Breakfast at Fauchon

After months of idleness, I'm finally back. This post is regarding breakfast I had at Fauchon, a French establishment founded in 1886, known for their smoked salmon, macarons, chocolates and caviar - among other things.

Located on the Mezzanine Level of KLIA's Satellite Building, the establishment is a small one in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the airport. However, with that being said, its black and pink decor allows it to stand out from the rest.

Being one of the few establishments opened in the wee hours of the morning, I decided to try their breakfast, at a hefty price of RM48. Breakfast came with two pastries, butter and jam, a poached egg, some salad leaves, coffee and juice.

My cup of Brewed Coffee at Fauchon was truly pleasurable, as their nice strong brew awoken my mind and senses after having traveled throughout the night. A great brew to wake up any jet-lagged traveler.

Their juice, however, tasted average. I simply could not distinguish between a glass of Orange Juice at Fauchon to a bottle of Tropicana with orange pulp. I was a bit taken aback at the amount of ice present as well. I'd have expected much less. 

The pastries were very good. The croissant had a lovely flakey exterior and a fluffy interior - I dare not imagine the amount of butter used to have made it. The pastry was also very good, with a generous amount of what seemed to be vanilla custard. However, when you take into account the price of it all, some pastries at Delifrance could have left me just as satisfied.

The poached egg, however, was an absolute disappointment. I could still taste a hint of vinegar and the yolk at the centre was overcooked. I was sorely disappointed, but was too tired to complain.

Though the food was somewhat of a let-down, I must say that the service was absolutely impeccable, with very attentive staff who were very patient with me - having noticed my visibly frustrated face.

I guess, what you pay for when you order this expensive meal, was the small bottle of jam that came with it. It was good apricot jam, however not good enough to warrant the price that came with the breakfast. I suggest stay clear of breakfast at Fauchon, although do drop by for a coffee if you wish to awaken your sluggish selves.

Presentation: 5/10

Ambiance: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Overall Taste: 5/10

General Impression: 4/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

F1 Paddock Club @ Sepang Perdana Suite

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to have watched the GP2 Series finals and the F1 Malaysian GP qualifiers from the Paddock Club at the Sepang Perdana Suite.

The club is without a doubt, the most exclusive seating area from which you can watch the race, with views of practically half of the circuit.

Upon arrival, you are escorted to your table, donned with a Hermes tablecloth specially designed for the Paddock Club.

With access to the Perdana Suite, you are given special views of the main grandstand, as well as a top-down view of the pits and of the podium.

Drinks at the Paddock Club are free flowing. One can have anything, with a wide-array of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. As I arrived in the morning, I ordered myself a cappucino. This was followed by...

...an affogatto later in the afternoon. It wasn't strong, however it did do me reasonable justice. Certainly allows you to have more than one cuppa without feeling any guilt (if you're like me, trying to cut the caffeine).

For breakfast, we were served some oatmeal with raisins, which I found incredibly satisfying

 We also had a bowl of fruit at our disposal. I had with my oatmeal, some freshly squeezed guava juice. A healthy breakfast to start the day!

In between breakfast and lunch - as the buffet spread was being set - we were given a selection of small snacks.

I managed to pick up a king prawn dish with an aubergine base and garlic aioli aside. My juice was topped continually whilst I watched the cars from the balcony.

Our lunchtime spread was a buffet, consisting of numerous items. My first plate, pictured above, consisted of the following. 

The roasted vegetables infused with thyme jus was sweet and perfectly cooked. Prawns with a turmeric-infused cream sauce were succulent. The pandan chicken in a sweet peanut sauce was a bit of a let-down unfortunately - but the roast beef compensated it - unbelievably soft and tender, possibly being the best I've ever had. As for the cod, there was a great texture to it: firm, yet flaky. 

I also had a rigatoni with a spicy lobster bolognese. The rigatoni was perfectly cooked, and the sauce provided a great accompaniment - however the lobsters were a bit dry and overcooked.

Other items on the spread included Mashed Potatoes, a Potato and Wasabi Soto, Smoked Aubergines, Celeriac Mousseline and a Coriander-Lemon Rice.

Throughout the race, you can pretty much ask them to serve you anything you want to drink, be it Beer/Champagne/Juice/Coffee or Tea. We consumed around 8 bottles of S.Pellegrino. 

Try avoiding the bread with dip we had - addictive, but it fills you up immensely.

After lunch, lay an assortment of delectable desserts that lasted the crowd through till the end of the day - we indulged in this till the very moment we left. The desserts were made with good quality ingredients and tasted great!

The panna cotta with raspberry glee was smooth, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour

Meanwhile, the chocolate mud cake with vanilla sauce was decadent, yet not overwhelmingly sweet - giving you the urge to have one more (as I did, an hour later).

Mud cake no.2 came with chocolate sauce and some apple strudel with strawberries and cream. The strudel was crisp, however I found the filling albeit a little tart for my liking.

Before leaving, I had myself some Darjeeling tea and biscotti. The teabag was a product of Fortnum & Mason - a company founded in 1707, and renowned for their teas.

I also had some mango mousse. It was smooth, however I found the fact that they paired it with a  strawberry a bit weird. Talk about an identity crisis.

The strawberry macaron was fantastic - eggshell-like exterior and a meringue-like interior: just how every macaron should be.

The experience included a walk around the F1 pits, some up-close-and-personal experiences with some of the drives, free merchandise, amazing service as well as a swanky pass around your neck. Not to mention the priority parking, and the sweeping views of Sepang. Here are some of the shots I managed to take:

Panoramic view from the pits.

RedBull car coming through...

We saw the teams busy at work in their garages.

Up close and personal with a McLaren car.

What's F1 without the pit-chicks?

We were given a tour of the Sepang media centre.

The one and only Michael Schumacher himself. With him, Nico Rosberg and Mokhzani Mahathir.

Jenson Button (above) and Fernando Alonso (below) cruising right below our noses.

A quick pit-stop during the GP2 Race - before the F1 qualifiers.

F1 Teams at work. McLaren boys take first and second places for Sunday's race.

The Paddock Club will set you back USD4200 for 2 days or USD4600 for all three days. Personally, I would purchase the tickets once I'm out of school, working, and (hopefully) have a reasonable amount of money with me :P

Ultimately, the value you place on the ticket depends on just how much you love F1. And I do. Very much. Hence the unofficial endorsement.

So long Paddock Club, till we (hopefully) meet again in a few years to come!

Presentation: 8/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Overall Taste: 8/10

General Impression: 7.5/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic