Foie gras burger @ Prime and the revealing of Le Meridien HUB

Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur recently launched Le Méridien HUB, a unique lobby concept inspired by Le Méridien’s Global Cultural Curator Jérôme Sans.

From the time I dined at Prime during the 3 Michelin star Chef Philippe Marc dinner to my recent visit  for the RM128 foie gras burger, the dust of the months long renovation has settled and the spanking new lobby was finally revealed.

And it’s not just any lobby mind you; but branded as Le Méridien HUB, re-interpreted as the hotel brand’s lobbies as social gathering places for creative people to converse, debate and exchange.

Prior to dinner I walked around and immersed myself in the art-sy yet refined elegance of the spacious lobby.

Every item in here is artfully designed and though these pictures below shows different parts of the lobby, they are all within the same space and managed to exude different moods and feel with the clever use of lights and colours.

This table fascinates me. Well, free form and fluid shapes does. 🙂
All too often the stoic regular shapes decorated hotel lobbies and rooms. Le Méridien HUB certainly differentiated itself from the ordinary.

Key areas to note for includes the Latitude 03. With its signature espresso machine and intimate setting, Latitude 03 houses a creative atmosphere by drawing guests to the sights, sounds and smells of the coffee bar. A new section, Art Cacao, that invites guests to enjoy a wide variety of premium VERO chocolates. Gastro Sentral, a gastro dining experience that offers a fresh and innovative approach to cuisine, welcomes guests to enjoy a modern interpretation of classic pub and local comfort food.

But enough of the lobby, what about my foie gras burger? 🙂

The Cibo Burger (RM128) is an Italian version of the American cheese burger adapted from Cibo, New York.
A juicy charcoal grilled Wagyu burger patty sits on a split buttered brioche roll, topped with over-roasted tomatoes, foie gras, shaved truffle and served with steak fries, guacamole, homemade tomato ketchup and fresh horseradish cream.

My eyes widen at the impressively thick foie gras and wagyu beef patty. Ok, perhaps the price is justified, I thought to myself.

Unfortunately though it pleased the vision it failed to please the palate. The patty has an unpleasant level of sourness that totally ruined the flavour of the wagyu beef. I struggled to finish it (hey, it’s RM128!) but gave up in the end. When Chef came by my table, I conveyed my disappointment to him but though he was apologetic, he said the recipe meant it to be such.

Thankfully the “exquisite” lamb from Katanning which was my partner’s dinner soothed my dismay.

Simply The Best of Lamb (RM138) features different lamb section served in 3 different preparations.

Skewer of lamb loin with garlic cream & roasted baby potatoes. I love this! The garlic cream is mildly pungent and rich but perfect with the pink, juicy lamb.

Lamb cutlet with rosemary flavoured tomato fondue. This was a tad raw so we sent it back to the kitchen.

Charcoal grilled lamb noisette on wilted spinach. All in all, the 3 preparations of the lamb were pretty well executed.
I shoved my burger aside and feasted off my partner’s plate instead!

No surprises on this platter but no disappointments either. Dinner was salvaged.

I’m not sure if I would be back to Prime anytime soon. But I’ll definitely would be visiting Gastro Sentral. The Starwood Privilege card doesn’t apply here but from what I have seen of the menu, prices are reasonable considering that its location.

Prime,
Le Meridien KL
For reservations, visit www.discoverlemeridien.com, email: [email protected] or call dining reservations at 03 2263 7434.
For more information on the Le Méridien HUB, please visit www.lemeridien.com/lmhub