Much has changed since the last time Time Out KL visited and reviewed The Point in 2014. The past couple of years have seen the restaurant undergo an extensive renovation and overhaul of its menu – where the first incarnation of the restaurant focused on modern European dishes that were upgraded with Japanese ingredients and techniques, this revamped restaurant and bar looks to Malaysian and European cuisines to inspire their new signature dishes.
Visually, the most striking change can be seen on the second floor, where the casual beer and whiskey bar has been transformed into a wine-lover’s haven, complete with plush leather couches and a selection of over 350 labels of wine that are mostly French (with vintages that go as far back as 1934). Its curated selection even earned it Wine Spectator's sought-after Award of Excellence – one of only five recipients in the Klang Valley.
On the restaurant floor below, Chef de Cuisine Kua Jinhao leads the kitchen and its efforts to revamp the menu. His experience in French and Italian cuisine is used to create a range of dishes like the Truffled Angel (RM35), a cold starter that marries the gentle flavours of chilled angel hair pasta, raw amaebi and avruga caviar, and spiked with a dash of yuzu sauce. If you’re feeling French, have a go at the Friend or Foie (RM48), where pan-seared foie gras is served on a buttery brioche with blackberry reduction and pistachio crumbs. The result is a balanced dish of contrasting sweet and savoury flavours, with the fattiness of the foie gras cut by the tart-tasting blackberry.
The mains feature a selection of updated Malaysian dishes like the Per*chick (RM43), which involves a sous-vide chicken thigh served with mash potatoes, asparagus, quinoa crisps and percik sauce. Then there’s the Reconstructed Bak Kut Teh (RM65), Kua’s modern take on the traditional dry bak kut teh where generous cuts of 12-hour slow-cooked ibérico pork jowl and Vietnamese pork belly are served with bok choy, garlic and cili padi soy glaze, and topped off with a mushroom tempura (in place of yao char kuey) and quinoa (in place of rice). But as much as we’re enamored by these tasty curiosities, European dishes like Cod's Gift (RM65) remains one of its best sellers, and it’s no wonder why: the generous portion of black Atlantic cod is cooked to flaky perfection, and is topped with briny smoked caviar to complement the fish’s delicate fattiness.
Don’t forget to save room for dessert, particularly the Creamylicious (RM28), a construction of Callebaut white chocolate parfait, biscotti crumble and truffled honey. On paper, you might expect it to be a tooth-achingly sweet combination, but it turned out to be a well-balanced and light dessert, with the truffle adding a memorably long finish. Dark chocolate lovers will be pleased with The Point of No Return (RM28), where Valrhona dark chocolate ice cream is served with mascarpone cheese, nutty biscuits and salted caramel sauce – it’s best shared between two, but hey, we won’t judge if you hog it all for yourself.