Mouth-watering 3-course set meals at Lumiére Restaurant

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Lumiére Restaurant is a cozy, passion-led, innovative dining establishment in the heart of George Town (on the same street as the famous Teochew cendol stall off Penang Road). Led by a husband and wife team, Chef Jackson Yee and general manager Eunice, the restaurant focuses on quality ingredients, fresh flavours and eye-arresting presentations.

Since its opening in June 2022, Lumiér's enticing offerings of French-infused cuisine with Asian flavours are set to do more than titillate your taste buds. It intends to steal your heart and fill it with fond memories. Thus, Lumiére is also an ideal choice to celebrate birthdays and special occasions.

Allow me to shed some light on the scrumptious 3-course set menu we had.

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

To begin the meal, there was an option of two starters – prawn tartare or wild mushroom soup. The prawn tartare had a well-balanced mix of flavours – diced prawns, finely chopped onions, tomatoes and fresh dill infused with a tangy lemon dressing. It was a good option to whet the appetite.

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

My daughter Jean had the aromatic wild mushroom soup that was full of flavour. Its textured broth was made with fresh wild button mushrooms, drizzled with some truffle oil. Crispy buttered toasts accompanied the hearty soup.

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

For the main course (six offerings available), I opted for the confit de canard (duck confit). According to Chef Jackson, the duck leg was given ample time to marinate in a rosemary salt infusion before being sous vide in fat for 24 hours under a very low heat (60 °C). Prior to serving, it was pan-fried till golden to create a crispy skin encasing truly melt-in-your-mouth meat. The dish was served with some roasted potatoes, fresh garden greens and orange slices. The balsamic vinegar and glazed berries harmonised the flavours beautifully. Such TLC was taken to prepare this classic French dish.

Confit comes from the French verb confire, which means "to preserve". Confit de canard is claimed by the people of Gascony in France. Even until today, their craze for confit de canard is still vibrantly strong as it is an incredibly versatile dish that tastes divine. It can be used cold in salads, added into classic French cassoulet or enriched pasta dishes.

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Back to the mains – if you love juicy, tender pork ribs, you have to order a serving of premium baby back ribs. The ribs were oven-baked on low heat and coated multiple times with a berry glaze before being topped with crushed pistachio nuts. These mouth-watering ribs that fell off the bone easily were served with roasted potatoes and fresh garden greens. My good friend Seang Kar was very pleased with his main course and vowed to return to sample more of Chef Jackson's delightful offerings.

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Another main course to consider was the sea bass with a macadamia nut-crusted skin. The pan-seared ocean delight was served on a bed of stir-fried Brussels sprouts with bacon, silky-smooth potato purée and a white wine butter sauce. My daughter enjoyed this dish very much and gave it two thumbs up.

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Seang Kar's son Shi En opted for the chicken roulade served with potato purée and stir-fried asparagus with shimeji mushrooms. The roulade, encasing an asparagus and mushroom filling, was wrapped with bacon strips and pan-fried till crispy. It was a wise decision that Chef Jackson used a chicken thigh in this dish as the succulent meat was truly tender and juicy.

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Other options on the menu for the mains were the premium short ribs, aged streak and lamb shank.

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

Lumiére Restaurant © Adrian Cheah

All the beautifully plated main courses we savoured were truly satisfying. To complete the meal, we were each served a glass of tiramisu infused with a touch of boozy Baileys Irish Cream, dusted generously with cocoa powder and topped with a gold leaf.

Besides the set meals, Lumiére also serves a la carte items including a hearty big breakfast, pastas, bangers and mash, even savoury nasi lemak with grilled lemongrass chicken.

The warm modern-chic interior is awash with vibrant vermillion on one wall and facing it, a faux grey slate wall. The open kitchen concept allows interested guests to take a close look at how meals are prepared.

It was wonderful meeting Chef Jackson and Eunice. Their warm hospitality made our meal special and memorable. I believe that a good meal should not he hurried. And since Chef Jackson and an assistant were the only ones manning the kitchen, this provided ample time for us to chat and catch up. It was good that I was in great company. With limited seats available, it is advisable to make prior reservations.

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Lumiére Restaurant
15, Lebuh Keng Kwee, George Town, 10100 George Town, Penang
Open 12:00 noon – 9:30 pm daily except Thursdays
T: +6017-542 3188

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Written and photographed by Adrian Cheah
© All rights reserved
2 September 2022