Pietro Ristorante Italiano, Damansara Heights

What a year 2011 has been! And in a blink of an eye, we are in 2012 now!

Fantastic how time flies without us noticing it....

Well, I had a good wrap up year end, spending good time and fine meal with a group of entertaining friends..hehe

Mr Chardonnay arranged for us to meet at Pietro, a restaurant the opened its doors not too long ago, to try out it's italian fare.

We read some mixed reviews on this place, but decided to try nonetheless, who knows, we might just like it..

Started off our meal with some Warm Asparagus salad (RM30)

Though this looks simple but it was delish- the warm, young asparagus and the lightly melted shaved parmesan was a great pairing.

The Caprese Salad (RM28) was a more popular dish among my friends..

Fresh, sweet tomatoes neatly arranged with thick cuts of bufallo mozarella, a sprinkling of chopped basil and kalamata olives. A good combination that I cant complain.

The Salmone Pasta (RM32) did not take that long to reach..

Creamy al-dente pasta with generous amount of smoke salmon and a dollop of lumpfish caviar. This was scrumptious, I was glad the sauce was not too thick and enveloped the fettucine perfectly.

The D'antara Pasta (RM33) was not so popular..

Though the penne was cooked al-dente, the sauce was a mixed of tomatoes yet sligthly sweetish, which some find it a mismatch with the slightly salty smoked duck breast slices.  

The Lamb Shank (Rm52)

This had a better reception..hahaha..the lambshank was fork tender, served with creamy mash and sides of carrots and cucumbers. It was a decent dish.
But the Quattro Formaggio pizza (RM32) got my crown for deliciousness for that night..

The cheeses was so aromatic (or some may call it pungent :p) that i was salivating just by smelling it. And yes, it did not disappoint at all. The crust was thin, crisp at the edges and the cheese! oh need i say more...the mildly burnt top, the great melting flavours of 4 cheeses (parmesan, mozzarela and i cant recall the other 2 :p) was simply divine!

And the restaurant was sweet to prepare something for my BD..tee hee 

Yummy, fudgy chocolate brownie. Thanks Pietro..
We wanted to have other desserts, hence the classic Tiramisu (RM20)

I was glad that it's not too sweet, this dessert was satisfying with the cream cheese and the slight kick from coffee liquer.
Chardonnay loves the Panna Cotta (RM16)..

Smooth, velvety, melt in mouth.. 
Overall I had a great time dining there, a wonderful was to end 2011 :)


Bangunan ECM Libra, Jalan Damansara Endah, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur.

Aria, Bukit Damansara

It was not my intention to eat at Aria at the beginning. We were at Bukit Damansara during one of those packed festive season and could not get a place to eat. We settled for some pub grub, which left me sorely disappointed..

But didn't you try Aria? The food's pretty good.. My friend told me the next day when I complained.. Actually, I didn't really notice Aria, as it was at the quiet end of the block. Keeping that in mind, I decided that I should try it the next time I'm over at Bukit Damansara. A couple of months later, I did managed to made my way there. Aria's a cozy little place, service was just ok. We started the meal with Black Mussel with White Wine sauce (RM22) This was a fantastic starter, the mussels were thick and fresh, the sauce was thick, aromatic with white wine and very sweet. The crisp bread were perfect to mop up all those yummy sauce..

The Grilled Portobello mushrooms Salad (RM22)Came out rather skimpy. When they meant mushrooms (plural), it means 2 pieces. And it's the smallest portobello I've set my eyes on. Well, to be fair, the mushrooms were grilled to juicy perfection, with crisp cheesy top. Just that its so very little to satiate me.

The Seafood Zuppa (RM25) was next..

The amount of seafood stacked on the bowl was generous- but we were not impressed by the seafood, it was the flavour of the soup that got our votes. It was light, not heavy with tomato flavour, filled with sweetness from the seafood and a hint of smokiness in the soup. Very satisfying.

The pastas were next.. Linguine Aglio Olio Smoked Duck (RM28)

Though the pasta was cooked al-dente, the pasta was a tad too oily and salty. Eat it with smoked duck and olives added to the saltiness. Only order if you like your food salty.

Spaghetti Alla Opus (RM32) was next. And yes, if you find the name familiar, Aria is run by the same management as Opus, hence some similarity in dishes..

Though this dish scored low for finesse (seems like they just dumped the whole thing on the plate), again they scored high on the flavours. Fantastically addictive, sweet sauce, seafood fresh and springy, the pasta nicely al-dente. Delish.

And lastly, our meat for the night..

Pecorino Lamb Cutlet (RM55)

This dish didn't leave me impressed. The lamb rack was deep fried and the crust tasted suspiciously akin to KFC batter. The lamb was fully cooked, while I prefer ed mine still pinkish and juicy.

Of the dishes I've had, I feel that Aria does well in seafood dishes but average on the rest. I'll definitely pop by again, there's still a number of dishes which caught my eye, but didn't have the stomach space to try it this time ;).

Aria is located at 44G&44M, Plaza Damansara, Jalan Medan Setia 2, Bukit Damansara, KL. Tel: 03-20950016.

Vivo American Pizza & Panini, Tropicana City Mall

I can be very bias sometimes..

I tend to make a hasty decision for not dining at a place with it's outlook. That does not mean that the restaurant is dirty, smelly etc..its just a 'feel' that I get. No chemistry I guess, hah. Weird, eh?

Sadly, Vivo was one of such restaurant. When I saw it opening its doors at The Curve a couple of years back, I never had the urge to want to try it.

But recently, Vivo opened a branch at Tropicana City. I was there to catch a movie and while cracking my head on what to have for dinner, I recalled Ms. D persistent effort to convince me to try the food in Vivo some time ago.

Hmmm, why so insistent?

Curiosity got the best of me, we went to Vivo without much hesitation..

Power juices seemed to be popular..

We tried a couple..

Cant remember the names of these, but one was thirst quenching while another was a tad too sour..

The Green Tea latte was a nice way to warm the belly in preparation of the food..The slightly bitter green tea (powder) was balanced by the tame milk.

Ms D said the baked seafood pasta was worth trying..

And so I did.

The pasta was tongue scorching hot when it was served. The top layer of cheese was wonderfully burnt and melted, clinging on to the spaghetti underneath. The tomato cream sauce, - rich and gooey complemented the mild flavour dory fish slices and pasta. A rather satisfying dish, you should give it a try if you prefer creamy based pasta.

The pizza, on the other hand, came with some quirky flavours..

SH wanted to try the Funghi (Mushroom) pizza, and so we ordered one.

You get to choose to have it thin crust or the normal pizza base. Ours was thin.

I was surprised that Vivo was very generous with their ingredients. Loads of mushrooms accompanied with a scattering of feta cheese and almond slices. So far, it sounds normal right? The quirkiness came with the sauce used for the base of the pizza. Rather than the usual tomato base, they opted for pesto. Not that it's bad (the worst base I've tried was caramelised ginger sauce base for a duck pizza..ewww), it's just acquired taste. So this pizza got a mixed vote, some of us enjoyed it, while others don't.

Amy opted for a more norm pizza..

Topped with salami, chicken slices and lots of vegetables. Pretty decent, I liked the fact that the capsicums are bursting with juices when I bit into it.

I've tried their chicken tenders too (which I didn't take a picture of, sorry!), which is great to snack on. It's like a cross between A&W fried chicken batter with Chilli's chicken crisper.

I must admit, there were some items in Vivo that I did enjoy. Vivo is has almost similar clientele akin to Pizza hut's. But if I had to choose between these 2, I'd rather do Vivo.

Vivo American Pizza & Panini is located at Tropicana City Mall, L1-55, First Floor, Tropicana City Mall, No. 3, Jln SS 20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Ultimo, Solaris Mont' Kiara

We were there for MC's birthday dinner- WS suggested to try Ultimo for dinner..

Ultimo's a cosy restaurant, the warm coloured furniture and dim lights gave it a relaxing environment.

I was told that it's fine dining, but one look at the menu got me puzzled- it's not fine dining, it's a mixed selection of European food- tapas, Italian, fusion. Then I recalled that ground floor serves a less formal cuisine, while fine dining was held at the first floor. Seems like someone read my mind, before I could check with the waiter, another patron asked to move to first floor and the waiter mentioned that it's closed. Hmmm, fine dining no more?

So we settled for the meal, ordered some tapas..

Some prawn and mango spring roll..

Seems like what we can get in dim sum, this was mediocre.

A localised tapas, the pork satay..

This was a big hit- the well marinated pork was tender and succulent, the peanut sauce was thick and went perfectly with the skewered pork..

Deep fried risotto mushroom balls..

I had my reservations when we ordered that. I've tried deep fried spaghetti balls in Milan before and it was pretty bad. Fingers crossed, I took a bite. And it was delicious :). The exterior was wonderfully crisp while the risotto inside remains creamy, soft and piping hot. The mushroom bits gave further texture to this tasty tapas.

WS's pasta was served first..

He ordered the tuna and bacon angel hair pasta. The portion was surprising large, given that the price was only RM12. And we thought that the pasta tasted fantastic. The sauce tasted slightly different from the usual tomato based pasta, i wonder what's the secret.

Jacq's risotto with peas and ham..

Just mediocre as the risotto's too mushy.

MC had the seared salmon with gazpacho..

Ok, this was one dish I didn't like at all. The seared salmon was slightly over cooked- it was a tad dry. And the gazpacho was way too sweet. It's not natural sweetness from the vegetables stock- it was sugar sweet. Icky.

And me, who's forever behaving like I'm deprived of pork dishes, decided to order the braised pork belly..

This was a weird fusion combo for me. The pork belly, though served in a western looking presentation, tasted very similar to chinese braised pork. The first 2 layers of the pork were nice and tender, but the bottom layer of meat (the darker coloured one), was dry and chewy. The mash was good with the mushrooms while the vegetables- tasted akin to chinese stir fry vegetables with garlic.

Amy's Prosciutto wrapped pork too the longest to arrive...

Thick slab of pork served atop a bed of vegetables and potatoes. I find this dish way too porky, there were different types of pork rolled into one and the flavours just didn't work for me.

Overall, was an ok experience, I'll come back to try more of it's tapas (there's quite an extensive range of tapas) over a glass of sangria..

Ultimo is located at 13A, Jalan Solaris 4, Solaris Mont' Kiara, KL.

Jaya One Foodcrawl, Part 2

Continuation from Part 1..
After sampling a range of wines from Divino, we trooped over to Kinnaree Thai Restaurant for our first mains for the night...
The staff were already waiting for us, we were delayed from Divino and we were quickly seated..
The Yam Som O (Pamelo salad) was served soon after..

I've tried this in Thailand before and Kinnaree's version was a tad different from what I've tried. The tangy pamelo works well to balance the richness of the sauce, which was akin to red curry. The cashews and prawns gave a nice mix of texture and flavours, whetting our appetite for the next dish..

The Pla Sam Rod (Deep fried boneless fish with tamarind sauce) was quite a sight to behold...

We had the garupa (RM60) which was deep fried and smothered with spicy sweet thai sauce. The fish was cut into thick slices and deep fried to golden brown. The meat was sweet and firm, while the crunchy coating soaked up the tasty sauce perfectly. We all enjoyed this dish.

The 3rd dish was Ser Rong Nain (Grilled Aust ribeye with Spicy Thai sauce)..

Our's was overcooked. Tough to chew meat, I didnt enjoy this.

Round 2 of Mains: Muse Italian Restaurant.Bar.Club

We were treated to 3 mains..

4 season pizza

This was one of Muse's signature dish which was as described by them as "the ultimate pizza with 4 different toppings". 4 quarts with different ingredients of seafood, chicken, lamb and tomato&cheese. I rather enjoyed this, the crust was thin and crisp, it was pleasurable to eat it while the toppings were still hot and melting..

The Angel Hair seafood Aglio Olio..

This dish had mixed opinions. Some liked it as it was spicy and laden with seafood. Those with low tolerance to spicy food found this dish too fiery and skipped sampling it.

The last mains we had, which we waited forever, was Grilled Lamb with Herbs...

I love lamb and was eagerly waiting for it :p. Alas, my portion was overcooked, the meat was tough and chewy. Flavour wise, it was actually pretty good. Some of the floggers were luckier, their lamb was pink and juicy.

We were finally done with all the eating and moved on to Brussels Beer Cafe to quench our thirst..

We were given free reign to select any beer in Brussels and here's some that we ordered...

I had the Hoegarden white- light, refreshing beer to cool me down on a warm night. WMW's Blacktorn Cider tasted like an alcoholic version of apple cider. Rather interesting, I must say.

And with that, our foodcrawl finally ended..everyone left jolly and happy (the alcohol certainly helped :p). Thanks again to Ramesh for the invite, it was good fun (though rather rushed) to try many food and to meet so many floggers in one night. Definitely a night to remember.

Kinnaree Thai Restaurant

12-1, Palm Square, Jaya One

MUSE Italian Restaurant.Bar.Club

16-G, Palm Square, Jaya One.

Brussels Beer Cafe

20-G, Palm Square, Jaya One.

Zense Restaurant, Bangkok

I read about Zense from Bangkok Tatler just before I went to Bangkok. It's new, it's hip and sounding rather enticing, I thought we should pop by to check it out. Went over on our last night in Bangkok, we wanted to pamper ourselves with a nice, long relaxing dinner before we leave ;)

Zense is located on the 17th floor of Zen Shopping Centre, right in the heart of the city. When the lift doors opened, we were greeted immediately by it's trendy interior..

It was very spacious, techno music filled the air and we thought we stepped into a club instead.hehe. Quick look around, we saw the inside bar, lots of beds, large beanies seats... and we finally saw some elegant dining area but we were only drawn to have our dinner alfresco. It was a balmy, breezy night..we should be dining alfresco, dont you think?

The alfresco area was wide and spread along the building, with different corners for your choice of dining pleasure- you can choose the cushioned rattan with dining height tables, have dinner in bed, sink into a large beanie cushion with low jap style tables or at the high bar area. Take your pick :)

Zense serves 4 cuisines- Thai, Italian, Japanese and Indian. Hmmm, tough choice but we went for italian since we OD-ed on thai for that many days..haha

We ordered a few stuff to try, since we have been eating the whole day- we were not that hungry :p

Started with fresh bread with lemon butter and our order of Grissini Parmaham (RM27)

We enjoyed the bread and the grissini parmaham was warm and crisp. The parmaham saltiness goes well with the grissini..nice to nibble while we chatted.

Though Zense looks chic and expensive, it's actually affordable classy dining but the waiters didnt really followed the serving rules here.. mains were served before we finished our starters :(

The Ravioli Neri (RM39) looked dark and mysterious..

This was absolutely scrumptious! The filling of chopped lobster was aromatic, the squid ink ravioli were meltingly smooth and the accompanying sauce was velvetly rich, but not cloying. Loved it.

Risotto Scoglio (RM43)

This risotto needs time to really enjoy its full flavours. The rice was still grainy and feels compact- the sauce slowly seeps deeper into the rice with every mouthful I took. The seafood aroma was evident in the rice- I could just eat the rice without the seafood. Delicious.

Alas, I wondered if we spent too much time enjoying the first 2 mains that we totally forgotten about our Pizza Diavola (RM29)..

We were happily cam whoring (or was that just dragon girl? :p), taking in the panaromic view and drinking...and we finally decided to have the pizza. We ordered an italian sausage pizza.. but was suprised that it looked like meatballs instead. Closer inspection confirmed that it was baby meat balls. The pizza was rather chewy at the base and the meat balls were salty. The girls were not impress, this was just mediocre at best. Oh well.

The cheeky bartender offered a pose without us requesting...

Panaromic skyline of Bangkok- though not as high as Sirocco's and Vertigo's

What a lovely way to unwind and to end our last night in Bangkok- with the soft jazz at the back ground and the cooling breeze brushing my skin. I know I will be back yet again. Wait for me Bangkok :)

Zense is located at Zen Shopping Centre, Rajadamri Road, Bangkok. For more information and much better pictures, click here. Thanks EL for the pictures!

Grumps, Kelana Jaya

Michael got a few of us to pop over to Grumps recently, it had just started its business for a few weeks serving Italian fare.

Overlooking the lake (if you are sitting alfresco), it was a nice, quiet place for families and friends.

Some soup to start off the meal, Grumps Seafood Zuppa (RM19.90)

The soup was filled with a generous amount of prawns, squids, fish and mussels which gave it a sweet flavour. The white wine enhanced the soup, giving a twist to the taste. Pretty satisfying.

The lasagna with mince pork (RM19.90)

Maybe I'm used to my lasagna with beef, I find Grumps version a tad bland. The top part were pretty cheesy, but the layers of sauce inside may have more bechamel mixed in. I'm not sure. The tomato flavour seemed to be blanketed and came out mediocre.

Pork knuckle was served next (RM 38.90)

The serving was huge, like any pork knuckle you get from german restaurants. The skin were crackling and crunchy, the meat was juicy and quite tender. Quite tasty and you might enjoy it more if you are a meat lover. Loads of meat. The accompanying apple sauce tones down the richness of the knuckle. Also liked the fact that the sauce was not overly sweet.

The calzone (RM22.90) came with a slight difference..

It was more crescent shaped, with extra bits at the end. Quite cute actually. Mr Chardonnay had the honour to cut the calzone...And here's what we got; oozing melted cheese, mushrooms, ham and onions. Lovely to have it hot, the crust had a nice biscuit like crunch; the filling was juicy. Make sure you have it hot.

The hawaian pizza (RM18.90)

The size was a decent single person serve. Maybe we had it much later in the meal (when it was cold), I find it an average pizza. The crust was too thick and not crunchy. And I really dislike sour stuff and the fresh pineapples they used were really sour. If it was chopped to smaller pieces, maybe I would have liked it better.

Final dish, the Jumbo Tiger Prawn Thermidor (RM55.90)

The prawns were no doubt huge; the filling was baked to perfection, with a thin crisp top. There were chopped prawns chunks, mushrooms and creamy white sauce for the filling; making it a rather sinful but delicious meal. I would think it's better to share this dish though; having it all by oneself would be just too rich. Would have been better if it was less pricey :p

Grumps is located at D-02-01, Jalan SS7/ 13A, Plaza Kelana Jaya, Kelana Jaya.