Red, Pullman KLCC, Kuala Lumpur

Red is a new arrival on the Kuala Lumpur (KL) Chinese fine-dining scene. Stylishly and sexily decked out in arresting red and black, it offers expertly-executed Chinese cuisine and live, fresh seafood fished out of a tank before your eyes. Western fine wines are also available for your food pairing.

Wok-fried Australian Wagyu beef with foie gras and asparagus
Imagine tender wagyu bathed in rich brown sauce, complemented by fresh, green crunchy asparagus, and lightly decorated by edible yellow petals. It is a stunning feast for the eyes! When you taste rich, smooth foie gras breaking in your mouth and melding with the rich savoury sauce, you are in heaven! Who said luxury Chinese cuisine must involve shark’s fin? I loved the snappy, sweet asparagus.

Stir-fried Baby Pak Choy
Sometimes, the simplest dish is the most perfect. Crunchy baby Pak Choy in the perfect shade of green. What more can one ask for?

Wok-fried abalone with mixed mushrooms and black truffle paste
The heavyweight combo of abalone and black truffle sauce makes this the perfect secret weapon to “secretly” psych out your opponent during that all-important business meeting.

Double-boiled rich fish maw soup with fresh almond milk
This is a stunning winner. The umami is perfectly balanced by the sweet almond milk. In the rich broth, you can clearly taste what has gone into it—- chicken stock, conpoy, fish maw, white fungus, almond milk. There is also a small abalone in the soup.  I really appreciate the attention to detail— much care has been taken to remove all oil from this soup. Who needs breakthrough originality when you have time-tested Cantonese technique?

Have you noticed? The portions are huge!

Chilled Sweet Mango Soup with Sago and Pomelo
Ice-cold, refreshing, this is the perfect end to a meal.

The staff here knows what they are doing. They ask the right questions, quietly confident in their down-to-earth service. Entertaining clients shouldn’t be a problem here—– they have 3 private dining rooms available. When I was here, one of the rooms was taken up by a happy bunch.

Regular customers seem to return often to this restaurant—- even staff who have worked here for only 4 months know their regulars well. The chefs are also humble enough to come out of the kitchen to greet and chat with regular customers.

When I left, the kind, attentive server asked me, “How was your meal?” I answered, “10/10.”