Les Bouchons Kuala Lumpur (Jalan Mayang)

Located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur overlooking the Petronas Twin Towers lies Les Bouchons Kuala Lumpur. First founded in 2002, the restaurant had its beginnings in the state of Johor. Founded by a French expat chef, they brought the quintessential parts of French bistro culture to Malaysia.

The locale itself is tucked away in a quieter street of KLCC, a waft of smoke from the nearby clubs would turn away the most meek. Once you head on up through the elevators to the first floor, everything changes.

Neatly decorated to feel like an intimate Parisian bistro, the red banquette stands out amongst the mirrors and redbrick that covers the wall of the restaurant. Tables for two were intimately lit with a candle. As Christmas was fast approaching, the restaurant seemed prepared for the upcoming Yuletide.

Our servers were very polite and well-trained. They knew the menu (and wine menu) front and back, recommending my dining partner and I to several choices that we could have gone for.

For my dining partner, they stuck to a set menu that provided the following: Soupes Aux Champignons Maison, Huile D'Olive à La Truffe (homemade mixed forest mushroom soup with truffle olive oil), Bœuf Bourguignon Black Angus « MAISON » (homemade Burgundy-style Black Angus MBS-3 beef red wine stew), and Fondant Aux Deux Chocolat (homemade double Valrhona chocolate (66% and 45%) lava cake and vanilla ice cream).

For myself, I ordered Entrecôte de Bœuf Grillée, Black Angus, MS 2 (250gm) (grilled Australian Black Angus beef rib eye, “Vigneron Butter”, 150 Days Grain Fed, MS 2 (250gm)).

To share, I also ordered 3 oysters (origin: Hyogo prefecture, Japan) accompanied by a mignonette and lemon, and a Os à Moelle, Crème de Cèpes (beef bone marrow, Porcini mushroom cream and toast).

 

The oysters were sweet yet briny. The sour/sweet mignonette heightened the oysters. The oysters just brought me back to Japan for such a fleeting moment. Japanese oysters, because they are in season, has that natural sweetness that comes from the pristine waters off the Seto Inland Sea.

The mushroom soup was deep and hearty. The mix of forest mushrooms (mainly Chanterelle mushrooms taking up the front notes of the flavor) made it a perfect warm dish on a cold rainy evening. The truffle oil accented to give it a pungent note, as most truffle oils do. That accompaniment with the mushroom soup made it fancy yet homey.

The bone marrow dish was superfluous. With bits of marrow and the cream of Porcini mushrooms to dull the marrow's heaviness, the dish still felt quite rich and decadent. In addition, some flakes of sea salt was given on the side. With a sprinkle of the salt, it transformed the dish giving it a hint of sea brine on the gooey innards of a land mammal.

Then came the steak and the beef bourguignon as our entrees.

Let me begin with the steak. The chargrilled marks on the steak was well-seared. When I cut into the steak, it was tender to the point. As I asked for medium rare, it was reddish-pink. Throughout my entree, the entire steak was of the same doneness which surprised me. Some steakhouses struggle with consistent doneness, but not here. For this place, it was done exceptionally well at every cut and bite.

 

Perhaps the best thing of the night was the beef bourguignon. Tender at every bite of the meat, it was a well-crafted beef stew. You can tell they took the time to cook this for more hours than they should. The meat literally melted in your mouth. Then, there were the vegetables that are daintily cut and added to the stew. Just like the meat, the vegetables were not overcooked as they had a bit of a bite to them. The celery, the carrots, the onions, the mushrooms - they played a part in making the stew hearty. The sauce was also on another level. Perhaps they added high quality red wine to cook the stew. It felt that every bite of the meat and vegetable had been soaked thoroughly with the red wine. You can feel the red wine in the sauce, but it did not overwhelm.

Also, did I mention that there were fries? Steak frites is a dish contested between the French and the Belgians, with each claiming it as their own. It’s akin to the rendang debate between Indonesia and Malaysia, the nasi lemak debate between Indonesia and Malaysia, or the roti canai/prata debate between Malaysia and Singapore. The frites (or fries) were crispy and perfectly fried. They were well-salted, and I felt they were cut in-house. Even as our meals got colder, the fries stayed at roughly the same temperature and maintained their crispiness throughout.

Finally, to end the meal, we shared the lava cake. Decadent and moist, the cake was paired very well with the dainty whipped cream and vanilla ice cream that accompanied it. The versatility of Valrhona chocolate allowed its bittersweet compounds to co-mingle with the vanilla ice cream's simpler woodier notes. A delightful and whismical end to a perfect dinner.

As we stepped back out into the quiet street below, the hum of KL returned, but a small part of Paris lingered with us—a memory of good wine, tender beef, warm light, and conversations unhurried. Les Bouchons Kuala Lumpur may be far from France, but for one evening, it felt close enough.

 

Les Bouchons Kuala Lumpur

Address: First Floor, Lot 183, Jalan Mayang, Off, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, Kampung Baru, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur

Phone Number: +603-2181 2228

Website: https://www.lesbouchonsmalaysia.com/

Reservation: Walk-In, but better to reserve

How to Reserve: via their phone number or via TableCheck

Parking: Valet Parking available; otherwise, please park at KLCC or Avenue K and walk from there to Jalan Mayang

Directions: (Google) / (Waze)