Italian cuisine has always associated with sophistication and classiness, which always been one of my favourite dishes. I was given the privilege to try out one of the fine Italian dining in Kuala Lumpur, in conjunction with my favourite festive season of the year, Christmas.
1). Favola literally means fable in Italian, it is located at Level 8 of one of the most prestige hotel in the heart of our capitol city.
2). The Crudo bar is decorated with painting from Renaissance's period, where the chefs prepared their cold appetizers.
3). The dining area able to seat in 75 persons. The private dining room is divisible into 2 with different themes and can accommodate up to 20 persons.
4). Wine is not to be left out during such occasion, so I ordered a house-pour glass of Tuscany Banfi Col di Sasso Cabernet Sangiovese vintage 2007. Honestly it is one of the best I've tasted, if not the best..
5). Antipasti is the Italian word for appetizer, literally means "before meal", can be anything from bread to cheese and butter. Three types of bread are served hot from the oven with three types of sauce for dipping at your own liking.
6). Antipasti can served in hot (caldi) or cold (freddo) dishes. Roasted scallops (RM55) is one of hot appetizer and signatured dish offered in the menu, where fresh scallops are roasted on top of meshed cauliflower and truffle. Biggest scallops I have eaten so far..
7). Favola also offers a wide range of dishes for Vegetarians as well. One of the signatured caldi antipasti is the Garlic and Thyme Roasted Portobello (RM35), where braised spinach topped with Lombardy Taleggio cheese and with Portobello mushrooms underneath it. Well, not everyone is herbivore though, I had my fair share of veggies throughout my vegetable boy life.
8). Primi, which means first course ranges from pasta dish, soup or a rich rice and butter dish called a risotto, can be served on its own before the main course. Risotto is a class of Italian dishes of rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. It is also the most common way of cooking rice in Italy. In this case, we decided to give our "virginity" to Risotto con Aragosta (RM50), where Italian rice is cooked with lobster, green asparagus, lemon zest, green pea foam, parmesan cheese, butter, and onion. Well, not my bowl of rice though, as it tasted like half-rice and half-porridge, unless you prefer "soft rice".
9). Second primi to come is the Venetian pizza, where thin crusted pizza is topped with lobster, scallops, prawns, calamari and clams, literally it meets seafood pizza. The pizza is freshly baked in pizza stove, where you can observe the chef in action by tossing the dough and tucking into the oven. The crust is so thin and crispy, topped with lots of Parmesan cheese. An a big fan of pizza, it is simply the best pizza I have tasted since Pizza Bagus in Bali, Indonesia 2 years ago!
10). Secondi means the second course in Italian. The main course usually features a protein dish such as meat, poultry, lamb or even fish, just like any other cuisines. Mutton has always been one of my favourite meat,as I give the Pot Roasted Lamb Shank (RM75) a try, topped with cilantro gremolata. Well, it turns out even better than the franchised cake shop's award-winning version.
11). Beef is must-order dish for me, being the only beef on menu, Charcoal Grilled Black Angus Ribeye Fiorentina (RM130) is the chosen one. A 340g of ribeye is grilled medium rare with lemon halves, natural salt and served with polenta cake and truffle mashed potato. However, it turn out to be a poor choice after all, as it was over-charred frankly speaking, with burnt aroma with every bite. Yikes, should have try their pasta or some other seafood instead.
12). Dolci is the word for dessert in Italian, where famous desserts are made, namely Gelato and Tiramisu We are told of a recipe which was given to the chef by a friend, and made him swear on a stack of ice cream that he would never reveal the recipe, which refers to Cassata (RM30), a traditional sweet from Sicily, Italy. It consists of sponge cake moistened with fruit juices and layered with rich Häagen Dazs Vanilla, Strawberry and Pistachio ice-cream, candied peel, pink and green pastel, and served with candied fruit depicting cherries and slices of citrus fruit characteristic of Sicily. It literally melts in your mouth, not on your spoon. A wonderful piece of ice-cream cake nonetheless! With Häagen Dazs around, what more I need to say?!
13). As I have stressed over and over again, a meal is never complte without its dessert. There should always be room for dessert and you should not miss the chance to taste the Illy inspired Tiramisu (RM40), a modern take on the traditional favourite with layers of soft sponge soaked in freshly brewed Illy coffee, panna cotta, mascarpone foam and topped with cookie croutons. This is really the surprise of the night, where the chocolate shavings explodes in our mouths and we really loved and enjoy it!
14). We were presented with a small cup of Mini Pandolce Tiramisu, which is the miniature version of Illy inspired Tiramisu. It looks similar and it tasted almost the same, with the Tiramisu filling.
15). Last but not least, the finale to a satisfying meal comes with a decent mouth washer, where you are given the choice with Illy Coffee Selection of Ronnefeldt Tea and Coffee and served with Home made Pistachio Biscott. What an enjoyable and relaxing dinner I had, thrilled with anticipation and stomach-fulled with food. Not only does the food speak for itself, the spirit of dining is characterised by playful indulgence, togetherness and comfort to create the warmth and spirit of an Italian cuisine. Definitely my choice of Italian restaurant! Being a Starwood Prefered Guest, exclusive dining benefits can be enjoyed here when you present the membership card to the staff there. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.lemeridiendining.com.my/index.php?mid=28. Buona appetito!
Favola Italian Restaurant
Location : Level 8, Le Méridien Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Address : No.2, Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral,
50470 Kuala Lumpur.
Operation hours : Daily Lunch (except Saturday) : 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm
Daily Dinner : 6.30 pm to 11 pmTel : 03-22637434
e-mail : dining.lmkl@lemeridien.com
No comments:
Post a Comment