Copper @ Menara Shell

Two weeks ago, HungryGoWhere launched their brand new app which allows us to discover our favourite foods in Malaysia and Singapore at Copper @ Menara Shell. While I have passed Menara Shell on many occasions, I wasn’t aware there was a restaurant like Copper in the building. Copper @ Menara Shell serves European fare and it’s like a hidden gem as it’s tucked away on the 5th floor of the building.

Copper @ Menara Shell has an open kitchen concept so you can see the chefs preparing your food and among the hive of activity are the owners, Chef Chai Chun Boon and his wife, Zeehan Zahari. I like the fact that the owners of the restaurant are so involved in the preparation of the food. Far too many restaurants have absent owners and you can’t even give any feedback to them.

The HungryGoWhere team gave us carte blanche to order anything we wanted from the menu, be it food or drinks and that was really nice of them. The waiting staff are polite, attentive and give suggestions as to what to order. Since most of us were first-time visitors, they recommended the bestsellers. Some of the dishes are baked twice, in a normal oven and the Pira charcoal oven.

There’s a “Small Plates” section in the menu – these are starters which can be shared among a few people. Small plates are available from 6.30-10pm Tuesdays to Saturdays. Copper used to be open only for lunch when they first started a year ago. There are separate sections at Copper so you can have a private function with your own space and they don’t have to close the restaurant to other diners.

The waiter informed us that their Small Plates specialty is Shakshuka @ RM20 which is chicken chorizo with stewed tomatoes, zucchini, basil, cracked egg and toasted sourdough bread. I am not a fan of stewed tomatoes but I did have a taste of Shakshuka thanks to the next table and while it was nice, I wasn’t compelled to order one for myself.

My 1st starter was Homemade Hickory Smoked Salmon @ RM18 with roasted beetroot, anise yoghurt, marinated dark berries, like gel and turmeric vinaigrette. There were diverse flavours here from sweet to sour to bitter.

My food blogger friend, Nava K had the Charcoal Grilled Avocado & Calamari Salad @ RM20 glazed with sweet soy and served with squid ink puree, crispy salt beef and herbs. This one was very nice as the squid wasn’t chewy and the sprinkling of sesame seeds gave it a little crunchy texture.

My 2nd Small Plates dish, Pira Baked Mushrooms @ RM22 came in the same container as Shakshuka and this was something I was dying to try as I love all mushrooms. This one has charcoal roasted Porchini and assorted mushrooms such as enoki, shimeji, shiitake, oyster and button mushrooms cooked with truffle oil, roasted cheese, onion puree, cracked egg and served with toasted sourdough bread. I mixed the egg in thoroughly and that was what made this dish such a winner, the taste of the egg together with the mushrooms and cheese – fantastic! Dip the bread in and you have the most heartening starter. This dish made me feel happy, seriously!

In between courses, I took walks around the restaurant and spied this beautiful Passion Fruit Cake. Maybe I should have asked for a slice, it looked so tempting and inviting.

My friend had the Seared Duck @ RM40 (it needs 40 minutes to cook) and it’s served medium with buttered peas, braised fennel and berry sauce. I was glad I didn’t order this (the thought had crossed my mind when I was poring over the menu) as the portion is small for a main course. My friend opined that it was rather bland and lacked some flavours. I think that our Malaysian palate may be more accustomed to stronger flavours than what is normally served in European cuisine.

My main course was recommended by the waiter – Charcoal Grilled Lamb @ RM60 served with spiced yoghurt, homemade pickles and sweet and sour dressing. I have no issues with the dressing, it was great but I couldn’t finish the lamb as the meat was quite chewy and tough to cut up.

Dessert was a difficult choice as they offer so many delectable concoctions from Valrhona Chocolate Mousse with salted pineapple meringue, fluid orange gel and mint to Crème Brulee flavoured with earl grey tea and corn flower blossoms to Panacotta with citrus, marinated berries and marigold petals. My friend had the Grilled Pineapple @ RM15 which looks like a white chocolate lover’s dream dessert as the pineapple is smothered in coconut yoghurt cream, vanilla and earl grey tea granite. She found this one too sweet, I had a try and agreed with her. Strictly for those with more than one sweet tooth.

I ordered the house specialty dessert, Churros @ RM15 which is served with vanilla Chantilly cream and Valrhona chocolate sauce. They do this very well at Copper and they are divine when eaten together with the cream and chocolate sauce. No wonder they are the most popular dessert at Copper.