Favola @ Le Meredian, KL

To celebrate Barry's birthday, 

I've arranged for a dinner at Favola, Le Meredian. 

It is an Italian Restaurant with creative renaissance era setting,

the environment there is just purrrfect! 

With my advance booking and request, they placed us in a

cozy rounded sofa seating at the back for a more peaceful dinner..

... and to take more photos without embarrassment! *now call me genius!*

They welcome us with breads that looked really hard,

but oh boy, it was soft and warm inside!

Served with three dips, we were pretty stuffed even before

we started with our appetizer!

Barry particularly like the bread stick!

Zuppa di Funghi Calabrese

Assorted mushrooms cooked in milk with garlic rustic bread and Swiss cheese

The mushroom soup is thick and with small chunks of mushrooms.
It was really good. The rustic bread is quite unusual as mushroom soup is
usually paired with garlic bread. But it was a not-bad combination
and we truly enjoyed our appetizer.

Being a mushroom soup lover, I feel that Favola's version
is compatible with ones served at Dome or even Levain. Yuhmmmm....

Seared Jumbo Sea Scallop with Mushroom and Truffle

These scallop... yuhmmmm... big and juicy!

Seared to perfection with my favourite mushroom, 

with bits of truffles on top, it's a dish that make us begging for more.

The mushroom may be a little salty by itself,

but to eat it with the scallop, the taste really compliments each other.

These jumbo scallops reminds me of the huge scallops

Kayvin ordered all the way from Japan!

Check this out!

Beef lasagna

Traditional beef Bolognese with chunky wagyu beef cheeklayered 

with fresh pasta, cheese crust and truffle oil.

Unlike the normal lasagna with thick layer of pasta

in between small tiny chunks of minced beef, the lasagna served

in Favola is mind blowing! (wow.. obvious exaggeration) 

But this dish is truly amazing - I love how the beef balognese taste,

so rich in taste of tomato and herbs. Baked with thin layer of pasta 

in between and topped with cheese crust. 

How could one resist this dish in Favola?!!

2 scoops of Italian gelato

Gelato! (reminds me of the minions)

Illy inspiredTiramisu

Layers of soft sponge soaked in freshly brewed Illy coffee, 

panna cotta, mascarpone foam and topped with cookie croutons 

and the Cassata made with rich Häagen Dazs Vanilla, 

Strawberry and Pistachio ice-cream.

Barry's birthday cake comes in a form of Favola's signature dessert, the tiramisu. 

After a hearty meal, and I'm glad the birthday boy enjoyed it,
we both stroll along the pool for more photos!

Happy Birthday again old man!

We've known each other for almost 9 years now, I guess?

It has been very comforting knowing that you'll always be around

when I rise, when I fall, and mostly... when I'm hungry.

Every year I would wish you the same, THE BEST in everything you do,

but this year I'd like to emphasize that you have THE BEST OF HEALTH.

Coz that's the most valuable treasure one could possess.

May you have a blessed year ahead!

Address: Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, 2 Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 

50470 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone:+60 3-2263 7888

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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.






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Allegro Cafe @ SS15, Subang Jaya

17th November 2012

Yay! Food blogging again!

This is actually my 3rd visit to Allegro Cafe, a cozy little Italian restaurant.

This shop is kinda hidden in the row of shop opposite Little Bally Cafe.

Look out for a yellow signboard at the first floor with a little balcony facing front.

Once you stepped in, it gives a very warm and cosy feeling.

It's just a small little restaurant to cater less than 40 pax.

But it's a nice place to chill, and sit back after meal.

The ambient of the Italian restaurant

The mirror image

The traditional looking menu

As the menu offers whole lot of selection of pasta, pizza, main courses, desserts etc,

we seek for one of the chinese supervisor's recommendation.

Barry ordered carbonara but he said one of their signature pasta is almost

the same as carbonara but it's with wild mushroom, and without egg, so the sauce is thicker.

I was like "SAY WHAT?!! WILD MUSHROOMS?!! OH YESSS!!!"

So we ordered the recommended Tagliatelle with Wild Mushroom.
The sauce is thick, flavorful, cheesy, and makes me wanting more!
Definitely one of the best carbonara-type pasta I've tasted!

 

homemade flat noodles cooked with mushroom, cheese and herbs (RM 28)

I ordered my usual Lamb Shank. Wouldn't miss it in every visit!

Option of pasta or salad as side for the braised lamb.

The lamb shank is tender, and the gravy is yummylicious!



lamb shank braised to tenderness (RM 32)

Vince was summoned to order pizza, and so this salmon lover got us Smoked Salmon pizza.

However, among all the dishes we ordered, this pizza is a disappointment.

It is almost tasteless and the salmon is such a waste to be used this way.

Next time try the Quattro Stagioni pizza.

I've tried it, it was good - but bear in mind that it has beef bacon and pepperoni on it.



slices of smoked salmon, onion and rosemary (RM 30)

For desserts, we were recommended Zabaione which

has egg white foam and a little bit of wine on it.

The taste of wine is not as strong as expected, but there is a wine aroma in it.

Scoop in deeper and you'll find yourself vanilla ice cream

to blend in with the foam and choco powder.



Zabaione - egg meringue flavored with Marsala wine or coffee served with vanilla ice cream (RM 12)

We also ordered the old-fashioned dessert - the tiramisu!

It took them around 20 minutes to serve the tiramisu after clearing our tables.

They might have forgotten about our order.

Not a big fan of tiramisu, to me it taste nice, but doesn't get my taste bud tingling.



homemade layers of sponge fingers and Mascarpone cheese (RM 13)

Bernard, Vince, Joyce & Barry @ Allegro Cafe

Verdict :-

Food : 4 / 5

(smoked salmon pizza not up to par)

Ambiance : 4.5 / 5

Service : 3.5 / 5

(having trouble communicating with one of the waiter 

and our tiramisu has been completely forgotten from the order chit)

Price : 4 / 5

(Total bill of RM150++ including coffee and mushroom soup,

the portion is quite small for the price paid)

Address :-

Allegro Cafe

11A, 1st floor,

Jalan SS15 / 4,

47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor

Tel : 03-5631 5682

Had a yummylicious dinner on my birthday eve

with these good men!!!

* xoxo *

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