Magenta is the premier restaurant in Kuching, nestled in a private alcove off a little side street. This eating establishment has been in operation for about a year, and it has a reputation for fine dining.
The private car park leads up to a cozy wooden structure, all very nicely decorated in a subtle yet elegant manner, nothing loud or vociferous here.
Subtlety is the key in Magenta. Elegance and subtlety.
The ambience inside is very warm, with ample space between the various seating arrangements and a waiter waiting to greet you at the door. Excellent service all the way, I was very impressed.
The other thing I like is that Magenta does not pack the area with tables and chairs for maximum profit like other eating establishments out there, but leaves ample room between tables. The decor is nicely done too...it exudes a feeling of warm appreciation.
I had a mango smoothie which was very thick and they don't skimp on the fruits. We also had several rounds of this foreign beer I can't remember. It's RM 15 but the beer really pampers your taste buds with after notes of honey.
Spit-roasted Soy-marinated Prawn Tail on roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Coulis (RM 20)
This is the starter dish that we shared. Actually, we just ate from everyone's plate so that we could try everything. The prawn tail is good, but it's nothing to write home about.
Linguine with Seafood in a White Wine sauce with Garlic, Chilli and Cilantro (RM 26)
The linguine is one of our mains - it's excellent, the pasta is done al dente, with generous portions of mussels, squid, cuttlefish and prawns. The dish is sprinkled with oregano, a nice touch and what seems to be the signature of the chef here.
Orecchiette with Tomatoes, Prawns and Parmesan Cheese (RM 25)
This Puglian pasta dish looks simple, but it tastes very good. It has a nice home-cooked Italian flavor and the sauce and grated Parmesan cheese works very well with it. Jesus, I'm starting to get pretentious in my food reviews. ;)
Duck Leg Confit & Shredded Duck Breast with Honey Wine Jus and Creamy Tagliatelle Pasta (RM 46)
This duck leg confit is recommended by the chef...and I was certainly not disappointed. It's a great main course, the duck is cooked well and retains its natural flavors. The duck leg portion is generous too and it does not have the rubbery texture of badly done duck. Highly recommended!
Magenta is a great place for fine dining and the food is great. The chef comes out at times to speak with the patrons and the service is excellent - right from the start where the waiter unfolds the serviette for you to the generous allowance they provide the patrons (we were rather boisterous). The bill came up to RM 200+ and it's well worth it for a place of this magnitude. Magenta gets two thumbs up from me - I haven't seen a better fine dining place in Kuching.
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