Prime, Le Meridien KL: The Rare and Well Done

A week before I started my holidays, I had the honours of being invited to lunch at Prime. Being a meat lover, I've always regarded Prime to be the top of its game when it comes to beef steak. So, I was really happy when Ms. Cheryl Lum (with her fabulous new hair-do, slimmer figure and all) called me up for a meal alongside @agentcikay and @lotsofcravings.

I remember stepping foot in here for the first time a couple years ago for one of my birthday celebrations. The place hasn't changed much since then. The place is still as charming and warm as before with heavenly choices of in-house baked breads and Échiré butter to spread on. After all these years, I'm still in awe of their wine glass chandelier hanging at the far end of the dining room.



For starters, we had the Spinach & Buffalo Mozzarella Salad with Grilled Figs and Master Kobe (RM50), lightly tossed with aged balsamic dressing. The salad was an indulgent way to start the meal. The Apple Wood Smoked Norwegian Salmon (RM45) was light and pleasant to the palate and was followed by the awesome Australian Crab Cake with Chili flakes, Garlic Sauce and Mango Salsa (RM55). These cakes were huge in size and taste. Packed with finely peeled crab meat, the cakes were crumbly at touch and was excellent with the mango salsa.



We then got a huge serving of the month's special highlight, Wagyu Skirt Steak with BBQ sauce (RM108++ for 220grams).  Although the portion sounds rather small, but for some reasons or another, the dish felt a lot bigger. Cheryl and Chef Antoine describes the cut of beef as a butcher's steak and is rarely served out to the public. Not that it is an inferior in any ways, but butchers and chefs alike loved to keep these rich, robust and hunk of a meat all to themselves. Chef Antoine clearly remembers his days as a young chef fighting for a piece with the butcher, then lightly grilling and smothering it with some self made BBQ sauce before sandwiching it between a loaf of baguette and savouring it all by himself. And that's basically what he has done with this special dish today, he's serving us a piece of his past with some thick potato sticks and portobello mushrooms on the side.




Just for the sake of comparison, Cheryl also ordered us an Australia Wagyu Beef Steak (RM360 for 340grams of Grade 6 and above) to share. This was of course a more succulent and juicy (with better marbling too) piece of cow meat compared to the skirt steak and needed very little added flavouring. I'm glad we shared this as I think I would have O.D-ed on beef that afternoon. Together with our steaks we also ordered a side of Deep Fried Crispy Onion Rings (RM12), Truffle Mashed Potato (RM15) and Creamy Spinach with Garlic (RM15) which I often regard to as the Holy-Trinity.



To be honest, by the time desserts were served, I was feeling rather saturated and could hardly manage another mouthful. Bare in mind there was another rib dish, compliments of the chef, before we had our desserts. In between sips of black coffee, we tasted the gorgeous but heavy Pecan Mud Pie, Ciki's favourite Crepe Suzette and the Rich Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream.

By the end of lunch, I felt pampered and stuffed like a Kobe/Wagyu cow and ready to be slaughtered. Once again, thanks Cheryl for the a good meal and my lunch companions for the laughs.

Note: Unfortunately, the Wagyu Skirt Steak promo is now over. PRIME is offering charcoal grilled Master Kobe T-Bone Steak (RM488) served 'cowboy style' with onions and smokey BBQ sauce and Wagyu Beef Shank (RM108) served with flavoured vegetables in tomato broth, saffron risotto, mascarpone polenta or pesto mashed potato in the month of May and June 2010 respectively.

Be a fan of Le Meridien KL's Facebook page to find out more information about their dining promotions.

***

PRIME International Steak Restaurant
Level 5,  Le Meridien Hotel
50470 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2263 7434 (Dining Reservations)
Business Hours: Mondays-Fridays 12:00pm-2:30pm and daily 6:30pm-10:30pm