Il Padrino. UOA Building, Jalan Dungun, KL. Swim With The Sharks or Sleep With The Fishes.

(non halal)

Don Vito Corleone, Michael Corleone and Luca Brasi. Released in 1972, Godfather the movie, remained deeply ingrained in my young, impressionable mind when I watched it ages ago. The lexicon used in the movie has been assimilated deeply into the American mind and culture while winning a lot of awards along the way. Quotes like "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse", "I don't like violence, Tom. I'm a businessman. Blood is a big expense" and "It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.", have worked their way into daily American language.

Filled with violent whackings and creating a huge fan club of Mafia worshipers in awe of dark, powerful underworld figures having a finger in every pie, from drugs to prostitutes and politics with their own code of ethics. Well, the ethics part is debatable. A lot of books have been written about Philosophical reflections on "Godfather" of both the Book (by Mario Puzo) and the Movie (Script by Copolla and Puzo). The central theme of the books will be Moral Agnosticism and Kantian Aesthetics, i.e. why do we find such immoral people so fascinating and is it right for us to be fascinated? Again, I digress. This is not a philosophy blog.


Damansara Heights, home of the lofty corporate figures and well heeled politicians. I have yet to explore this area fully, and yet Boo_licious, Cumi and Ciki and Sean had been to Il Padrino, which prompted me to punch in UOA building in my GPS (a Godsend, for blur heads like me). After a short drive in a relatively uncongested Sunday Night traffic, I arrived without any wrong turns and exits. It was really easy to locate.

Parking was relatively easy at night, but can imagine that it would be hell during office hours due to the large number of offices located in that area.


The name Il Padrino means Godfather in Italian, and the owners of this restaurant are probably great fans of this movie. Pictures of Marlon Brando playing the role of Don Corleone adorned the walls of this restaurant and also the menu. The restaurant itself is fairly pleasant, high ceilings, and open kitchen (which is the trend among Italian Restaurants in KL nowadays). The bottles in the bar are illuminated from below and stands out as the centerpiece of the whole restaurant.

The theme is glossy and industrial with high chairs spilling out to the chromed steeled balcony accompanied by high tables. In general, the ambiance of the place was fairly pleasant. There wasn't a large crowd there on a Sunday night, and the noise level was pleasantly low. I sat at the balcony/terrace and it was beautifully breezy and pleasant.


I started off with the Ravioli di spinaci (Spinach Ravioili) and Il Padrino served it with Sage and butter which is the Lombardy version of this beautiful pasta. It may be served with Ragu Sauce, or Tomato based sauce and there is even a cheeseless Jewish version. The Ravioli I had was al dente and the filling was well sealed. Spinach and Ricotta dominated the taste of the filling and the Sage flavoured sauce was rather rich but satisfying. Luckily there were only 6 pieces of Ravioli, which was probably the maximum I can handle at a single sitting.


For mains I had the Pan fried Chicken Breast with Buffalo Mozzarella served with Asparagus and Balsamic Reduction. The moisture in the breast was well sealed during frying. Good, but not exceptional.

This is a worrying trend for diners in KL, market driven restaurants with an emphasis on casualness and affordability may make the restaurants go down the road of being unadventurous and boring. The menu is generally safe and faultless, probably appealing to the occasional diners.

After reading Nic's post on La Strada in Singapore I realized something was missing here. I wished there there was some opulence and imagination in the menus of Italian restaurants here in KL to cater for the slightly more discerning or jaded diner. Don't get me wrong. The Italian Restaurants here are generally good. But how many Trattoria inspired restaurants do you need in a city? How many wood fired Pizzerias can the square kilometer of the Golden Triangle accomodate? Where's the cannoli?

The food at Il Padrino was good but the food failed to dazzle. It has not realised it's full potential despite having all the necessary settings for ascension to greater heights. Great location in an affluent neighborhood, beautiful ambiance and interior and a team of wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable staff.

They too have opted to swim with the sharks to avoid landing on the seabed and sleeping with the fishes. They too have taken the safe road. It's understandable that after investing so much money in a venture, the main worry is to recoup the investment and get some profit for their effort. But how about offering the choice to diners? Pasta with shaved truffles at a different price for a start?


For dessert, I had sfogliante di mille foglie. The phyllo pastry (which actually originated from Greece) was not as brittle as I would have expected. They also serve Tartufo here, but I was still healing from being stung by a bad experience elsewhere to order it that night.

On a parting note, is it better to swim with the sharks and be part of a school of mediocre tiger sharks (which are not exactly at the top of the food chain) or dare to be different and evolve into an elegant Blue Whale?

Just an after after thought addition. While replying to Thule's comment, I pointed out some items from the starter menu from La Scala and I chose an Italian joint in Bangkok due to it's proximity: 1. Sauteed scallops with roasted pumpkin mousse, goose liver confit and thyme sauce
2. Alaskan king crab and rocket with parmesan, porcini and aioli... Sigh!......

Lot 50 G-1, Wisma UOA
Jalan Dungun
Damansara Heights
50490 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +6.03.20.93.85.96

Delucca. Jalan Nagasari, KL. Italian Food. Gelato Masquarading as Tartufo.

(no pork served)

This is a tough post. I have always tried to be objective and fair, and I don't recall having panned any restaurant in my blog before. Within the square kilometer of Raja Chulan, right in the heart of KL, the city I call my home for the last 2 years probably has the highest density of Italian Restaurants in Malaysia. From Italian run Trattorias and Enotecas to Italian Pizzerias and Italian-American fast food chains.

Delucca is fairly new, having being opened for only 8 months along a quiet burrow off Jalan Nagasari at the ground floor of One Residency. The interior is simple and chic, and a simple stage for live band performances on weekends. The elevated open kitchen occupies the left side as you enter the restaurant. The menu had been revised and trimmed down, I was told by the waiting staff. "Would you like to try something special you never tried before?", he asked. My interest was piqued. "What's the special dish you would like to recommend?", I asked in return. "Squid ink pasta!". Tagliatelle al nero is hardly exotic. OK. The waiter was from Myanmar. The dish might be exotic and rare in Dawei (Tavoy), but within this square km from Delucca, there is probably an over supply of it.


I started off with the Prawn soufflé, or Souffle di Gamberoni which was a delightful savoury souffle. Although it was not as light as biting into a piece of cloud, it came topped with some carrot cream and some ?pureed zucchini and infused with thyme. The dish was slighly sourish but the flavour of prawns was not lost in the creamy concoction. Lovely start.


Next was the veal, Scallopina al limone e fughi for mains. Naysayers have predicted that earth would run out space for rearing farm animals and cultivating crops pretty soon. If it were possible to rear veal hydroponically one day, I would imagine it to taste like this. The meat was bland and the creamy and sourish lemon sauce overwhelmed the meat. I was not sure if I was eating chicken, pork or veal.


My main grouse and biggest disappointment. The Tartufo. Tartufo (or tartufi in plural) means truffles in Italian. Tartufo as a dessert item however looks like truffles (the shrooms). Usually made of of two different ice creams, it has a heart either of fudge, or fruits and the irregularly shaped lump of gelato is often covered with with chocolate and dusted with pastry crumbles, chocolate powder or cinnamon.

The most famous tartufo in Italy is arguably tartufo di Pizzio. Those who have been to the beautiful and picturesque seaside town of Pizzio Calambra, south Italy, would have tasted it from Bar Gelateria Belvedere, or other numerous Gelaterias in the town. This Southern Italian version is made with chocolate gelato covering a heart of liquer chocolate fudge, and the gelato is in turn covered by Hazelnut gelato and encased in a layer of chocolate powder. Google Image the words tartufo+gelato and see what you come up with and compare it with the picture above. I can bet you that will be definitely not be what I was peddled that night. Chocolate Gelato, with chocolate syrup, some cream on top, with a quartered strawberry and some crumble on top. Nothing in the centre of the chocolate gelato. Nothing covering the gelato. Nada. Expecting a delectable dessert that required more skill from the Chef and getting served with chocolate ice cream was a major, major disappointment.

Here is a website containing the recipe for gelato tartufo nero, in Italian, with pictures. I rest my case. For more recipes for Tartufo in Italian, Google: Ricette + Tartufo + Gelato.

Sean and Cumi and Ciki was there and seemed to have a better experience than I did. Please click on the bold blue fonts to access the links.

Delucca,

One Residency, Jalan Nagasari.
Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: +6.03.21.44.65.32

Italian on Sixth, Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur. Sixth floor is still a long way to heaven.

Italian Food. Never a shortage of Italian Restaurants in KualaLumpur and PJ. It has been mushrooming rather unobtrusively over the past 5 years. In Pavilion itself, there are 2 Italian Joints. One is Michaelangelo and the other one is Italian on Sixth.


This rather elegant looking eatery is located next to Carat Club, on the sixth floor of Pavilion. From the exterior, it looks dark and muted. Rather intimidating, if you ask me.


As I entered the restaurant, Laura Pausini was wailing in the air, belting out one of her very early hits. They have a set lunch menu, and being the ever frugal Chinaman that I am, I perusd it, and decided to order the set, Caesar Salad, Minestrone, Pork Chop and Tiramisu.


The Caesar Salad was ok. How can you go wrong with a salad right? The balsamic dressing was tangy and had the right acidity, and the salad itself was generously drizzled with cheese. The croutons were very flavourful and had a smoky bacon taste.


The clear minestrone was light and brothy, not the earthy, thick variety. Come to think of it, there are so many versions of the Minestrone! I sprinkled some grated cheese on it to add a little body. Filled with crunchy broccoli. Just so so.


The Pork Chop came with a Chorizo andOnion Sauce. The Chrorizo was heavily infused with Pimento and was quite good. The Pork was a bit tough. Sauce was a bit too Oriental for me.



The Tiramisu that was served fr dessert was not up to par for me too. The sponge was too dry for me and the Marscapone as not decadent. Not enough liquer.

Set lunch is valued at RM75.00

Italian on Sixth
6th Floor, Pavilion

+60 3 2148 2312

Nerovivo. Jalan Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur. Enoteca con Cuccina Italia.

Nero Group. With 3 resturants and a deli under it's wings, the Nero group must be the most influential people in Italian cuisine scene in Kuala Lumpur. Nerovivo was their first born, their pride and when it first opened, the whole town was abuzz about their wood fired pizza. Neroteca is their non kosher version located nearby at the Sommerset Residences.

My friends used to joke around and called Nerovivo NeroMelayu and Neroteca was christened NeroMyanmar, because it employed a lot of Myanmar waiters for obvious reasons.. Fortunately the Myanmar waiters are very well trained and are able to give you suggestions about the menu, unlike in other restaurants. Finished freaking late at work and at 11pm, where can I get some good grub to cheer me up? Fortunately, the kitchen at Nerovivo closes at 11.30pm. Very Mediterranean hours, thank god.

Ordered the Green Vivo, which is a refreshing combination of Midori and Pineapple juice to wind down and took my time with the menu. The menu here is very extensive compared to the one in Neroteca.

Wilted, salty and pungent. That description was me, not the food. I thought I wanted to blend in with the sea inspired dinner that I was about to order, and did not go back for a shower. It was already late, and I did not want to tax my already overburdened digestive tract, and ordered something light.

Started of with Sauteed Mussels with White Wine, Cherry Tomatoes and Gralic Crostini (which is the fancy name for Garlic Bread). Mussels were fresh and the white wine sauce was clear and fragrant. I liked it.



The Angel Hair sauteed with Scallops, Sundried Tomatoes in Alia Oglio and Rocket Salad was slightly too dry, as you can see from the second pic. The Angels ran out of hair conditioner and hence the Angel Hair did not look glossy enough for the photo shoot.


But the Scallops were humongous and succulent. Quite good. When my friend asked me what it was, when he saw my photos of the dish, I replied, Italian Gon Low Mein.


The Strawberry Mango Millefoglie was also good. The Chantilly Cream was not too overpowering and the crispy puff pastry that layered this creamy Dessert was slightly too hard and not brittle enough. Lovely little meal, in a nice environment, and as the signature Nero restaurant 5 star service. Chose to dine alone because I have been talking the whole day at work, and did not feel like small talk. Suddenly missed my friends in Kuantan, especially Miss D'Silva, who used to entertain me with her small little literature vignettes, especially from the British Canon authors.

Nerovivo (click here for website)
No:3A Jalan Ceylon
50200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel:+60 3 2070 3120

Mama Mia! Neroteca revisited

Firstly, the good news. I have 3 kilos over the past 2 weeks... Although still eating like a bloody pig, I am now more careful with my choices. Only good food, no junk food. Ha ha ha...

Today, being a Public Holiday, I have decided to have breakfast at Neroteca again. I thought my previous post did not do justice to what a lovely place this really is. Will not be exploring the Malls, PH + School holidays, the Malls will be invaded by the Village Trolls, you know, the kind that stops on front of a descending escalator to decide whether to turn left or right. Noisy, spoilt brats wailing and Garish Obiang outfits displayed brazenly adorned with fxxk you in the face jewellery..... Ha ha ha... 

Ordered the Tonica set, Fried eggs with Mushroom, yolks still runny, with rocket salad on top, Apple and Celery juice. Lovely, as usual, plus excellent service. Tested out my new LX-3... Love the Macro shots. Click on it to blow it up. Will be blogging about instant noodles this month, as money all used up for the Camera. 

Hope Chiarascuro will be open today. If not, have run out of ideas for dinner.

Bermuda and Onions

One of my favs, never had time to write about this place, as neglected it for a while. My boss is not back yet, and I have to do the whole freakin day, from 8.30am till late. Made myself some Rocket Salad with French Dressing for lunch today. And had Rice with Tom Sep, courtesy of my friend, Om, the Thai Chef which he delivered last night. Healthy, low oil et stuff. Decided to pig out tonight. Something light, Tapas style skewers at Bermuda and Onion, located at the heart of BB at Changkat Bukit Bintang, next to another porky joint, El Cierdo.

The drink I ordered wa the rejuvenator... Made from a mixture of Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice and Lemon Juice and Ginger Ale...Tasted ok, tangy and not too sweet...

The picture on top was the prawns with parma ham... nice and fragrant. Prawn still juicy with a nice elastic springy bite. But a tad salty... Ham la... seure salty la. Bet you did not know that parma ham blends perfectly with grilled prawns.

Next was the bacon and asparagus... One of Mac's favourites. Bacon not too dry, wraped round grilled asparagus. Heavenly. Also Salty....

Chocolate Fondant... for dessert. Warm Chocolate cake with warm, oozing chocolate sauce in the middle. The menu mentioned souffle, but it was just sauce. Which just tasted equally heavenly. Plus a scoop of coconut sorbet that has walnuts in the centre. What else can I say. If Chocolate be the food of love, eat on.... (apologies to Shakespeare)

What I Had For Breakfast Today @ Neroteca

boo

Woke up early, had breakfast at Neroteca. Yummy...

Cool Italian Eatery ambiance, Italian Songs and BossaNova (Brazilian Portuguese) Songs. Pots and Pans hanging on the wall. Arty paintings, small and cosy.

Had their most yummy breakfast set - Revivatata or something. Bacon and Eggs, Savory lentils with greens and Cheese Toast, Long Black + Carrot juice. Eggs scrambled, but still runny + not very fatty, fragrant bacon. Lentils... marvelous flavour and texture.

Since it ws nearly noon already, ordered something from their dessert menu as well. Had the Creme Brulee. Ecstatic. The top was singed and caramelly aromatic. Consistency, sticky. Fragrant creaminess.

Made my morning. A triffle warm inside, I was sweating.

Overall:

Food: 4.5/5

Parking: 4.5/5

Decor/Ambiance: 3.5/5 (minus marks for lousy air con)

Service: 4/5 (A tad slow, but pleasant enough)

Price: 55 or thereabouts for the breakfast set and dessert

Ran into my cousin Tjun2 and my 1st Aunt (Paternal) at Low Yat Plaza, of all the places. Got myself the BenQ Joybook lite, cheapo at RM 1270 and the HP Laser printer P1006. And a d-link wifi router. Setting it up was a breeze, took about 7 minutes.