If you love indulging your tastebuds, you really should bring your other half or your date on a journey of discovery at MARCO Creative Cuisine which is located inside 1 Utama Shopping Centre (Old Wing) on the ground floor.

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This is a 62-seater modern gastronomy restaurant offer distinctive culinary creations in a hand crafted, 7 course menu that using the freshest artisan produce and is Western influenced, yet unconfined by cooking styles and cultures, all lovingly and painstakingly prepared by the up-and-coming chef-owner Chef Daren Leong….

It was my first time in the unique restaurant where you feel like you will have stepped foot in a different and very calming oasis where only an occasional murmur or soft conversation can be heard or perhaps the occasional clatter of cutlery on the china.. You will be excused to recall that you are actually in the midst of a busy mall.

The ambience is one of calmness and elegance and you might be mesmerized by the translucent  jellyfishes swaying and floating in the huge aquarium wall, one that draws passer-by’s curiosity as well…

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When you are seated, a waiter or waitress will hand you a red menu where you can choose your choice of Soup, Entrée, Main Dish, Dessert and your Drink…..

Then your first course up would be the Palate Cleanser which is a Velvety Matcha-Lime Shooter, it came in a little expresso cup with soft foam over some Matcha – Lime flavoured shaved ice. It is very tangy, light and refreshing meant to kickstart your appetite and which is definitely what it does…

The second course is the Appetiser which comes in the form of a Savoury Éclair… this delicate eclair is topped with gruyere flavoured pâte à choux decorated with aubergine caviar, green chile pesto and tomato confit.

Being slightly unrefined and not totally trained in the art of fine dining unlike those classy socialites…. I  just picked up and bite it…. I can see those socialites rolling their eyeballs at me..

For my Soup, I had a hard time deciding between the French Onion Soup and the Truffled Mushroom Soup…but finally decided on the French Onion Soup which was a little bowl of Caramelised Onions Broth and a couple of French Toast slices… something that reminded  me of my travels and time spent in  Europe –  France, Germany, Netherlands where I would love nothing better then to indulge with a nice hot bowl of French Onion Soup…

This one was thick and sumptuous… and it went nicely with the French Toast slices…. And I almost wanted another one.. lol…

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For my Entrée, I ordered the Savoury Ice Cream Salad…. And to my utmost surprise, it definitely goes well with the assorted baby leaves, heirloom tomato, seasonal microgreens and violet flowers. This is super healthy entree. The savoury ice cream does taste a bit of vanilla and with something extra that makes it savoury… and it is pretty yummy to be honest.

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For the 5^th course which is my Main dish, I decided to go for their signature dish Squid Ink Japonica Rice consisting of Japanese Short Grain Rice cooked with Squid Ink accompanied with Prawns, Baby Squid and Omelette with a little dollop of Garlic Mayonnaise… The rice was black in colour as to be expected… but very flavorful and just oh so yummehhh…… I would so eat a second or third serving….

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I chose the Crème Brûlée with White Chocolate Sherbet for my dessert…. And that lush and creamy egg custard accompanied by white chocolate sherbet and meringue kisses was just so smooth. Creamy and perfectly done… all I expected from one of my most favorite dessert….

Damn but this can just about cause me to have an orgasm from all the delicious food I had…. And last but not least, I washed it all down with the 7^th course – a Sparkling Iced Berry drink… a definite perfect ending to an amazing journey of discovery…..

The restaurant is named after Chef Daren’s son, Marco as well as a nod to the legendary Marco Polo as MARCO embodies the same spirit of adventure and is set to imbue your dining experience with a sense of excitement and a touch of adventure…

Each of the dish at MARCO is created from scratch and represents a culmination of Chef Daren’t own personal journey with food and the presentation of each dish is also such a feast for the eyes…..

For your information, Chef Daren found success and is the co founder of Miam Miam, a café kitchen serving affordable cuisine using French techniques and Japanese ingredients which were famous for their long queues…and he has also been featured on TV, magazines and major local newspapers….

So be sure to head over to –MARCO Creative Cuisine – for a feast of your senses…

Lot G146, Ground Floor (old wing) 1Utama Shopping Centre, No. 1 Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama, 47800 PJ, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-7731 8923

Operating Hours: Mon – Sun (11am to 1030pm)

www.marcocreativecuisine.com

www.facebook.com/marcocreativecuisine