The Official Launch of New Menu @ The View

The View's Launch of New Menu (8 March 2018)




The View at Hotel Equatorial Penang is possibly the most elegant fine-dining restaurant on the southern side of Penang Island. And it is what it is, not just because of its stupendous view, but also for its passion for quality. To maintain this high station as a fine culinary destination, the restaurant embarks on reinventing itself from time to time, so as to offer its discerning clientele bold new experiences.

Under the guidance of Hotel Equatorial Penang's Executive Chef Horst Kocsisek, The View's Chef de Cuisine Looi Soon Lee has created an exciting new menu. My wife and I were privileged to join a small group of gourmands to experience Chef Looi's the new line of highly anticipated dishes that blend a touch of modernity with the chef's own flair for creativity. The result are beautifully crafted dishes made with the finest ingredients.

For such an important occasion, we had no less than Mr Andreas Knüssi, the General Manager of Hotel Equatorial Penang, to be our host for the evening. Mr Knüssi, backed by F&B Director Mr Albert Jan Van Beusekom and Assistant Marcom Manager Miss Gillian Tan, helped made the evening a spirited affair.

Experience The View (8 March 2018)

Meeting the masters of the culinary craft: Hotel Equatorial Penang's Executive Chef, Horst Kocsisek, and The View's Chef de Cuisine, Looi Soon Lee. (25 February 2018)


Speech by Mr Andreas Knüssi on the occasion of the Official Launch of the New Menu (8 March 2018)

It's fine dining with The View. (8 March 2018)


Joining my wife and me for the official launch of The View's new menu are Miss Gillian Tan, Assistant Marcom Manager; Chef Horst Kocsisek, the Executive Chef, and Mr Albert Jan Van Beusekom, the Director of Food & Beverage (8 March 2018)

Reservations

The View's new menu is offered daily from 6:30pm to 10:00pm, and is available for à la carte as well as semi-buffet dinners. For reservations, contact Hotel Equatorial Penang at +60-4-632 7000, or click the reservations button below.

Reservations

The Launch Meal

The Official Launch of the New Menu was a most elegant affair. Every guest has his own assigned seating. The long table was decorated to look like a stylized river with crystal swans gliding by, and strewn with rose petals. I managed to catch a glimpse of the New Menu, and was much impressed that among others, they had Beluga Caviar and Beef Tartar as among the selections that also include escargot and foie gras.

A menu meant to impress. (8 March 2018)


Mr Andreas Knüssi, General Manager of Hotel Equatorial Penang, personally played host to the guests, who partook a six-course derivation of the New Menu. The meal commenced with an appetizer comprising Seared Tuna with Green Lentils, served with couscous and an orange lemongrass reduction. Paired to the appetizer was a 2010 Dry Riesling from the Villa Maria Marlborough Winery of New Zealand.

Seared Tuna with Green Lentils (8 March 2018)


A Dry Riesling Marlborough from Villa Maria (New Zealand) was paired with the appetizers. (8 March 2018)


Next comes what can be described as the second appetizer, or salad. It was French Goose Liver, served with Melba toast, baby spinach, Madeira reduction and pear compote, all elegantly arranged on fine bone china. Ah, foie gras, one of my favourite items - and as I was to learn, so is a lot of other people's. Perhaps it's because we enjoy the delicate smoothness of goose liver.

French Goose Liver served with Melba Toast, Baby Spinach, Madeira Reduction and Pear Compote. (8 March 2018)


The third course was soup. For this evening, we enjoyed a warming broth of beancurd and various wild mushrooms including morrel.

Beancurd and Wild Mushroom Morrel Broth. (8 March 2018)


Then came the pièce de résistance, the main course for the evening. The main course was Grilled Grain-Fed Beef Tenderloin with Szechuan Pepper, done medium rare, so it was soft, and had a red centre. Ah, c'est vraiment délicieux, monsieur! To go with such an exquisite piece of meat, the cutlery has to match, and it was - a Laguiole knife from the mastery cutlery artisan house of Jean Néron from Thiers, France. The grilled piece of meat was served on a cushion of polenta, and garnished with a couple of asparagus stalks.

To accompany this meaty main course, an appropriate wine would be a red, and in this case, the selection was a 2013 Pinot Noir from Hunter's Wines, also of Marlborough, New Zealand.

Grilled Grain Feed Beef Tenderloin with Szechuan Pepper, and Polenta. (8 March 2018)


A Laguiole knife from Jean Néron to go with the main course. (8 March 2018)


Hunter's 2013 Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand. (8 March 2018)


By the end of the main course, I was getting a bit full, which I might as well be. It has been such a big meal. People often say fine dining experiences leave you hungry. Not true in my case.

As lovely as it was, we are nearing the end of our wonderful meal. The next item was a dessert, which was Low Fat Chocolate Tofu, Cheesecake with Berry Coulis and Vanilla Ice Cream. Again, the presentation makes this a culinary objet d'art, almost like looking at geometric designs comprising a tringle, a cylinder and a sphere, like looking at a piece by Picasso during his Cubism period.

Low Fat Chocolate Tofu, Cheese Cake with Berry Coulis and Vanilla Ice Cream. (8 March 2018)


Our memorable meal was brought to closure with a choice of freshly brewed coffee or Ronnefeldt tea. Both could give me a sleepless night. After some consideration, I decided upon tea. My wife said, "Just take a couple of sips." I did that, and discovered afterwards that a couple of sips was sufficient to give me a sleepless night. Nevermind, that night I lay awake entertaining memories of the wonderful meal I have just had!

At the end of the meal, Mr Knüssi - a most gracious host if ever there's one - helped us cement the memory of this lovely evening letting us have a souvenir, in the form of a commemorative plate, personally handed out by the maître d', Mr Zulkifli Mat Noh, or as I usually call him, Mr Zul. Oh, Mr Knüssi himself got one as well!

Mr Andreas Knüssi, the General Manager of Hotel Equatorial Penang, with the commemorative plate on the occasion of the Official Launch of the New Menu at The View. (8 March 2018)


My wife and I with a commemorative plate. (8 March 2018)


The final item for the evening were pralines and The View's signature bon bon, chocolate lollipops in dry ice.

The View's signature dessert: chocolate lollipop in dry ice. (8 March 2018)


Pralines, to give the meal a sweet ending. (8 March 2018)

à la buffet

Guests to The View have the option of dining strictly à la carte, that is, ordering entirely from the New Menu, or they may opt for Semi Buffet, where they select the main course from the menu, and partake of the other courses from the buffet stations. If you wish to enjoy all the best that The View has to offer, I suggest that you opt for the Semi Buffet. However, if you have a modest appetite, then order à la carte.

Tapas. (8 March 2018)


Sashimi. (8 March 2018)


Pie. (8 March 2018)


Mussels. (8 March 2018)


Slipper Lobsters. (8 March 2018)


Raspberry Dessert. (8 March 2018)

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