Saturday, December 29, 2012
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This is by far the most expensive dining experience I've ever encountered!
And since it is a fine dining, it deserves a proper review.
All I could do is either "YUMMY" or "YUCKY".
It wouldn't do Il Lido justice with my brief opinion.
So.. I'm proud to present here Kayvin's review on il lido's dishes.
Kayvin has got years and years of experience in cooking as a chef offshore,
and he has done plenty of write ups about food and cooking.
So all the below are his comments.
Nothing is mine.
The only thing is mine are the photos.
All captured using Canon EOS 1100D by yours truly.
Hope Kayvin's review helps in those interested to try out Il Lido.
It's like sipping Tabasco sauce every sip. Sub the celery for olives?
Riesling Gissel (RM 180)
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| Bloody Mary (RM 29) |
Not-ever-recommended interpretation of bloody mary...
Focaccia is flat oven-baked Italian bread.
It is similar in style and texture to pizza.
I do not see flatness in the Il Lido's Rosemary Focaccia.Crust and bread is too chewy.
Texture is like a harden version of our Malaysian "mah lai kou".
A bread should always taste like a bad not otherwise.
Seared tuna crusted with pepper. An okay little mouthful with the right amount
of acidity and crunch. Fits like a toothpick but well, it was on the house.
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| Mushroom Soup (RM 28) |
Mushroom Soup with paper thin shavings of black truffles.
The earthiness of the truffles compliments the soup but it’s a
no go for the accompanying croutons. Overcooked leftover rosemary
foccacia does not bode well after the first spoonful.
Baby Spinach with Goat cheese and red berries.
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| Spinach Salad (RM 35) |
Colour wise, it is safe to say it does look appealing visually.
Goat cheese is proportioned generously.
Savory goat cheese lacks the crumble to be married well
to the sad to say commonly dressed baby spinach and rockets(again) .
The burst of the red berries though brings forth a pleasant sweet acidity
to drag the combination a little closer to tingle one's taste buds.
Spider Crab Flan with Light Saffron Broth:
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| Spider Crab Flan (RM 38) |
Crispy but not greasy with a really light yet tantalizing
saffron broth made from crayfish shells and saffron delicately paired
and either one accepts each other rather than overpowering.
Best taken when the broth is still piping hot.
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| Carpaccio (RM 36) |
Beef Carpaccio with Rucola and ‘Vacche Rosse’ Parmigiano Cheese.
Lightly pounded beef served lightly dressed rocket leaves
and baby spinach salad was too lightly tossed.
Could use another good drizzle of olive oil. The way too generous
cheese shavings may seem to compensate the peppery rocket
and baby spinach but i does mask the true essence of beef carpaccio.
Making the beef and its freshness a hero not concealing
behind the sharp cheese. Beef was fresh though and properly pounded.
An asian take of the beef carpaccio is a simple drizzle of light asian soy
with oil infused with a hint of garlic and lemon grass.
Wagyu Beef Cheek with Caramelized Root Vegetables:
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| Beef Cheek (RM 58) |
The slow cooked wagyu beef cheek is indeed a well deserved magic on a fork.
Caramelized carrot, potato and onion is done to a commendable perfection.
the slightly sweet reduction pulls the whole dish together.
A suggestion will be for the cooked beef cheeks to be slightly seared off
for a more appealing aroma and impact in the presentation.
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| Quail (RM 65) |
Quail cooked jut nicely with a pink hue.
The goose liver stuffing is basically too cliché.
Goose liver like foei gras should be cooked comme il faut ,
cooked as itself with a pink hue center and caramelized exterior.
It does sit uneasily on the tongue. The quail does need help in the event of the
pairing sauce to lift it to another level. If black truffles are being used as a pairing,
it’s best to add a little acidity to counteract the mellowness of the dish.
Not bad tasting on the whole.
Chitarrugi in spicy tomato sauce and half a lobster.
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| Chitarrugi (RM 128) |
RM 128 not well spent. Pasta is a perfect el dente with tomato sauce
laced with seafood broth. Lobster is halved, claws cooked ok.
But the tail is raw. If I want raw lobster it will be sashimi... not a raw lobster tail .
Color does impact as it's too red. Another alternative is if they could
incorporate the lobster into Thai’s red lobster curry with a
mango salsa and garnish of coriander. Can't cook a lobster well,
switch to fresh water langoustine instead. Still at dismay over the price.
A weird way of presenting. Could have gone with the tails of
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| Risotto Crayfish (RM 48) |
crayfish only arranged in a half fan wise in the center for a more positive
effect not like this. Stock is heavy but the aborrio rice is way off el dente...
Harder than anticipated...despite a warm mouth fill, my jaws
require some muscling to get through the remains.
A first tomato based mushroom ragu.....
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| Burrata Agnolott (RM 38) |
burata filling should be meltingly stringy but taste like an overcooked cheese gel.
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| Cheese Platter (RM 39) |
Crisps accompanying the cheese platter is pretty hard and floury to handle.
Orange marmalade with a slight hint of ginger is too watery for the crisps
but with a little help; it can be great accompanying sauce for maybe a
pan seared duck breast. Caramelized onion jam is acceptable and
pleasing on the palate; a pretty good condiment to pair with roasted pork chop.
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| Pannacotta (RM 22) |
Vanilla Pannacotta with Red Berries: Visual and impact as
Chef Gordon Ramsay always quote; this dish is plated close to
perfection. the Pannacotta is fragrant with the infused vanilla.
El dente on the outside , creamy dreamy on the inside, the
pannacotta itself is well complimented with the accompanying
blueberries, halved strawberries, red raspberries and the berry and
orange reduction . Accompanying mint, edible flowers and candied
orange peel(need a little sweetness); makes this the best among the lots we had!
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| Brulee (RM 25) |
consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting
layer of hard caramel (usually obtained through torching of sugar sprinkled
on top of the custard). The Il Lido's version came i ramekins that are
too shallow. so by the time the caramelized top is still lukewarm, the dessert
is entirely cold. A proper crème brulee should be hot on top contrasting to the
warm center and a cool finish. A good creme brulee need not be made
into 4 different flavors; just a single vanilla and honey creme brulee with
it’s sinfully cracking caramel. The texture itself is on the custard type....
it should be somewhat more most. The shortcut in cooking the crème brulee
is without a hot water bath to retain the moisture and I believed it has happened to these brulees.
