Have I overstated this claim? Let’s take a look at the gastronomy scene in Malaysia, evidently, most of the high-end restaurants are concentrated in Klang Valley, and a few selections are in Ipoh and Penang. Despite traversing these places in my over 10 years of reviewing fine cuisines in the country I have yet to come across restaurants serving Beef Wellington!
Now I may be wrong, and if anyone out there have some good recommendations for me to experience this English specialty do point me in that direction and my Lifestyle editor will ensure BusinessToday gives a fair review.
So why is this dish called Beef Wellington, according to acclaimed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant website, it has been generally agreed that the dish was created in celebration of the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, and his victory at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. The Duke was given his title after defeating Napoleon Bonaparte the year before, and not long after he became Prime Minister.
Having achieved such a monumental victory for the country, the iconic character needed immortalising, so (naturally) they named a pastry-ensconced beef dish named after him.
When the good folks at Sunway Resort Hotel, invited BT for a food review at the spanking new Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill, the opportunity to try the world-renowned Gordon Ramsay’s Beef Wellington was not to be missed. Having just opened after pandemic curfews were lifted, the booking for reservations hit the roof, and the waiting list spanned for months lucky for us, Sunway Resort jumped a couple of queues to make the food tasting possible.
Now back to the piece de resistance that we were privileged enough to savour, the dish prepared by the restaurant was just as we imagined and looked exactly the way the pictures showed on the website. Log-shaped and roasted to perfection, the Beef Wellington caught our eye from afar when the waiter wheeled it for the table side serving, it was freshly baked because we could catch the aroma filling the room. The whole scene can only be described as if the feast was being paraded before the king!
A nice chunky cut was served on our plate, not too thin…not too thick, about 1.5 inches with the outer layer coated perfectly by the pastry and the meat nice and pink in the middle just the way I like it. Gordon must have trained his team in Malaysia to the ‘t’ as one bite into the wellington together with the pastry was a delight, the beef was tender and juicy while the baked pastry was exquisite, you don’t need sides or the red wine jus it comes with to enjoy this dish, trust me.
We can’t emphasise further, but that the Masterchef has created a ‘wonder’ and we are grateful that Malaysians can enjoy the masterpiece. So what goes into the masterpiece, we were informed of Gordon’s insistence on the type of beef and other ingredients that must be used for the restaurant. Perhaps it’s this attention to minute details that made the Brit into a culinary legend, no compromise is the motto and it resonates throughout the restaurant, from the plush carpet we walked on to the gold leaf ceiling dome.
Treat For The Palate And Soul
The Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill Sunway is nothing short of opulent, the restaurant feels as though it was transported brick by brick with all the furniture and fittings from Savoy, London. From the fine black marble entrance all the way back to the bar, no cost was spared in finishing this eatery using luxurious materials and decor. Luckily, Sunway being a construction company delivered, and this could be a template for more Masterchef or dare we say Michelin-star restaurants to open here.
Taking in the sight of the interior we didn’t notice the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Sunway Lagoon which on any other day would have our eyes zeroing in on, but not when you’re in Gordon’s.
Our lunch ended at 4 pm with the dessert, a 64% Manjari Chocolate Tart served with honeycomb, yogurt sorbet, and extra virgin olive oil.
