A Contemporary Chinese New Year At FOOK 福 @ Jalan Sultan Ismail KL

An evening of Chinese New Year revelry, at FOOK KL, taking over the exact spot of where NEO Tamarind was. Despite being newly revamped, the same old zen vibes remained, but this time, with a tinge of fiery red.

The typical menu at FOOK KL consists of contemporary Asian Fusion cuisine. Dinner that evening however, came in the form of a limited-time-only festive menu, specially crafted for Chinese New Year. Priced at at RM188++/couple, this 6-course menu is available only from 14 Jan - 20 Feb 2019.

Fresh Salmon Yee Sang - available in Large (in frame - RM118++) and Medium (RM88++). The dish is not included in the 6-course menu.

First course - Mushroom Bao. A fluffy bao shaped like a mushroom, tucked with diced mushrooms inside.

I really enjoyed this appetizer - Century Egg with Cucumber Salad & Mini Cone Tune & Kimchi. Each carried it's own uniqueness, in terms of flavors and plating, all very nicely done. This is possibly my favorite dish of the meal.

The Seafood Bisque with Deep-fried Lobster Tail was a hit-and-miss. Standing tall on a bunch of lady-fingers, the lobster tail was delicious, but the seafood bisque was a little confusing - served slightly chilled, had grainy textures and didn't exactly exude seafood flavors all in all.

The Steamed Sea Bass with Ginger Soy Sauce was nicely done, and the Long Life Noodle beneath was a luscious treat. The dish could've done with a hint more richness, personal preference nevertheless.

For this 6-course menu, choose from either this Roasted Honey Duck served with Kailan, Mushroom and Mandarin Orange Sauce, or the next dish below. I absolutely love the presentation of this dish, dab a hint of orange sauce on to the meat, it balances the saltiness from the soy sauce. The roasted honey duck meat though, came far too tough for my liking. 

As for the Chicken Confit with Ginger Fried Rice dish - I unsuspectingly enjoyed the rice more than the chicken. The rice was fragrant and very well prepared; the chicken on the other hand, felt a tad overcooked

The Sesame Panna Cotta served with Green Tea Ice Cream was fantastic - and even that, is an understatement. The panna cotta had great textures, with just the right amount of sesame richness, complimented by a smooth scoop of green tea ice cream.

Overall Rating: 7/10. In a nutshell, the dishes that I had exuded creativity, and was perfectly executed, plating wise. I beamed every time a dish was placed in front of me, excited as ever to dig in. Having said that, the overall combination of flavors and textures always served as a challenge when it comes to modern contemporary cuisine (aptly named). Most of what I had was good, though perhaps lacking a little in terms of both taste and texture. Nevertheless, at RM188++/couple, I thought that this 6-course menu to be affordably priced and definitely value for money.

FOOK KL is located at:
Address: 19, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur
Phone: 03-2148-3700
Opening Hours: 5pm-12am. Daily.