Restaurant au Jardin — Restaurant in George Town

As this is the most established Michelin One Star restaurant in Penang, I therefore have the highest expectations, and the most critical in giving my rating. Atmosphere: Excellent ambience. Interior deco is tasteful, romantic and well maintained. The shabby zinc sheet exterior of the building (see photo) is an excellent piece of art =) giving this restaurant the feel of "a hidden gem". Service: Excellent service. Attentive, polite, and graceful. Very knowledgeable about their food menu as well. Folding of napkin when guest leaves the table briefly is being done, which is what I expect from a restaurant of such a status =) Good job. Food: Excellent culinary skill by the kitchen team. Use of Malaysia local ingredients to make them into French haute cuisine is an excellent move. Every dish has its unique presentation, taste and texture. Molecular gastronomy is also exhibited throughout the tasting menu. I can say that this restaurant sits among the better French haute cuisine I had ever tasted around the world. Now, why the low rating of 2 stars from me? It is because this restaurant failed its Wine Pairing. And in my opinion, failed rather terribly. Their choice of having a 2019 Classical Chianti to pair with the signature smoked duck main course was a total failure in my opinion. Their smoked duck has been prepared to be rather sweet, as well as the accompanying sauce. The tannin from the Chianti clashed terribly with the duck, bringing out the worst from the duck and the wine. When I asked the staff what they could do about it, the restaurant manager suggested to replace with the bubbly rosé that was used to pair with the first starter. I am afraid that is the wrong answer. I thus have a feeling that the restaurant does not have a competent wine sommelier on site. If not for my counter suggestion to replace with the German riesling that was used to pair with the 3rd course, the smoked duck main course would have been a total disaster. Do note that the restaurant also does not have any other wine they could serve by glass apart from the wine pairing list. Therefore, for this terrible mistake made by the restaurant, my final verdict is a 2 star. If not for the good service and excellent food, I would have given a 1 star and perhaps recommend to Michelin to reconsider their star as well. I hope the...

During my recent visit to Penang, I dined at Au Jardin, one of the two Michelin-starred restaurants in the area. Located in the Hin Bus Depot, the restaurant features a modern designed space filled with lush greenery. Chef Kim Hock Su offers a five-course degustation menu, requiring pre-ordering for main dishes. We chose the Cognac & Hay Aged Duck with fermented guava and Szechuan pepper. We were served an amazing amuse bouche trio. Then our first dish was a pea custard petit pois, pea crisp, green curry gazpacho. The second course was a cured wild-caught prawn with braised beets and fish roe emulsion. My friends upgraded to a Grand Caviar Au Jardin, which included sturgeon caviar, picked lobster, and scallop. I found the prawn dish better. For the third dish, we were served mud crab accompanied by hot broth chicken and chicken tsukune, which resembled a chicken lollipop skewer. The fourth course consisted of either beef tartare or pork loin. I opted for the pork loin served with potatoes, anchovy emulsion, shallots, and Pringles beignet. We were then treated to a lime and jasmine sorbet as a palate cleanser; however, I found the combination less enjoyable. The fifth dish, the highlight of the meal was the main course, our pre-ordered: Hay Aged Duck. We also had an additional course at a supplementary charge—the red coral grouper served with short-grained rice and Oba leaves in bone broth—which turned out to be my favorite dish of the evening. Dessert was satisfying, and as a lovely surprise, we were gifted with a Hock’s Dog, made specially by the chef. Our gift included an off-cut, lacto-fermented vegetable brioche and homemade mustard and pickles to enjoy the next day—a nice touch! Overall, dining at Au Jardin was a memorable experience. While it is on the pricier side and some upgrades may not be necessary, the quality of food and unique atmosphere make it well worth a visit during your...

The downstairs atmosphere is good. The upstairs atmosphere is mediocre and a little bit dim. The food quality is good and the service quality is generally good. First of all I would highlight the booking, when a customer book they should arrange the customer to have the nicest table and atmosphere. All the nice table are down stairs and when I was there they out me upstairs and if they did not change the table downstairs I would have move to another restaurant. For the price we pay average RM 400 500/ per person with drink. Customers should feel comfortable inside the restaurant. Secondly they should strictly enforce the dressings code. If it is a fine dining restaurant shorts and slippers should not be allowed as describe in the website and It should be enforced. Secondly if it is a Proper fine dining restaurant, children below certain age should be restricted. My advise to new customers that when u plan to visit Au Jardine and when u make booking make sure you book down stairs or else you would regret for paying this price and dine up stairs. Overall the food is good and service is not bad. May be it is Penang where most people are casual but if Au Jardine seriously want to be a serious player then certain rules and regulations needs to be set. I was in UK and my business partner was wearing a expensive designer canvas, he was denied entry while a person wearing a normal leather shoes was allowed to go in. The dress code is for the atmosphere of the people dine inside. It is not about how expensive one person is wearing it is about the rules and...