Opened by fourth-generation winemaker Florian Paul Raymond, La Cave is a small but welcoming enclave where wine enthusiasts can find a range of labels that are relatively uncommon to KL. La Cave – which also means ‘cellar’ in French – makes the most of its half-lot space by having an abundance of light-coloured wood panels, four-tier wine racks along the walls from front to back, and polished wall mirrors that give off the illusion of space. And it works – never once did we feel crowded in, and it helps that the bar has a strict no-smoking policy.
While there’s a wide range of French wines, Florian, of course, recommends his family’s artisanal Fiesta label from Madiran, France. Plus, there are also plenty of New and Old World wines that make up the 250-odd labels available here. The prices range from an affordable RM75 to over RM500 a bottle (Fiesta retails at RM90), although spending RM130-RM180 a bottle will promise you a very fine night out. And because Florian is also a wine importer, he’s able to keep prices at reasonable levels; very worth it considering the quality that you get here. Don’t worry if most of the labels are unfamiliar – chances are they will be – the owner is on hand to act as sommelier, recommending the right wines according to what you’ve had before.
To keep things interesting, the house pours change each time a bottle is emptied out – the rule here is that the last person to empty out the last house pour bottle gets to pick the next one. Besides that, there’s also a selection of French cheeses (RM15/40g), home-made terrines and patés served with crusty bread that will keep you here for a good couple of hours.