Century egg ice cream. — Photos: ALICE YONG
Located in a quaint warehouse within the repurposed Hin Bus Depot in Penang is the one-Michelin-starred Au Jardin – chef proprietor Su Kim Hock’s culinary playground.
By day, the small courtyard of the 18-seater restaurant is light-filled and airy thanks to its high ceiling. Potted orchids and ferns, towering palms and a leafy sapling offer relaxing green tones against the whitewashed brick walls. The minimalist upstairs dining space, where we were seated, was outfitted with a bar and a trio of origami bird-shaped light fixtures.
In his quest to elevate Penang’s culinary scene, Su firmly advocates “buy local first”.
Diligently working with urban farmers and local food producers and suppliers, he features homegrown, market-fresh and in-season produce as well as locally-sourced ingredients for the restaurant’s constantly changing menus.
The degustation menu (RM388++ per person) not only reflects the chef’s approach, but also showcases his skilful expertise, fine artistry and inspirations drawn from his own culinary journey and travel experiences.
During a recent birthday celebration, I had a chance to experience why dining in Au Jardin was deemed exceptional.
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Two types of amuse bouche: dainty nests of crisp dehydrated glass noodles topped with lumpfish emulsion, orange mascarpone and salmon roe, along with charcoal choux pastry filled with bacon and truffle cream, and white truffle shavings built up our anticipation of what was to come.
Nibbling on crusty slices of lacto-fermented bread with house-made tomato chutney butter and curry leaf oil, we were told the pairing was inspired by Indian thosai. The aromatic spread was so delicious that we asked for more bread.
Textural contrasts loomed large in the creamy Hericium mushroom (monkey head mushroom) remoulade with cep powder, cleverly offset by a little “boat” of feuille de brick (lacy-satiny Tunisian pastry dough) bearing chopped Hericium mushroom, black garlic espuma and kaffir lime leaves.
If you’re not partial to century egg, perhaps the luscious quenelle of century egg ice cream might change your mind.
Served atop diced Hokkaido scallops with tiny coral horn-shaped gingerbread perched on a bed of diced century egg “white”, the exquisite ensemble aptly demonstrated the chef’s inventiveness.
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The cured red snapper tartare with salted longan jelly and Nashi pear reeled us in with its ephemeral, delicate nuances, subtly punctuated by the tongue-prickling zing of green Sichuan pepper emulsion.
Feather-light beignets with mussel parfait dial up the big, hearty flavour quotient before we dived into the vegetal sweetness of braised Chinese cabbage and steamed mussel topped with parsley oil and lumpfish roe.
The palate-refresher of Magnum sorbet – ice lollies of blended guava and kaffir lime leaves sheathed in a paper-thin red wine-infused coconut oil shell, dusted with sour plum powder and popping candy - evoked a touch of whimsy.
Aged for about six to 14 days with cognac and hay, the Butterworth-sourced duck (supplementary charge of RM75) had to be pre-ordered at least two days prior to our visit due to the painstaking preparation.
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Presented in a specially designed box filled with smoked hay at our tableside, the whole duck was then whisked away. Chunks of the juicy duck breast were subsequently served with fig gel, rehydrated figs in balsamic, pomme purée, and yuzu split jus. Now we understand why this speciality is Au Jardin’s mainstay.
The wild caught barracuda was another show-stopper, regaling us with its inherent sweetness. Accentuated by the light, clear flavours of watermelon radish, konbu, cilantro root emulsion and pandan oil, this dish left us craving for more.
Simple but no less enticing, the over-ripened William pear with Madagascan vanilla ice cream, tufts of vanilla sponge, sugarless meringue, canelé royale and brulée wrapped up our lunch on a sweet note.
Kudos to the friendly and meticulous service team as they anticipated and attended to our every need.
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Upon our departure, a portion of the hay-aged duck leg, together with the essential condiments and a card instructing us on its preparation was given to us in a nice takeaway box.
Replicating the dish at home later enabled us to relive our memorable dining experience at Au Jardin all over again.
The menu at Au Jardin changes monthly, and lunch and dinner offerings may differ. Do inform the chef about food restrictions.
Opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and food at her own expense.
Au Jardin
The Warehouse @ Hin Bus Depot
No.125, Jalan Timah
Georgetown
Penang
012-428 9594
Opening hours
Thursday to Sunday
Lunch: 11.30am-2.30pm
Dinner: 5pm-10pm
