KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Whenever I see a new place in Bangsar, I get excited. It’s probably because I am bored with my mainstays.
That’s how we ended up in La Stellar Maison, tucked away above the post office.
It feels like a cosy cave one can hide away from busy Bangsar.
You’re immediately drawn to the eye-catching display reminiscent of the famous banana duct tape artwork known as the Comedian, which was sold for millions.
In this case, it’s a cast iron pan that holds special memories for the chef.
This place warms your heart with hearty fare that takes you around France, Italy and a surprise Borneo influence.
Currently, they are debuting their opening menu that casts a wide net to capture different diners’ appetites.
It’s a mixed bag with breakfast choices from 10.30am to 2pm, small bites like prawn dim sum mingling with char grilled octopus leg, and snacks for grazing like chicken wings marinated with their homemade XO sauce.
There’s pasta, risotto and main courses with the likes of turbot and lamb shank. Even the little ones are catered for with their own selections.
One cannot go wrong with their handmade pasta choices.
Some flavours like the truffle, prawn bisque and seafood do double duty and can be paired with risotto instead of pasta.
In their playful hands, bak kut teh which we know better as a meat bone tea, morphs into a stewed lamb with a herbal gravy served in a claypot.
“Baaah” Kut Teh (RM42) may not hit you on the head with its herbs but that soft, gelatinous meat clinging to the lamb ribs with the savoury gravy and homemade tagliatelle will have you scraping every drop of the gravy.
‘Baaah’ Kut Teh is a riff of meat bone tea with stewed lamb and handmade tagliatelle served with a side crunch of fried enoki — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The Prawn Bisque Pasta (RM55) also plunges you into a rabbit hole of slurp-it-all-up meals.
That bisque is pure liquid gold that merrily soaks up the thin strands of cappellini. Bites of that firm Sabah king tiger prawn offer more crustacean love in this dish.
Prawn Bisque Pasta is the perfect way to deep dive into rich crustacean flavours — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Even their risotto gets a novel rethink with Bario rice.
The tiny grains work well to give you a slightly firmer bite, as it’s cooked with a mix of mushrooms and perfumed with truffle sauce for the Truffle Risotto (RM45).
Truffle Risotto with a local twist using Bario rice still delivers creamy comfort without any mushy grains — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Don’t miss their Umai Tuna (RM38) too. It’s a nod to their heritage where tuna slices are lightly cured with budu, red chillies, onions, olive oil and a burst of citrus.
Who needs ceviche when you get flavour in spades with this Borneo riff.
Umai Tuna is probably the best riff of ceviche with that hit of ‘budu’ — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Lunch here can be an interesting meal since you can pair breakfast choices with something heavier like pasta or a main dish.
The Truffle Scramble Egg Sandwich (RM18) seems like a misnomer but in a way I am glad.
Truffle Scramble Egg Sandwich (left) with sourdough bread is a creamy, cloud-like omelette wonder while Duck Confit (right) falls short with a demure mandarin plum sauce — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
I totally prefer that soft, cloud-like omelette dotted with truffle sauce rather than the usual scrambled eggs. Here, they bake their own bread so select what they have to enjoy that eggy triumph.
While I enjoyed almost every item I tried here, I felt the Duck Confit (RM48) missed the mark with its pairing of a mandarin plum sauce. It was too light in flavours to uplift the whole dish.
The star attraction is at the end of your meal, where flames dance on top of your Tiramisu (RM18) with an add-on of brandy (RM10).
End the meal here on a high note by ordering the Tiramisu ‘flambe’ with brandy — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The Italian classic would not have survived that fire but this version did hold up well, as it resembles a cake with layers that celebrate the same elements.
With a creamy layer interplayed with sponge fingers soaked in coffee, it’s the perfect way to leave the table happy.
Look up from the post office and you will see La Stellar Maison that welcomes you with their comforting food — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
La Stellar Maison,
No.48-1, Jalan Telawi,
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
Open:10.30am to 10.30pm.
Closed on Monday.
Tel:018-9706899.
Facebook:la stellar maison
Instagram:@lastellar_maison
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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