Perched on the 56th floor of Menara PETRONAS 3 in Kuala Lumpur’s densely populated skyscraper area is Marble 8.
The eatery is swanky and sprawling with a panoramic bird’s eye view of the city forming a large part of its aesthetic appeal. The restaurant is a member of the Marini Group’s clutch of salubrious eateries that also includes flagship restaurant Marini’s On 57 (one floor above Marble 8), as well as Spanish eatery Mesa.
When founder Modesto Marini first opened Marble 8 in 2014, the eatery was in rarefied company. There were few dedicated steakhouses in the city and as a result, Marble 8 stood out like a beacon in the night.
Over the years though, steakhouses have flourished in the Klang Valley and competition has stiffened. In the KLCC area alone, there are now at least three renowned steakhouses where Marble 8 once dominated the market. And yet, Marini says the competition has only fed his appetite to continue to elevate Marble 8 and ensure its relevance in an increasingly saturated market.
“Competition has definitely grown over the years, and I see that as a positive. It pushes everyone to keep improving, and it gives diners more reasons to appreciate quality. At the end of the day, we don’t spend much time looking at what others are doing.
“If you stay true to your standards and continue to evolve, there’s always room for you, even in a competitive market.
“We’ve been here for over a decade, and that longevity comes from earning our guests’ trust, not chasing the competition,” says Marini.
Steaks are the central highlight at Marble 8 and always have been, and Marini works hard to ensure guests get the best. He works with a trusted independent supplier in Australia and every piece of wagyu and Angus at the eatery is halal-certified.
Marini personally hand-picks each cut himself and is particular about traceability, provenance and the origins of each meat.
The beef arrives bone-in, which means the team is able to oversee the ageing process themselves in their custom-built ageing cellar where each cut is either dry-aged or wet-aged for a minimum of 21 days.
Ageing helps break down resilient muscle fibres in beef, ensuring tenderness and more intense flavour profiles are extracted.
The difference between dry-ageing and wet-ageing is that the former exposes the beef to controlled air, thus keeping moisture out and locking flavour in.
Wet-ageing on the other hand, seals the meat in its own juices, which helps tenderise it faster and sustain succulence.
Despite gaining a name for its beef, the restaurant is an all-rounder in terms of the wideness of what it has to offer.
To start, you could opt for the Bone Marrow (RM148) which features roasted Wagyu bone marrow served with parmesan chips and shaved truffles.
The highlight here is the bone marrow, which has been roasted to pliancy and submission.
You’ll get a lightly golden crust that then submits to incredibly unctuous, cholesterol-busting, hedonistically slippery soft bone marrow.
The dish doesn’t come with a warning but it should because addiction is virtually guaranteed here.
Next up, indulge in a pasta dish in the form of the Wagyu Bolognese (RM108).
The meal is made up of house-made tagliatelle pasta with wagyu ragout and Parmesan cheese that has been aged for 32 months.
The tagliatelle is smooth and unblemished, its tensile strength gently yielding and permissive as opposed to hardy and chewy.
This is accentuated by a stand-out beef ragout – its richness penetrating every fibre and molecule of the pasta and giving it life, body and incredible heft.
The parmesan isn’t there just for display – it serves a well-intentioned purpose, offering briny contrast and a dash of rusticity to finish off the meal.
The big-ticket items in a meal here are undoubtedly the steaks. And in this regard, the dry-aged Tenderloin on the Bone (RM428 for 350g) does not disappoint.
Tenderloin is one of the holy trinity of premium cuts and is known for its tenderness and succulence. This particular cut is one of Marble 8’s exclusive cuts, simply because tenderloin is rarely served on the bone.
Served medium rare, the meat boasts a beautiful crust that segues into flesh that has a perfect blush of raspberry pink running through every slice.
On the palate, the beef is hearty and naturally robustly flavoured with a slightly smoky underbelly and sublime tenderness gilding every mouthful.
Another steak option worth indulging in is the Black Angus Cajun Ribeye (RM288 for 350g).
The wet-aged beef has a potent edge, courtesy of the Cajun inspired dry rub edging its outer core.
The meat meanwhile is exquisite – incredibly juicy and malleable with an intoxicating succulence running through its core.
All the meats are meant to be paired with a complimentary sauce and diners can choose from a wide range including bearnaise, chimichurri, mushroom ragout, beef jus with shiraz, and peppercorn sauce, to name a few.
Of what’s on offer, the chimichurri offers a lightly spicy, herbaceous counterpoint to the meal while the peppercorn sauce is a peppery, potent operator that adds verve to its bovine companion.
You can also opt to pimp your meal with a range of side dishes like the Creamed Spinach (RM38) or Baked Portobello Mushrooms with Garlic and Chilli Salsa (RM38).
The spinach is honest-to-God good – intensely creamy and milky with buttery undertones, spinach lacing every bite and shavings of cheese to accentuate the experience.
The mushrooms meanwhile are plump and voluptuous with a spicy salsa riding astride for a fiery lick of glamour and heat, the way a well-placed leather jacket can change a person’s entire look.
End your meal with the wonders of the Classic Tiramisu (RM48). Served with mascarpone cheese, this is a lovely edition of tiramisu – one that straddles all the flavours of this classic Italian dish with aplomb, serving up a caffeine-loaded treat with a creamy underbelly and hedonism embedded into its core configuration.
While Marini says Marble 8 has continued to evolve with the times, his commitment to retaining standards remains the same from the day he first opened the restaurant over 12 years ago. That’s after all, what has kept the restaurant in business for over a decade.
“Diners today are far more knowledgeable and well-travelled than they were a decade ago. Many have experienced some of the world’s best steakhouses, so they know what quality looks like. They’re asking more questions about provenance, traceability, ageing and even the different cuts of beef, which I think is a very positive development. It challenges us to maintain the highest standards.
“So for me, it’s about continuing to build on what we’ve established rather than reinventing it. Marble 8 has earned its reputation through consistency, and that’s something we never take for granted,” says Marini.
