Delia Wines Bistro — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

I am surprised to read the positive reviews of this place. My experience couldn't be more different. I ordered a dish of veal sweetbreads flambeed in Armagnac. It came bland, tasteless and without a hint of said alcohol. I told the waiter who brought it back to the kitchen. He returned saying it did have Armagnac in it. As I could detect none, I requested to return the dish and order something else. The proprietor returned this time and he said that the Armagnac evaporated when cooked - no duh - it does but it also permeates the ingredient and leaves an aroma. That is Cooking 101. I told him that I had ordered it on a different occasion and it tasted different. He said it was prepared to the same recipe and refused my request of returning the dish, insisting I pay for it. The mood turned hushed and sour quickly. He returned with a small glass of Armagnac as if to prove the point that I wasn't stiffed. But that was beside the point - I had ordered a dish cooked with Armagnac because I wanted that NOT because I wanted to sip on some.

This bistro does so many things wrong. When I entered, I was shown to a table which was too close to another, without the adequate safe distancing. They moved me to a table near the kitchen. When another freed up, I requested to be moved. The waiter said "but then I would have to set another table". Well, that's your job. I ordered 2 dishes - a cold one and the warm veal sweetbreads. Both were brought at the same time. By the time I had finished the cold dish, the cooked one had turned cold. The cream sauce was stodgy. The waiter/ chef who brought the dishes said he would return with some bread. He did 15 mins later with some burnt, reheated bits of stale baguette. The sweetbreads were bland and tasteless. I doused the dish with the Armagnac that was brought to me. But nothing, not even liberal amounts of salt and pepper could save the dish.

Prices are on the high side for the miserly portions served. The meal cost about RM135. For a fraction of this you can have the prix fixe menu at Chez Gaston in Bangsar with a higher level of cooking and less attitude. For similar prices you could have modern French fare at higher end places like Entier or Chateau Dionne at lunch with more sophisticated cooking and better ingredients.

YMMV at this place, especially if it is the chef's time of the month and he fails to deliver. All the more if you actually have taste buds and can tell what you are eating, contrary to what they say. They do not have the integrity nor professionalism to take responsibility for a dish badly cooked and served up.

As an aside, prior to my leaving another waiter just started his shift. I remembered him from the now defunct French Feast/ La Vie En Rose. We reminisced about the food there. This place certainly lacks the quality of cooking and professionalism of Jean Michel's neighbourhood...

When given the opportunity, I would always go out to try new restaurants. I had tried many good French restaurants in town - Chez Gaston, French Feast, 2OX, Le Gourmandine, and Top Shelf just to name a few - but I gotta admit that I felt Pai Seh because it took me a long time to try the closest one to me. A dear friend, Martin, mentioned about the awesome frog legs at this French bistro in the affluent TTDI area that got my intrigued. I'd tried Chinese style frog leg (tin Kai 田鸡) or even deep fried it ala KFC but French style?? Not yet.

So I texted them, and I guessed that it was the owner Mr Laurent Robert himself who replied to my text to confirm my last minute reservation. Thank goodness that I managed to secure a table for two that very evening. Upon finishing my work, we prepared and drove there to enjoy ourselves.

It felt like entering another world altogether as I pushed open the door. The atmosphere exudes a warm and cosy feeling.. and I definitely felt like going into French restaurant in France itself. We were quickly shown to our table... Placed our order and set to enjoy the night while sipping the excellent Chateau La Tour Carnet 2009 which is in its perfect drinking window - French food with French wine.. it couldn't get better than this.

◾Burrata with seasonal tomatoes and pistou RM28 - love the pistou sauce but most importantly the lovely Burrata which I would always order should I see one in the menu. ◾Cold Cuts (by 50g per portion) - I went for their pork rillettes RM16 & roasted pork RM16 which comes with pickles to cut down the greasiness. I wanted to go for their duck prosciutto but they were out of it. Roasted pork tasted ordinary but I fell in love with the smoky and flavourful rillettes that paired well with my red wine. ◾Homemade Foie Gras RM55 with Armagnac, and seasonal jam... You've got to give it to the French to make excellent Foie Gras. The simple cranberry jam (they didn't specify but I guessed it was cranberry) and coarse sea salt did a great job in cutting down the creaminess of the liver. I had to fight for the last piece with her. ◾French frog legs with garlic butter and parsley (RM38) - another option will be cream & herbs. It smelled heavenly as the plate was served right in front of us. All it took was just a bite and we were sold... The garlic butter was just aromatic. ◾Perigourdine Salad with duck confit, duck prosciutto and seasonal berries RM36 - not feeling full enough, we ordered this and again impressed by the overall combination of the meat, salad, walnut, pomegranate and blueberries plus the dressings!

Corkage for BYO clocked at RM30 per bottle which to me, is reasonable given that they are also selling wines. Mr Laurent Robert was there running around to take orders and entertain customers as most diners (they were full house that evening) enjoyed their...

Delia Wine Bistro presented a mixed experience during our visit, leaving us with notable disappointments.

From the moment we stepped inside, the decor transported us to an authentic French bistro. The charming arrangement of pictures and wine bottles scattered throughout the restaurant created a warm and inviting atmosphere that heightened our anticipation for the evening.

We ordered a couple of magnum bottles, which were surprisingly reasonably priced. The wine itself was enjoyable and paired well with our selections of cheese and cold cuts. These aspects of the evening were certainly highlights.

While the food was decent, we felt that the presentation left much to be desired. Every dish plating was almost identical to one another. A little more attention to detail could elevate the overall dining experience.

However, the evening took a downturn due to lack of attention. The owner seemed somewhat detached and unfriendly, which was kind of disappointing. Despite walking past our table several times, he did not check in on us, appearing more interested in socializing with his own friends on the patio.

Additionally, the servers were not very proactive. We found ourselves having to repeat our requests multiple times due to communication issues, as they struggled to understand our English. This detracted from the experience we had hoped for.

In summary, while Delia Wine Bistro has the potential to be a delightful spot with its beautiful decor and decent wine selection, the service and interaction left much to be desired. Given our experience, we are unlikely to return, as it did not live up to the high expectations set by its online reputation.

It's a shame when even our invited guests felt the same and shared their feelings with us on the...