PETALING JAYA, Aug 6 — A stone’s throw from the famed Ahwa Hokkien Mee in PJ Jalan 222 is B.Land PJ, one of the city’s trendier spots with restaurants and bars galore.
It’s where you’ll find Joon Dining, where Tyrell Joon, an alum of such institutions as Les Amis and Iggy’s in Singapore, is at the helm.
Opened just over a year ago by the team behind Rare the Food Company, the menu at Joon displays the culinary potential of matching exceptional produce and European culinary techniques, complemented by influences closer to home.
I’d been impressed during previous visits to Joon Dining for dinner, which is why when I learned that they’ve recently started serving lunch, I jumped at the opportunity.
For me, a workday lunch is often a rushed and forgettable affair, eaten alone.
This is why, in spite of my job, I am generally short on options when asked to pick a place for lunch with others, and always on the lookout for great lunch options.
Joon Dining offers a 3-course menu at RM48 and a 4-course menu at RM60, inclusive of a 10 per cent service charge, and it is where you’ll find one of the best bargains in town.
Both options begin with a bread course, a simple ciabatta roll with soft, whipped garlic lemon butter, followed by the option to make one selection from each section where applicable (starters, mains and desserts).
From the starters, my companion picked the Fungi, a dish that's also found on the dinner menu, though it's a slightly smaller portion for lunch.
In it were sauteed wild mushrooms and duck gizzards, topped with an onsen egg and balsamic creme.
I went with the decidedly Spanish-influenced dish of Baby Octopus cooked al ajillo style, served on a salad of crisp red cabbage, romaine, and red onions in a tangy lime dressing.
The menu stated that it would be a pomelo salad, but I was unable to spot any, which could be an accidental omission.
Still, there was much to enjoy about the two dishes.
The first highlighted the robust, earthy sensibilities of mushrooms and offal; the latter, a showcase of freshness: Springy octopus, wafer-thin slices of garlic in olive oil and strips of romaine and red cabbage with bits of cili padi tossed in a refreshing dressing, making for a welcome palate opener.
Mains are often where meals are made or broken, and Joon Dining duly impressed on both fronts.
The Mala Mongolian Lamb Ragout caught my eye, not only because of the name but also because the promise of crispy mini mantou proved difficult to resist.
Chunks of lamb, some still on the bone, arrived in a thick caramel-coloured sauce that was savoury, hearty and left a tingle on the tongue, just as its name suggests.
Smoothened out with the help of butter, this sauce exemplifies the marriage of European and Asian influences in their approach.
Crispy fried, sliced lotus root provide some much-needed textural contrast, while the irresistible mini mantous are the perfect vessels for mopping up the velvety sauce.
The lovely Lobster Pasta leaves a lasting impression, and consists of a whole wild-caught spiny lobster, perched on a bed of handmade fresh pasta, tossed in a kimchi-based sauce.
Lush and silky butter features in this sauce too, calling to mind a memorable sequence from the movie Julie and Julia in which Amy Adams as Julie Powell sums up how we all feel about the magical ingredient: " You can never have too much butter."
If you’re a little young for that reference, just picture Thomas Straker, the "All Things Butter” guy from TikTok.
Make no mistake, this is a dish rich in flavour and character, but it never borders on indulgence.
Instead, the kimchi keeps things nice and hot, almost effervescent, playing off the springy noodles and sweet lobster flesh with bravado.
There is also a spiny lobster pasta on the dinner menu, but they share little similarities save for the presence of said crustacean.
At the time of writing, this dish included a supplement of RM10, which is now RM18 after the dish has been upsized.
I was the only one to get dessert, and the Tart appealed most to me.
Encased in shortbread pastry, the lemon cheese curd is topped with some seasonal fruit - peach slices, blueberries and a candied lemon in my case, and is a delightful way to end the meal.
Joon Dining
Lot 1, B.Land PJ, 2, Jalan 51a/225, Seksyen 51a, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Open Monday to Saturday, 12-2pm, 6-11pm
Tel: 016-848 4257
https://www.instagram.com/joon.dining/
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