Lisa Noms!: RM 100 and above

"To achieve happiness, it is not to have what we want, but rather to want and appreciate what we already have" - The Dalai Lama

In this rat race of a life plagued with materialistic distractions, it's easy to forget what we already have, be it given, blessed with, or chanced upon. So we chase after our desires, one after the other, thinking it would bring about happiness when we get there. Often times so engrossed in the process that we inevitably forget to take a step back to fully appreciate what we already have.

What do I already have? Plenty! But why do I always want more?

Take for instance, a lovely exquisite meal at Il Lido : six finely crafted dishes from the Degustation Menu, but fell slightly short of the first fine dining experience my sister and I had before at Millesime, Solaris Dutamas (first times are more special and makes the biggest impression). It left me wanting more, like :

Some butter to go with the bread would have been great
Almost having to pay RM 18 for an additional bottle of water which we did not order ... Folks, always check the bill!
Water was RM 18. Waiter, can we just have tap water please?
Service level was a notch down compared to Milleseme (ie: I had breadcrumbs all over the table, and the maitre'd at Milleseme cleaned it with a silver table comb!)

But it's not a fair comparison because Millesime is so much pricier. Despite these gripes, my sister and I still walked away happy, contented, and we actually felt quite full. Bonus points must also be given to Il Lido for having decaf coffee. Anyway, I hope my sister enjoyed her Il Lido birthday present (partially sponsored by Groupon's vouchers).

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister :)

As for cake, I am really impressed with this petite Chocolate Elegance cake from King's Confectionary. Nomming the chocolate mousse cake and having the dense, frothy chocolate texture implode then melt in my mouth was like heaven, sweet dreams and orgasms all rolled into one. I loved it and attacked it like a cake monster I never knew existed within me.

Chocolate Elegance cake from King's Confectionary

Now, presenting Il Lido's "Degustation Set Menu" with these nomworthy photos, mostly shot by my sister because she is the one with artistic talent among the two of us.

Bread that was a bit hard.

The massive carbo serving helped fill us up.

Amuse Bouche

To be honest, we have no idea what this was, because the Waiter just introduced it as the Amuse Bouche. There is so much room for improvement in that area for Il Lido. It's not that they were busy either - we were the first to Il Lido and when this was served, there were just two to three tables occupied. So this was probably tuna with a mysteriously light and healthy tasting cream coloured sauce, might be chinese turnip or white carrot, I will never know.

Hokkaido Scallops with Celeriac & Truffle Cream

The menu said Hokkaido Scallops, but there was only one scallop. Sweet and nutty taste with generous portions of funky, earthy truffle cream drizzled over it.

Roasted Goose Liver with Duck Bacon and Lentils

Buttery, rich, creamy ... Goose Liver is so delicious but so wrong. If I were buddhist I'd probably be re-incarnated as a Goose in my next life as punishment. The Duck bacon was amazing too - crunchy in texture but giving and fragile. Unlike beef or pork bacon - it crumbled immediately at the tip of my tongue and the subtle gamey flavour of bacon bits tasted so fine I wanted more.

Chitarrugi with Lobster and Smoked Paprika

The Chitarrugi - which we were told was home made Spaghetti common in Northern Italy - whereas in the Southern, they make Chitarra, was interesting - firm, little bit coarse in texture, and springy. It was like having chinese Pan Mee and tasted very different from the Spaghetti we were used to having.

The spiciness from the smoked paprika tingled our tastebuds, laying the groundwork for the lobster to calm and please us with it's sweet, succulent meat.

Wagyu Beef Cheek with Caramelized Root Vegetables

It tasted like beef stew and my sister kept insisting this dish was lamb. I've yet to nom Wagyu Beef that wowed me so I shouldn't be disappointed that I wasn't wowed by this - I just wasn't expecting braised beef because I do not like my beef cooked any other way than seared, pan fried, or barbequed. Nevertheless, the meat was tender and juicy.

Caramelized Root Vegables

The root vegetables were done perfectly: soft, juicy and sweet.

Molten Lava Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice-cream

To top everything off, this dessert was quite a treat - raspberrries, deep brown rich melty chocolate, creamy vanilla ice-cream and some crunchy waffles.

Molten Lava

If I had a bottomless bank account, I would definitely go back to Il Lido (and Milleseme for that matter) to try the other items on their menu. Couldn't help but notice the multitude of luxury cars parked at Il Lido's when we were leaving. I wonder what the Dalai Lama would say about that, or to this joke about money and happiness.

"Money can't buy me happiness, but I'd rather cry in my Ferrari."

"Il Lido was shortlisted in the Best New Restaurant category of the Time Out KL Food Awards 2010. The restaurant was also shortlisted for Best Italian Restaurant in 2011 and 2012. Our food awards are 100% voted for by the people of KL." - TimeoutKL

Visited on 13th April, 2013

Fine dining is easily one of the most expensive type of restaurant one can go to. As the name suggests, everything has to be fine. You're paying for the finest food, atmosphere, and service for that rare special occasion being celebrated. Places like these are great for anniversaries, engagement proposals, and successful romancing!

For our case, my sister and I were there to celebrate life. It's good to do something out of the ordinary and be spoiled rotten once in a while. We really wanted to go to Sage @ The Gardens but that place is always fully booked. Who knew fancy eating places were so popular in KL?

Wine and Dine!

Very romantic and relaxing lighting

A cozy and lovely place for dinner.

Located at the Sapura Kenchana Petroleum building next to Solaris Dutamas, Millesime is an eatery where you eat what the chef chooses. This is great when you don't know half of the ingredients mentioned on the menu, which is something very common at these kind of places! The only decision that needs to be made is whether to have a 3, 4 or 5 course dinner, priced as below :

Petite Menu (3 Course) – RM200++
Menu Gourmet (4 Course) – RM220++
Menu Degustation (5 Course) – RM250++
Since we were already there, we opted for the 5 course menu because it made more sense to go all out and pay a bit more for everything. It was well worth the money because the food at Millesime was glorious and made for an unforgettable evening.

The visual cues prepared our tastebuds for a richness that could only spoil us. Every dish from Millesime's kitchen was a work of art, portions of food delicately arranged to be visually stimulating, with each swirl of dressing drawing focus onto the food being presented, beckoning to be savoured.

The visual sensory was the perfect precursor to the degustation of each course. The flavours were sensational. Slowly we nom'ed to our hearts content, and licked away every visible remnant of sauce, grain and granule off Millesime's very unique, massive & heavy plates, which I think contributed to each dish looking like fine art.

The Foie Gras was the best I've ever tasted and melted away in my mouth. The raspberry flavour and sweet sweet sauce that went with it was terrific and simply delicious. The whole affair left me wanting for more foie gras, no matter how cruel and wrong it is.

At the end of the day my sister said she was still hungry so the kitchen brought out leftover pastries for her. How lovely and thoughtful of them!

Overall, it was a nomgasmic evening. I will marry a chef one day, and have regular nomgasms without burning a hole in my pocket.

Complimentary bread & butter

Amuse Bouche or "Mouth Amuser" - which emphasizes bite sized, intensely flavoured offerings to showcase a chef's artistry, showmanship, and ideas in small bites (according to wikipedia).