Sunway Resort in Kuala Lumpur scores a culinary coup by landing the first Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill outside the United Kingdom.
Gordon Ramsay is now in Kuala Lumpur.
Not that the British celebrity chef has relocated to Southeast Asia, of course. But Ramsay now has a restaurant presence in Malaysia’s capital city with the recent opening of Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill in Sunway Resort.
A collaboration between Ramsay and Malaysia’s premier integrated hospitality and lifestyle destination Sunway City, the latest Ramsay outpost joins his sprawling restaurant empire that counts over 50 venues in different cities – London, Las Vegas, Dubai, Seoul, and Singapore – around the world.
Now add Kuala Lumpur to that list.
Located in the sprawling lobby of Sunway Resort – which is in the midst of a massive landmark refurbishment – the first Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill outside of the UK is cut from a different cloth. It’s glitzier and more formal for one. In fact, it’s more akin to Ramsay’s swankier fine dining venues like London’s Savoy Grill and Au Trianon in Versailles than his more casual Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill concepts, blending Ramsay’s British heritage with the gilded grandeur we associate with Sunway Resort.
The 150-seater Kuala Lumpur outpost is a massive space. There’s a grand dining room, three private dining rooms – aptly named 8 Mayfair, 10 Soho and 12 Chelsea – as well as a fancy cocktail bar that makes a perfect spot for a tipple while you wait for your table to be ready. Tables on the side by the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a fabulous skyline view of Sunway Lagoon. Chances are though you’ll spend more time peering at the quirky British-inflected decor; we were particularly enamoured by the portraits of famous British icons – by celebrated photographers Terry O’Neill and Arthur Steel – of Mick Jagger, Sir Sean Connery, as well as supermodels Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy – in the main dining hall.
You’ll also want to peer into the wine cellar. There’s a portrait there of Gordon Ramsay – gloriously bedecked and looking like the 1st Duke of Wellington – that is bound to draw some chuckles.
The swank extends to the cuisine. The food is more upmarket than the grub you’d expect from the regular Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill. In fact, the Gordon Ramsay-trained team here has cherry-picked a couple of the most popular dishes from Ramsay’s iconic Savoy Grill to showcase here.
The Classic Beef Wellington, for one. It’s a must-order. This comes as a glorious dry-aged prime cut lovingly enveloped in buttery puff pastry and well-seasoned mushroom duxelle.
Other highlights include the very classic Dover Sole Grenobloise, the fish fabulously pan-seared and drenched in its signature tangy capers-studded brown butter-based sauce, or the brilliant starter of Citrus-Cured Salmon, the flavours of the cured salmon lifted by smoked yoghurt and salmon roe.
Yet we were most impressed with the Arnold Bennett Twice-Baked Soufflé. This is not the dessert soufflé as you know it; think a savoury creamed pudding that tasted like your traditional fish pie. Minced smoked haddock and aged cheddar? It can be a bit stodgy for some, but these are British flavours at their best.
Be sure to end your meal with the 64% Manjari Chocolate Tart. It may look like any ordinary chocolate tart, but the single origin Madagascan Manjari chocolate gives this a lovely bright acidity that combined so well with the accompanying yoghurt sorbet.
“This is a very exciting and momentous occasion for us. The opening of Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill at Sunway Resort marks the start of a new era of international epicurean excellence in Malaysia, said Alex Castaldi, Senior General Manager, Sunway City Kuala Lumpur Hotels. “It also represents the culmination of our once-in-a-generation transformation to enhance every aspect of Sunway Resort as we embark on a bold drive to seal our position as Asia’s leading fully-integrated premier hospitality and entertainment destination.”
“I am delighted to finally introduce the stunning Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill at Sunway Resort, Malaysia,” said Gordon Ramsay. This is a concept that was born in London and exudes the British sophistication created out of its original Mayfair setting, however, we always wanted to introduce Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill to an international setting once we had found the perfect partners and the perfect location. Malaysia is a wonderful country with a rich heritage and an exciting future, and I am confident that local guests and international visitors will have an exceptional dining experience in our beautiful new restaurant.”
We’ll make a not-so-wild guess that the spanking new Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill at Sunway Resort in Kuala Lumpur likely to invite a slew of Hell’s Kitchen-related references from locals. Chances are though they’ll be changing their minds very quickly once they sample the exquisite British fare here.
Thank you to Sunway Hotels & Resorts for the kind invitation to review Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill, Kuala Lumpur.
Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill (Kuala Lumpur)
Address Lobby Level Sunway Resort, Persiaran Lagoon, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 12pm to 3pm and 5pm to 10.30pm daily
Tel (60) 3-7492 8000
Web www.sunwayhotels.com/sunway-resort/dining/gordon-ramsay-bar-and-grill
Facebook GRBGKL
Instagram @gordonramsaybarandgrillkl
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