Home Food Reviews Sweet Valentine’s @ Samplings on the Fourteenth

Sweet Valentine’s @ Samplings on the Fourteenth

by Bangsar Babe

Love me tender...love me sweet...

I have a confession to make: I’m one of those girls who tell their partners they don’t want anything special for Valentine’s Day only to get upset when their other half really didn’t do anything special. I don’t fancy flowers because they are a huge waste of money, but would still appreciate getting one stalk. As for dinners, I like romantic meals that don’t cost an arm and a leg but Valentine’s Day is when everything is overpriced. rif and I usually have our dinner before or after the actual day. Sometimes, we get pizza and camp in front of the TV watching a movie marathon.

The Valentine’s Day menu at Samplings on the Fourteenth fits all the criteria we want – good food, romantic ambiance and I get a stalk of red rose at the end of the day. Best part is, dinner doesn’t cost a bomb* (RM158++ per person inclusive of a glass of sparkling wine).

*Most Valentine’s Day dinners are priced at about RM250-300 per pax.

Cheese roll

We were served freshly baked bread to start, and as usual, I went for the cheese roll. After a rock hard bread incident, I steered clear from hard rolls. The cheese roll was soft and cottony at the centre, and tasted delicious with generous lashings of salted butter.

Smoked Duck and Scallop with Wild Mushroom Salad and Lamb Lettuce

Smoked duck and scallop don’t often go well together, but somehow, Chef Val managed to pair these two ingredients nicely. The scallop was undoubtedly the star of the show – glistening, crisp at the sides and moist inside. Smoked duck is usually very strong in flavour, but in this case, it was toned done to complement the delicate flavour of the scallop.

Larger than a 50sen coin!

Saffron Seafood Soup with Fennel and Tomato

The freshness of the seafood was evident

The saffron seafood soup with fennel and tomato was light yet concentrated, from hours of simmering. The seafood was fresh and sweet; I especially liked the clams. That said, I didn’t quite taste the saffron in the soup but the slight yellow-orange tinge marked its presence.

Pink Grapefruit Sorbet with Campari

We cleansed our palate with the Pink Grapefruit Sorbet with Campari. The Campari gave a sharp contrast to the citrus element of the sorbet. It had a mild bitterness which I appreciated. A refreshing twist from lime or mango sorbets.

Pan-Fried Cod Fish Fillet with Sea Urchin and Caviar Sauce

For mains, you get a choice of Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Seared Foie Gras, Port Wine Reduction and Spring Vegetables or Pan-Fried Cod Fish Fillet with Sea Urchin and Caviar Sauce. Fish and seafood has always been Chef Val’s forte. The cod – cooked to flaky perfection – was of a generous portion. I thought the strong flavour of the sea urchin overpowered the delicate nature of the cod, but rif strongly disagreed. He claimed that the sea urchin amplified the dish so I let him have most of the sea urchin.

Love the presentation!

Beef Tenderloin with Seared Foie Gras, Port Wine Reduction and Spring Vegetables

Medium well...

The beef tenderloin was a bit too done for my liking; medium rare is how I like my steaks to be cooked. That said, the seared foie gras was a delight to eat. I’ve always enjoyed Chef Val’s foie gras dishes, especially his seared foie gras with tomato and onion tart.

Strawberry Delight with Homemade Double Chocolate Ice Cream and Almond Macaron

Dessert was the Strawberry Delight, with homemade double chocolate ice cream and almond macaron. I liked the beautiful presentation and ice cream, but not the macaron. The latter was unfortunately, almost as chewy as a Sugus. If you’re planning to seduce your partner with your fine cutlery skills, I suggest you try it on the cod or beef. Not on the macaron. :P

Cappuccino

Chocolate pralines

You also get a choice of coffee or tea – I had a cappuccino – to eat with chocolate pralines. For all the above, RM158++ per person is quite a good deal. Did I mention you get a glass of sparkling wine each?

Ambiance: 7/10
Price: 5/10 (fairly reasonable for the dishes I tried)
Food: 6/10
Verdict: The food was quite good and portions were generous. The only boo-hoo that night was the almond macaron.

Samplings on the Fourteen
Level 14, East Wing,
Berjaya Times Square
Tel: 03 2687 7000
bt***********@be**********.com

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12 comments

Simple Person February 3, 2012 - 11:40 am

My wife share d same thoughts as you….
coz Valentine is always good time for d restaurant to make good profit …
I use to go to the wet market to get my wife some floweres .. they are cheaper n they can wrap it as nice as those florist..
D food looks delicious …. yeah i tot of havin a good dinner with my wife this year… btw if i mention u, can get 10% discount? LOL

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Bangsar Babe February 3, 2012 - 11:47 am

Hahaha…I’m a nobody la. You can try la…at most, maybe they will give you unlimited bread rolls! :P

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Baby Sumo February 3, 2012 - 11:53 am

Yea, the Valentine’s meal here is one of the best values lor, considering the ingredients they’re serving. Most other hotels are charging a bomb!

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Bangsar Babe February 3, 2012 - 2:38 pm

Ya lor! Anything more than RM200 per pax is way overpriced.

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missyblurkit February 3, 2012 - 6:06 pm

I agree that Chef Val’s seared foie gras is simply delightful. The Samplings offer for Vday is a good deal!

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Bangsar Babe February 3, 2012 - 6:36 pm

Don’t know how he does it so nicely. Consistent some more!

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ciki February 3, 2012 - 6:25 pm

great fun with u woman! must do it again;)

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Bangsar Babe February 3, 2012 - 6:36 pm

Definitely! ;)

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Michelle chin February 3, 2012 - 6:28 pm

I generally avoid anything valentine’s day. i think next time, i’ll just cook for my husband/boyfriend for valentine’s day. far much romantic.

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Bangsar Babe February 3, 2012 - 6:37 pm

But not many are as talented in the kitchen like you wor…then how? :P

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Sean February 3, 2012 - 9:10 pm

i try to avoid v-day sets too, cos they’re so obviously overpriced (although the one you tried at samplings seems like it’s actually well worth the cost). the trick is finding a nice restaurant to eat at on feb. 14 where there aren’t two dining sessions and customers can still order from the a la carte menu. i’ll probably end up at a chinese restaurant, heh :D

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Bangsar Babe February 5, 2012 - 8:29 am

Chinese tai chow for V-day? I don’t mind that too! :P

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