's suitable temperature that gave this chocolate a smooth, silky and glossy exterior that encases the chocolate ganache within.. 

This chocolate is made with a 66% Valrhona chocolate that has an amazing flavour balance of the smoky and sweet cacao bean with a side note of bitterness that isn't overpowering..

Absolute Chocolate (RM19)

In terms of taste, the chocolate ganache is really silky smooth on the palate and there is an impeccable balance between the sweetness and bitterness of the chocolate that goes harmoniously well with the campari orange sorbet that exudes a memorable flavour combination of the tartness of the oranges with the slight bitter campari! 

The sorbet is also a refreshing accessory on the plate as it refreshes the palate and to ensure that the chocolate doesn't overwhelm our palate with every spoonful of the rich and silky chocolate ganache! 

This amazing and elegant dessert has truly satisfy every chocoholic dream! 

Remember to give this dessert a try!

Verdict: 

An amazing tasting menu which blows your mind and palate away! 

Worth trying this! 

Affordable fine dining 

Must Try:

Texture of Chocolate 

Smoked Duck Breast 

Salmon with green chili pesto

Savoury Ice Cream Salad 

Strawberry Gazpacho 

French Onion Soup 

Absolute Chocolate

Ambience: 4/5

Food:5/5

Price:3.5/5

Service:3.5/5

Marco Creative Cuisine 

Lot G146, Ground floor (Old Wing)

1Utama Shopping Centre 

47800

Petaling Jaya 

Opening Hourds: 

Daily 

11am-9:30pm 

Contact: 

+6037731-8923