Maillard Grill: Are their beef wellington better than Gordon Ramsay's?

Ever since I learned about beef wellingtons on telly thanks to the antics of a screaming chef in a kitchen called Gordon Ramsay, I have been obsessed about trying them out. The first opportunity I got was when I dined at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in Sunway. Suffice to say, the experience let me down and I was hungry to try out other variations.

One such establishment was a place called “Maillard Grill”. Pronounced “mai-yard”, which basically means the Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction that occurs when amino acids and reducing sugars are heated, resulting in the production of melanoidins, which give browned food its distinctive flavor. That is what you want when cooking meats, particularly steak.

Tucked away in Damansara Heights, the restaurant felt dark but still cosy. We were seated into an area which seemed private but had these ridiculous seats which were too long. Basically, it was like one of those sofas if you were to lean back, you would probably be almost lying down. The menu was pretty basic with most cuts of meat available on a blackboard which they would wheel over to you.

After choosing what we thought to be the best choices in the restaurant, we wait for our food to arrive. Mind you, these prices aren’t exactly the most budget of options but if I were to compare them against the prices at Gordon Ramsay, it was quite close.

One of the things that are normally served at steakhouses were the house bread. To me, although simple, it really sets the tone for the night. Do the staff take into consideration of the condition of the bread, is it at the best temperature, is the accompanying butter the right fit for this type of bread. In this case, it was a huge disappointment. Bread felt cold and hard and its not something that I would ask for a refill.

Crispy smoked duck, tobiko, mustard-soy aoili, cheese (RM32)

The potato croquette was nice, it has both the crispy exterior and a nice soft interior. No complaints about the taste but only the price. At RM32 for 5, I think it was a little pricy for the overall package. Would I order it again, probably yes.

Triple-cooked fries, pecorino romano (RM22)

We ordered fries because my son wanted fries. Just that it came in the exact opposite, that is no fry. Those are giant potatoes, larger than wedges but described as a fry. This was great and my son loved it. I had one and it was really good, a great crispy exterior without sacrificing the softness of the potato inside.

When you have steak, you got to have the sides. The typical choice for me would always be mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Both came in superbly small services where there is barely any to be shared. I guess my expectations were short lived and it was a disappointment for me. To charge me RM22 for mashed potato which was just barely passable from both taste and texture, I could have gone without them.

Initially I thought that this being a steakhouse, I would expect some great steaks. This came out and I was like “meh”. The lack of a nice crust and the lack of flavour from it even though they say it is aged, this was another disappointment. I would rather go elsewhere and get a nice picanha cut for the same price and enjoy it even more.

The main course of the night, the reason why I was there, the beef wellington. First impressions, its way bigger in real life compared to the photo. Its huge. Way bigger than what you get from Gordon Ramsay’s. Secondly, it was cooked, so everything is nice and hot, unlike what you get where they will bring it around in a cart, cut a slice and then leave. You know the scene where Gordon Ramsay touches the beef wellington before it goes out to customers and if it isn’t warm, he throws it back. Yeah I wanted to throw his own wellingtons back at him. In this case, it was nice and hot. Taste-wise, all I can say that it is ok. It wasn’t really outstanding as the cut of meat didn’t have enough flavour in it considering they say that it is wagyu but that only gets you a nice tender cut. The mushroom duxelle wasn’t too bad and the pastry was good. A good mixed feeling all in a single bite.

Conclusion

Would I return again? After having spent more than RM600 there, I really do have second thoughts about returning there again. Usually if the food was great, I would definitely return. In this case, nah, it was a whole mix of feelings and taste that I just can’t find a reason to return and try out other dishes.