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| Madisons, Modern Australian Cuisine, Bangsar |
Madisons Restaurant, Modern Australian Cuisine, Bangsar
Words by Louise Miller
Photos by The Yum List (Monica Tindall)
It was far too long after having first been recommended Madison’s by foodie friends in the know that I finally stepped foot in this charming neighbourhood bistro in Bangsar’s Jalan Bangkung. Sandwiched between reputable eateries in this little strip of what is otherwise a predominantly residential street, Madisons holds its own as a great venue for a fabulous food experience. Blown away by the great flavours and value for money on my first visit, I was delighted to discover that it had yet to be ‘Yum Listed’ so a couple of emails and a chat with Australian Chef and co-owner Kelly Delaney saw me back with Monica and Caning on a scorching hot Saturday afternoon to sample some of the many highlights of its menu.
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| Dining Tables |
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| Madisons |
Settled in at our table inside surrounded by the vibrant spray-can painted murals of crazy caricatures created by local artists, we kicked of with a selection of starters. Kelly had kindly created a sampling platter of a trio of these and of all the following courses so that we could experience a wide range of the menu’s offerings, hence the portions in the photos are considerably smaller than those that would be normally served.
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| Bar |
A serving of freshly baked hot bread buns and lightly salted butter sufficed to whet our appetites.
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| Warm Bread |
We then began with Tuft Duck and Chicken Liver Pâté (RM33.80). This was rich in flavour, silky smooth in texture and perfectly complemented by the accompanying red wine jelly and baby pear poached in wine. The Pickled Beetroot with almond, basil, sultana breaded goat’s cheese and rocket leaves (RM26.80) was a very tasty and refreshingly tangy mound of wafer thin shaved slices of tart beetroot scattered with the crumbled nuts, sweet bread and dotted with mini dollops of the creamy cheese. Last but by no means least were the Arancini of Slow Braised Pork Ribs (RM26.80) with aioli and house made chutney. These fried risotto balls perfectly combined the flavours and textures of rice and tender pork with subtle hints of cinnamon and paprika with the contrasting garlicky mayonnaise and sweet and subtly spicy chutney - a big hit with all of us.
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| Appetizers |
A selection of pasta dishes was next to be served. Astonishingly, all of the fresh pasta is made on the premises every day and is of top quality, however, always seeking to improve the menu and offer greater flexibility, Kelly told us she is currently trying to source gluten free flour to add pasta dishes to the options available for gluten intolerant diners.
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| Trio of Pastas |
The first on the pasta platter was the Roast Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Filled Agnolotti (RM40.80) served with pumpkin and mustard seeds and bathed in a sage beurre noisette. This was buttery, flavoursome and understandably Madison’s most popular vegetarian dish. The fishy offering of pasta perfection was Ravioli of Milk Poached Seabass (RM44.30). The bulbous pasta pockets were packed full of a stuffing of delicious minced seabass flavoured with lemon, chervil, garlic and chilli and garnished with a buttery sauce flecked with red chilli, herbs and tender prawn meat. The central mound of pasta on the plate was the dish that had initially compelled me to return to further explore this place - Tagliatelle Coq Au Vin (RM44.30), is, as the name suggests, a twist on the classic French dish and is currently holding the prestigious title of ‘best pasta dish I’ve eaten in KL’ (and believe me, there has been some serious competition!). The utterly delectable stew and sauce were, like the rustic French dish, composed of chicken meat and mushrooms with pancetta replacing the traditional lardons. The onions that were used were pickled, adding further depth to the flavours. The wine base was a Beaujolais that had been reduced to infuse the entire dish with a heady sweetness that I’d incorrectly assumed had been created by the addition of sugar or honey. I quietly savoured every mouth of this and was pleased that after I’d given it such hype, Monica and Caning shared my enthusiasm.
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| Tagliatelle Coq Au Vin |
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| Ravioli of Milk Poached Seabass |
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| Roast Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Filled Agnolotti |
No sooner had we demolished the pasta, than a trio of main courses was placed before us. The Pan-fried Seabass on Parsnip Purée (RM59.30) was served with house made cured sausage, beetroot crisps and a red wine reduction. The fish was cooked to perfection, the flesh tender and flakey and topped with deliciously crispy skin. As with everything else we’d tried the flavour combinations hit all the right notes.
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| Mains |
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| Sea Bass |
The Braised Beef Cheek (RM52.45) has earned a reputation with Madisons' regular patrons to be one of its signature dishes and had come highly recommended by my foodie friends. Flavoured with hints of tarragon and served on a bed of potato cream with horseradish and roasted cherry tomatoes, this was intensely flavoursome and succulent - a definite crowd pleaser!
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| Beef Cheek |
My personal favourite though was the Deboned Lamb Shank (RM64.15) served with parsnip purée and candied mustard apple, pear, orange and roast onion. The meat had been wrapped in speck which provided a contrast of rich and tender lamb with the saltiness of the ham. Only one word for it - Yum!
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| Lamb |
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| Up Close with the Lamb |
As usual at this point in the meal, we all felt a little doubtful as to whether or not we’d be able to find space for desserts but the arrival of the final platter immediately allayed these concerns. The Zeppole (RM26.80), or Italian doughnuts, were light and fluffy inside the sugary crisp batter shells. Pan-fried Crème Pâtissière (RM23) resembled thick mini pancakes and were served with a lemon and vanilla cream sauce and were also delicious. The highlight of this course however was the Flourless Chocolate Fondant (RM26.80) served with house made orange infused chocolate ice-cream. The obligatory plunge of the spoon unleashed the spilling forth of molten glossy chocolate sauce which, when combined with the ice-cream, made for an addictive chocolatey flavour fest.
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| Italian Doughnuts |
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| Pan-fried Crème Pâtissière |
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| Chocolate Lava Cake |
A frothy cappuccino and an iced coffee rounded off our meal perfectly before we ventured out into the heatwave knowing that it wouldn’t be long before a return visit was made. With food this good at such great value, particularly with the extensive daily happy hour (or five hours) running from 4pm to 9pm and a daily three course set lunch for just over RM40, it would be rude not to!
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| Iced Coffee |
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| Cappuccino |
Reasons to visit: Great quality food with everything made in house including bread, pasta and ice-creams; Pickled Beetroot Salad; Tagliatelle Coq au Vin; Braised Beef Cheek: Deboned Lamb Shank; Flourless Chocolate Fondant; excellent value for money including great happy hour deals and daily set lunches.
Madisons Restaurant
65, Jalan Bangkung
Taman Bandaraya
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
+60 3-2092-1222