Cantaloupe @ Troika Sky Dining

Its taken more than a year for Troika Sky Dining to clamber from conception to consummation, but this shimmering 24th-floor venue warranted the wait, kicking off 2013 with a resounding bang that connoisseurs citywide will surely hear & cheer.

Spearheaded by Chris Bauer & Eddie Chew, the erstwhile guiding lights for Changkats Frangipani, Troika Sky Dining scored with a splashy housewarming soiree on New Years Eve, a prelude to its official opening expected by weeks end.

For now, the linchpin of this level is Cantaloupe, Troika Sky Dinings main hall for dining & wining. Two more under-speculation sections _ Italian supper spot Strato & watering hole Claret _ might be unleashed before January takes its leave.

Cantaloupes menu remains under wraps, but its Dec. 31 dinner provided a peek at the kitchens potential sensibilities: Fine de Claire oysters with Japanese cucumber jelly & anchovy cream; chorizo-dusted scallops with parsley foam & ancho chili oil ...

... flash-grilled red wine poached filet mignon with parsley noodles; 24-hour-cooked pigeon, chicken & foie gras terrine with pigeon jus ganache & chestnuts ...

... pan-roasted gurnard with bouillabaise croquette, marinated olives & ratatouille, as well as cantaloupe sorbet & Thai basil ice cream.

Classic cocktails: Clover Club, Negroni & Vesper Martini, RM30++ each.

Troikas triumvirate triumphant? In 2012, Acme Bar & Coffee captured Time Out KLs Best New Restaurant laurels, while last month, Kampachi launched here to unanimous acclaim; it might be culinary conjecture so far, but Troika Sky Dining could prove this buildings crown jewel.

Too early to plan where to usher in 2014? Probably, but heres what might be in store.

Troika Sky Dining,
Level 23A, Tower B, The Troika, Persiaran KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.