il lido italian dining @ jalan yap kwan seng, KL

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.

 

Riesling Gissel (RM 180)

Bloody Mary (RM 29)

It's like sipping Tabasco sauce every sip. Sub the celery for olives?

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.



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.



Spinach Salad (RM 35)

Baby Spinach with Goat cheese and red berries.

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 (RM 38)

Spider Crab Flan with Light Saffron Broth: 

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.

 



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.



Beef Cheek (RM 58)

Wagyu Beef Cheek with Caramelized Root Vegetables: 

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.



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 (RM 128)

Chitarrugi in spicy tomato sauce and half a lobster.

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.



Risotto Crayfish (RM 48)

A weird way of presenting. Could have gone with the tails of

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.

 



Burrata Agnolott (RM 38)

A first tomato based mushroom ragu.....

burata filling should be meltingly stringy but taste like an overcooked cheese gel.

 



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.



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!



Brulee (RM 25)

Crème brulee is also known as burnt cream, is a dessert

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.