The French Connection

With the holiday season on the horizon and a bit of romance in the air, a tête-à-tête at a charming French restaurant can be the perfect setting for an outing with your loved one or friends. Here are three of our favorite spots, offering good french food, attentive, intelligent service and inviting atmospheres that encourage, if not romance, a cozy kind of joie de vivre.

1. Maison Francaise @ Changkat Kia Peng, KL

Maison Francaise is the latest French restaurant to open its doors to Kuala Lumpur. It is located in a gorgeous bungalow, in Changkat Kia Peng. The entire bungalow is painted in a monochrome color palette, which is a striking scheme for a restaurant. The rooms feels big and bright and light bounces nicely off the walls, just by choosing a stark white paint, and introducing black accents via furniture and accessories. The three floors in the restaurant are divided, into a modern chill-out, cigar area upstairs, the main dining area in the middle, and a pool and lounge/party area downstairs.

Where the food is concerned, the french cuisine served here is top notch as well. In the capable hands of Executive chef, Chef Franck Lamache who has worked in many renowned outlets such as 3star Michelin, Crillion hotelin, Paris(les embassedeurs), Alain ducasse and Le taillevent to name a few, the menu here at Maison Francaise has really taken flight.

Chef Franck Lamache likes to pursue light, refined and healthy cuisine yet all his dishes are truly authentic French cuisine. That's not to say that his food is not unapologetically decadant. It is.. but it just isn't overly heavy. This french restaurant does a terrific Roasted Tiger Prawns in Rosemary sauce - Succulent, humongous tiger prawns, about the size of my palm, bursting with flavour and served on a bed of ratatouille, as a decadent starter. Also, be sure to order the Foie gras terrine with onion and apple chutney. The foie terrine at Maison Francaise is one of the smoothest and creamiest I have ever tried. Its unctuous flavour is boldly brought to light, rather than stifled by the sweet onion and apple chutney. And finally, for the mains go for the Grilled beef tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce. Rather than dressed in a overly rich and creamy sauce, this beef tenderloin served a perfect medium rare was dressed in a light, sauce of green peppercorns.

All in all, Maison Francise is a terrific place for great French cuisine. Sophisticated and elegant, this glamorous venue is the perfect setting for a business lunch or a romantic dinner.

2. Bistro à Table @ Section 17

Bistro a Table is housed in a modestly sized space and its splashes of vintage French posters, sparse furnishings, low-hanging modern decorations and lazy French vocals played throughout the night, inspires a certain Gallic joie de vivre. Chef-proprietor Isadora Chai's occasionally wacky but always cutting-edge cooking at Bistro a Table, is well regarded by food lovers, including me, and even in the short span of the two months it has been up and running , I have been happy to give it repeat custom. Bistro a Table's degustation nights are held every First Monday of the month and it's during this time, that The Chef gets a little more inventive and experimental with the food, taking the dining experience to another level of fine dining.

These brave and adventurous degustation nights are fun and almost as eccentric as the Chef herself and showcases off-beat contemporary French cuisine. Expect such curiosities as duck tongues anointed with Quince Aioli; leafy wood sorrel as part of a traffic light stopping cold soup number; Cannelloni in Lobster Bisque & Indonesian Buah Keluak as an interesting fusion number, and sweet Salsify partnered with Stuffed Cured Quail as part of the grand finale.

Highlights in our meal included the Kataifi wrapped Chevre in Beetroot Puree and an incredibly fluffly, air filled soufflé had us oo-ing and ah-ing our appreciation. I cannot remember the last time I had a souffle as perfectly inflated as this. It truly defied gravity.

3. La Vie en Rose @ Raja Chulan KL

La Vie en Rose is famous amongst KL gourmands. It is a gorgeous piece of property built upon an abandoned piece of land, in the golden triangle of Kuala Lumpur. Jean Michel Fraisse, owner of La Vie En Rose, hails from Toulouse and has lived in KL for many years now. Yes, Jean Michele has indeed carved out a fantastic niche for himself - La Vie en Rose has a laid back and relaxing atmosphere yet coupled with excellent French semi casual dining. Al Fresco dining at it's best, if you like.

Creative amuse-bouches can range from the unpredictable Petuna Trout Rillettes, White Wine and Herb Jelly and Toasted Brioche to the slightly more conventional but no less delightful chicken terrine. If you do get the chance you must order the Cured foie gras, with poached pears and aged balsamic. Supremely decadent and delicious but terrible for the waist! For the mains, Braised wagyu beef cheek is a must! Paired with truffled mashed potato and cooked till tender, this is will be top on the list for us Francophiles.