Eating in Kuala Lumpur - Dinner at Villa Danieli

Villa Danieli is a fine-dining Italian Restaurant at The Imperial Hotel. Imperial is part of the Starwood Luxury Collection, previously know as Sheraton Imperial. 

I had heard a lot about Villa Danieli, but had never dined there before. Naturally I was full of high expectations. The restaurant is designed like a Tuscan villa, with vaulted ceiling and a central dining area with elevated clerestory windows. Overall it felt a bit Disneyesque, like most places are when you try to recreate something from somewhere else. But it was cosy enough.

Since it was my first time at the restaurant, I decided to go for the whole four-course experience. I ordered a salad, a soup, main course and dessert. Bread was served before the main items arrived, with an olive oil and Balsamic dip. The bread was very good, and the balsamic vineger one of the best I've tasted. 

Surprisingly, the soup arrived first. I didn't complain, as it was really good. I ordered the Beef Broth with Homemade Ravioli. The flavour was very intense and beefy, and the beef-filled ravioli were good too.

Next came the Pugliese Seafoo Salad. It was a warm salad, the seafood was cooked very lightly and seasoned just with salt and pepper. It was nice and simple, maybe a little bit too simple. A bit of vinegraitte would have elevated the dish. 

For Main Course I ordered the Cappelletti with Braised Lamb Shank and a Tomato Sauce. Cappelletti are supposed to look like little Modena hats, but I thought these looked a bit shapeless. The sauce was nice, but the filling of braised lamb shank could use a bit more seasoning - more wine and pepper perhaps. 

There were not many choices for dessert, so I decided to go for the Tiramisu. I was not dissapointed, it was a proper Tiramisu served in a glass. 

Overall, the dinner did not live up to my expectations as I've had better Italian food in less lofty places. I felt the food did not reach that extra level of excellence required of a place like this, especially for the price they are charging.

Dinner at The Italian

On the first night of my visit I was invited to a dinner at The Italian, a high end Italian restaurant at the Eastern end of Collins Street. The restaurant is very stylish, with a split level design. The entrance is at the lowest level, which steps up to the main dining area. There is another private dining area on the mezzanine floor.



Like most of the high end restaurants in Melbourne, the wait staff are all carefully chosen to fit the venue - they call it casting. We had a very friendly waiter, but he was horrified by how we were ordering the dinner - everything to share - Chinese Style. He came around to it eventually. 

First were the starters - Prosciuto with Rockmelon, Deep Fried Calamari, and Poached Eggs on a bed of Asparagus.







Everything was delicious - especially the calamari which was done just right.

Next I had the Roasted Tomato Soup with Deep Fried Salt Cod. It was very good, but quite filling as there was a lot of barley in the soup. I ended up sharing the soup as I couldn't possibly finish it.



Next came the mains - Roasted Ribeye Steak, Roasted Duck, Spaghetti with Prawns, Raviolli with Rabbit and Pappardelle with Roast Duck. Again, everything was superb - especially the Ribeye Steak which was tender and full of flavour. The Roasted Duck came a close second, and the Raviolli which was very interesting with a lot of complex flavours. Even the spaghetti which is a simple dish is elevated by the taste of the sauce, which is clean but at the same time complex.  











Finally came the desserts - Pannacotta with Dark Cherry Sauce, Ricotta Ice Cream with Candied Orange Peels, and Creme Caramel with Rubard Sauce.







All in all it was a wonderfull meal, and I would go back for the Ribeye Steak alone. Melbourne food certainly doesn't disappoint.

Dinner at Nerovivo KL

I was lucky to be invited to a dinner at Nerovivo, a fine dining Italian restaurant on Jalan Ceylon KL. I had pre-ordered the main course and dessert from the menu provided, and was waiting with great anticipation for the evening !

The restaurant is located in a converted old house. Jalan Ceylon is just around the corner from Cangkat Bukit Bintang which is the hottest place for pubs and restaurants in KL at the moment.

The antipasto arrived, and it was quite a sight !



Filled to the brim with goodies, this was supposed to be shared by 5 persons. There was deep-fried calamari, fresh oysters, smoked salmon, yabbies-which is becoming quite common in KL, baked scallops and deep-fried asparagus fingers. Everything was delicious.

Next came the Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil. I had expected something special after the fantastic antipasto, but this is just standard mushroom soup.



For main course I had ordered Spaghetti with Boston Lobster. It was a bit disappointing - the lobster was probably frozen, so it wasn't sweet and tasty as it should be. The sauce was also not that flavourful, overall a bit bland.



For dessert I ordered the Panacotta with Chocolate Sauce. I should have gone with the Tiramisu. The Panacotta did not have much taste - kind of boring.




So overall, 1 out of 4. The antipasto was definitely the highlight. I would still go back to try the other items on the menu. The restaurant had a warm and cosy vibe which was friendly and not uptight like some other fine dining establishments can be.