Prime Fine Dining

As part of it's pre-opening preparation, Le Meridien's Prime restaurant invited me for a simulation dinner. Prime specializes in beef and wine. How can I say no to a complimentary dinner and a glass of wine?

The restaurant opens at 6:30pm. I went there around 7pm, and I was their first patron for the night. The place is very swanky - high ceilings, paintings on the walls, special lamps and subdued lighting, very high-backed leather chairs, crates and racks of wine bottles here and there, etc. As I was the only diner, I was given 5-star service. A gentleman introduced me to the restaurant and showed me my table and got me a menu. A lady took my order and inquired if I wanted any magazines or newspapers to read. Another lady poured my glass of mineral water.

The striking thing about Prime is that it's kitchen area is fully visible to the diners. That way you can insult the chef's cooking and still make sure that he doesn't put anything funny in your food. And all the chefs are garbed in black, which is a nice touch. Chefs in white tend to dirty their uniforms faster. The kitchen looks very clean and utilitarian - stainless steel and brass and glass all around.

For my dinner, I ordered French onion soup, prime Australian beef (80 days grain-fed, 320 grams) with truffle sauce and foie gras, and a glass of the house red. For side dishes, I had mashed potatoes with corn and cherry tomato fondue and steamed asparagus. Browsing through the menu, the items are pretty expensive. Starters range from RM15 to RM30 or more, (considering for the same amount, you can get a complete meal elsewhere). The side dishes cost a bit more. The main course is the killer. The choice of beef is mind-boggling (and so are the prices). You have Australian, Angus, and Wagyu. For each type of beef, it differs whether it's 80 days, 120 days, 200 days, grain-fed, grass-fed, etc. The most expensive item on the menu is the 340-gram Australian Wagyu beef (Kobe-style) with a marble score of 6. That one costs RM380. I didn't want to bankrupt the restaurant before its formal opening, so I opted for the cheapest Australian beef on the menu. I think my main course costs only RM80, IIRC.

The lady who took my order brought me bread (two kinds) and a selection of spreads (salted butter, sun-dried tomatoes, and an herb paste). Before I had the chance to try them, my soup came. There's no way you can recognize the French onion soup because on top of the soup bowl is a piece of French toast. (That makes the onion soup French.) The soup bowl is kinda special, too. I didn't bring my camera along, so I'll just describe it. Imagine a square piece of rubber sheet, which represents space-time fabric. Put a heavenly body (the Earth, for example) in the middle of it. The Earth makes a round depression in the rubber sheet. Now freeze time and take out the Earth, so that you end up with a rubber sheet with the corners slightly upturned, with a round depression in the middle. That's how my soup bowl looks like. I ate my soggy French toast and finished the browned onion skins left behind. But where's the soup?!

Next came the beef. Another group of ladies came up to my table with a cart. They rolled up the silver cover and inside is a huge chunk of beef. One of them cuts a slice for me and served it up with the truffle sauce and bits of foie gras. The beef is very nicely prepared, but it lacks the flavour. The mashed potatoes and asparagus are very good, though. The chef dropped by for a chat and I gave him my constructive criticism about the soup and the beef, which was my job for the night anyway. The chef used to travel with QE2 (the Queen Elizabeth II), and he fondly remembers their stops at Circular Quay because as they come into the dock, he said, all these smaller ships and boats would surround and accompany them.

Too bad the restaurant didn't have Italian gelato for the night, so I ordered the tiramisu (RM30). I like my tiramisu done the traditional way. Apparently, Prime is not a traditional restaurant. My tiramisu came in a soup bowl. Instead of the mascarpone cheese and/or custard that comes on top, I get a soup of thin cream with cocoa powder. Digging deep for the Lady Fingers, I find them too soggy - from the espresso, rum, and cream.

All in all, not too bad - good value for my money. I'm sure everything will be better come opening day next week.