Home Food Reviews Sage at The Gardens Residence

Sage…oh sage! I’ve wanted to try it since it opened, but there was always something to deter me from going. I finally tried it last week with a group of friends. The decor was posh and classy without being intimidating. However, looking at the rich tai tais and datos, I could not help but feel a little out of place.

I must admit…my dining etiquette is slightly “rough on the edges”. Where do I start? Do I use the silverware furthest from my plate, or the furthest in?
And I was dining with beauty queens…all of them poised and remarkably graceful. I tried to eat tiny bites (a great feat for someone like myself) and slowly. We started with a Pinot Noir 2006 from NZ’s Dog Point Vineyard. The wine was a deep ruby red colour. To the nose, it was earthy, full of ripe fruit and subtle oak. I enjoyed the fruitiness of the wine and it’s lovely, light aftertaste.The bread was really good. Crusty, soft and warm, my favourite was the one that resembled a breadstick. A fragrant pesto blended olive oil dip was served with the bread. Sage serves French cuisine, with a subtle Japanese influence. Our menu that night was specially created by Chef Takashi. Apparently, the people at my table dine here quite regularly.
Our amuse bouche was hamachi (yellowtail) with tartar sauce and ponzu jelly. The fish was buttery rich and was perfectly complemented by the tart, citrus taste of the ponzu jelly.The smoked ayu (sweetfish) was well prepared. Crispy on the outside, the flesh was sweet with a distinctive smoky flavour. I loved its pairing with the creamy avocado and the glorious black caviar had a delicate, nutty flavour. I expected the caviar to taste fishy, but the fishiness was surprisingly subtle.I wasn’t particularly impressed with the Risotto of Lobster. While the lobster itself was sweet and succulent, the risotto was undercooked, resulting in its hard and grainy texture. The sea urchin tasted of the sea, and had a soft, melt in the mouth texture. Too bad about the risotto.The grilled Suzuki (Japanese seabass) fared better. The fish was smooth and tender, with a delicate flavour. Served with tsubugai (Japanese shellfish with a slightly chewy texture) and firm yet tender aubergine, I found this combination a tad too mild for my liking.I’ve been wanting to try the quail with foie gras, as a friend mentioned he had the most divine foie gras here. The goose liver was deliciously creamy and fatty. This was the highlight of the whole dish. I didn’t think too highly of the quail, as some parts were slightly dry. But the melt in the mouth foie gras… was remarkably good!The wagyu a la Plancha was absolutely divine. “A la Plancha” means grilled on a metal plate. The beef had a uniquely buttery taste and texture, and rich marbling that infused every bite with supreme flavour. I savoured this as slowly as I could, hoping to prolong the experience.

We ended the meal with Peach & Raspberry Sorbet and Crispy Roll of Dark Cherries. When I saw the menu, I had an inkling of how the roll would turn out. Like Joe said, “Essentially it was fried spring roll filled with gorgeous coarsely chopped cherries that was hard to eat”. And I was right. I got the same thing…except mine was filled with dark cherries instead of Tasmanian cherries.Not to say this wasn’t good; it was actually decent. But I didn’t fancy the idea of having popiah as dessert. The ice cream tasted like vanilla ice cream with a tiny hint of ricotta. I expected it to be cheesy, but this was subtle and very nice.I liked the sorbet. It was sour and very refreshing after all the rich food we had.

Dinner was lovely, and the company was great. While the portions were fine-dining size, they were mostly rich in flavour and texture. Not sure how much the bill came up to, but I’m guessing if I saw it, my jaw would drop. Thanks for dinner Daniel!

Ambiance: 8.5/10
Price: N/A
Food: 7/10
Verdict: While there were a few misses, I really enjoyed the experience.

Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar
The Residences Level 6
The Gardens, Mid Valley City.
03 2268 1328

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21 comments

Pureglutton June 8, 2009 - 8:22 am

Heard so much about this place and most of them were raving about it. Hmmm… so there are misses there, eh!

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Selba June 8, 2009 - 9:31 am

The food looks wonderful… I think I've seen this place on a cable TV channel.

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boo_licious June 8, 2009 - 10:29 am

Seems to be a common dessert for dinner parties at Sage – that popiah with cherries!

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Life for Beginners June 8, 2009 - 11:28 am

Ahh… dining with beauty queens… but might not the greatest beauty be the delicious dishes themselves? ;)

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Wilson Ng June 8, 2009 - 12:13 pm

I also want the free meal, Daniel!!

Looks amazingly good… pricy?

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muku June 8, 2009 - 1:00 pm

our current PM used to dine there with his family :P

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thenomadGourmand June 8, 2009 - 2:06 pm

haha..maybe i'll try the lunch set tht Boo recommended!

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UnkaLeong June 9, 2009 - 1:53 am

Aiyo…I oso rough around the edges. Hahah =) Looks like a meal fit for a queen(s) ;)

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Bangsar-bAbE June 9, 2009 - 2:25 am

Unka – =D Yup…fit for a queen indeed!

nomad – I guess for RM100 nett, it's more affordable. So you won't have to live on roti canai for the whole week!

muku – Waaaa…How did you know this?

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ck lam June 9, 2009 - 2:29 am

Indeed a nice place to pamper oneself…indulging in such fine food.

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Bangsar-bAbE June 9, 2009 - 2:30 am

Wilson – I think so…if I'm not mistaken, a degustation menu cost RM240 per person. T_T

LFB – You're probably right! Wagyu…foie gras…

boo – I wonder if people actually enjoy eating cherry popiah…

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Bangsar-bAbE June 9, 2009 - 2:35 am

Selba – The place is really nice…makes you feel grand and all! ;)

PureGlutton – Got a bit of misses la…I guess it can't all be perfect. But the food overall was good.

ck lam – It was truly an indulgence!

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"Joe" who is constantly craving June 9, 2009 - 3:19 am

by the looks of that extensive menu and also use of caviar..the bill would have seriously been the highlight of the meal!

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thule a.k.a leo June 9, 2009 - 3:47 am

for the "degustation menu", it already cost about RM500 for 2 pax… even the set lunch is RM100 nett, it doesn't provide the romantic ambience when dining there in the day :)

So did you manage to jaga your manner that particular night?? hahaha… it's hard to change our eating style huh??? Table etiquette is that you always use the silverware nearest to your plate :) but you probably know that already by now!

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CUMI & CIKI June 9, 2009 - 3:59 am

oh my word.. did you NOT EAT again?!

really nice shots.. love sage:D

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Bangsar-bAbE June 9, 2009 - 4:05 am

Cumi & Ciki – Quite the contrary. I wiped my plate clean! =D nom nom nom…

Thanks!

leo – I hope I did! ;)

Errr…I thought it's the silverware furthest from the plate? Cos everyone in the restaurant was doing it that way.

joe – Yup…I don't think I want to look at the bill lor! Kekeke…

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Nic (KHKL) June 9, 2009 - 4:56 am

i like sage cos it's original. almost every dish is well-crafted and the taste is really good! haha, i said almost cos i oso dun like the deep-fried popiah dessert..hehehehe…

woah, got ppl belanja at sage! lucky you! :D

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Simon Seow June 9, 2009 - 8:13 am

OMG. Uni. Uni. Uni.

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Bangsar-bAbE June 9, 2009 - 11:52 am

Simon – Hehehehe =P

Nic – Yup…the food was artfully and skillfully prepared. Hahaha…they should skip the popiah!

I was very lucky indeed…got fancy wine somemore! ;D

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CUMI & CIKI June 10, 2009 - 11:12 am

yea man the lighting at sage can be a real pain.. so u did a good job with the fotos! Glad no paparzi ths time to annoy u :P lol

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Bangsar-bAbE June 11, 2009 - 4:22 am

Cumi & Ciki – Ehehehe…yup, no cameras around…except my own! =P

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