“I am a dreamer. I know so little of real life that I just can’t help re-living such moments as these in my dreams, for such moments are something I have very rarely experienced. I am going to dream about you the whole night, the whole week, the whole year.”
– Fyodor Dostoyevsky
We would visit Fritz when we lived in Kuala Lumpur. Every weekend until COVID shut it down. A drink in the bar before classic French cooking. In the historic WOLO building, it was a stunning setting for dining.
Throwback to the WOLO days –
COVID killed a lot of things: people, common sense, and Fritz. A Starbucks now occupies the WOLO building. Bad enough we lost Fritz, but to see it replaced with a commercial chain selling terrible coffee is tough to think about.
Fritz was part of the Troika dining group. Feugo’s is the flagship, along with Strato, Mr Chew’s, and the now-defunct Canteloupe. When Canteloupe shut, Fritz rose from the dead.
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson.
We always take the early table. Arrive early for a cocktail at the bar. A whiskey sour for Shell, I take an Old Fashioned.
Next, some champagne, NV Bollinger by the glass will do nicely. Shell gets a huge pour, and I am looking at the black label on the bottle. I am certain NV Bollinger has the white label. The waiter pauses while Shell takes a few sips and then empties the bottle.
They open a fresh bottle for me, and there is the white label. I ask to see Shell’s empty bottle – 1996 Reserve Bollinger. The bottle was opened at lunch and not finished.
I get a standard pour of the NV. Shell seems quite pleased with how things have played out.
“Champagne arrived in flûtes on trays, and we emptied them with gladness in our hearts… for when feasts are laid and classical music is played, where champagne is drunk once the sun has sunk and the season of summer is alive in spicy bloom, and beautiful women fill the room, and are generous with laughter and smiles”
– Roman Payne
We had planned to sit on the balcony but the sun is setting and it is far too hot. We are shifted inside. The sun pour in through the windows and the temperature is perfect. Shell looks stunning. I am under dressed and barely passable.
We order a Chablis and a Chenin Blanc to go with our anchovies on toast. The Chablis is the pick so we order a second glass to have with the escargot. The anchovies are salty and taste of the sea. The snails are drenched in butter and garlic – delicious.
We order a bottle of Beaujoulais to go with our main, duck roasted on the crown for two. There is some theatre, the duck carved off the crown at the table. Served with purée de pommes de terre, which is more butter than potato.
The duck is delicious – the Morgon outstanding.
The sun sets and we move to the balcony for desert. Shell goes with the Crème Brûlée and the kitchen offers us a complimentary Crêpes Suzette.
Fritz is no longer in the WOLO, which means it will never be the place when spent so many evenings, but it is still serving incredible French food. The service is excellent and if you time it right, the ’96 Reserve Bollinger is poured to the brim.
“Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being.”
