Madisons is the place for me if I ever miss Melbourne, or Mod Oz cuisine in general (read about my rather detailed review here). Situated at Jalan Bangkung, it has a relaxed vibe specially during the weekends so we enjoy dropping in for long leisurely lunches. Chef Kelly Delaney has kindly invited us couple of weeks ago to try the new dishes and I very happily obliged.

Frank was glad to see that the Pickled Beet has remained on the menu (because it’s his favourite) and one simply cannot resist a dish with such beautiful colours.

With the classic combination of beets and goats cheese, this has a right balance of piquancy, sweetness and savoury note, and the peppery rocket compliments it well. Great vegetarian dish, I must say.

Couldn’t resist an order of Arancini when I saw that it contains braised pork cheek. Truly, it’s hard to go wrong with these breaded risotto balls, crunchy exterior with fluffy grains inside. Once again the combination of sweet and savoury works well here.

Is there anything better than Bacon with Poached Egg? I think not. But then again I do have a soft spot for a bit of yolkporn. Let’s take a look at the money shot.

Here in Madisons, you will be assured that they use only quality ingredients. The egg yolk has a lovely shade of orange which indicates happy hen. I will admit I sneaked a couple croutons because they soak up the yolk so well. With bits of bacon provided the much needed naughtiness since there are also plenty of greens to reduce the guilt.

It’s refreshing to see this much greens in a risotto. I was only allowed a tiny bite, but safe to say this is perfectly creamy with that ever slight hint of citrus note to keep it light. Frank of course inhaled the whole thing and was very tempted to order another. I suppose next time he can just go for the full size.

I prefer Gnocchi pan fried in butter than drowsed in cream sauce, and this is the great thing about Madisons: nothing is ever too cloyingly rich and most dishes let the natural flavours of the produce shine. Here the delicate pillows of potato dumplings was paired with some finely diced chorizo (pork, of course), the umami black olives and then balanced by the sweet cherry tomatoes. I think the Gnocchi might be a tad too caramelised, but it didn’t stop Frank from cleaning the plate.

My main course was this huge slab of pork belly. Having tried the pork belly dish previously, I had high expectation for this dish. The slow roasted beast was topped with a very interesting pork cigar. It tastes like deep fried pork dumplings with a Western twist, and thinner skin. I also love the zucchini & capsicum vinaigrette. However, the pork crackling wasn’t as crispy as I’d like, although the meat was nice and tender with just the right amount of fat (yum). As much as I love the clean flavours, I felt that it needed something else, perhaps a bit of jus, or a sauce of some kind.

And then we moved on to desserts! If you are a fan of anything with lemons you must not miss their Lemon Meringue.

I love the presentation and I shall declare this the best interpretation of lemon meringue pie in KL (feel free to suggest other places if you want to challenge this). The lemon curd delivers the punch of citrus, with the pillowy soft meringue to counter the sharpness, the ‘pie’ crumbs/dust provides the textural contrast. 10/10.

I have forgotten the official name for this. Although the word Mousse often puts me off (bad memories from boarding house days), this was surprisingly good. Great, even; if you like hazelnuts. The mousse itself is incredibly light and aromatic (thanks to the vanilla), with bits of chopped hazelnuts and some whipped cream folded in, topped with chocolate bits.

The golden nuggets are broken pieces of honeycomb. Very fancy dessert indeed. It’s verging on too sweet for a non dessert lover like me, but definitely works for Frank.

Well that was a satisfying lunch, and I’m looking forward to our next visit!

Madisons
65 Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar KL 59100
Tel: 03 2092 1222
Email:  info.madisonskl@gmail.com
Opens daily from 10am to 1am
http://www.madisonskl.com/