Romanza Le Restaurante @ Terrace at Hock Choon, Kuala Lumpur

When Romanza first opened its doors on Feb 14th, its location was a head scratcher - a high end restaurant on a sleepy stretch of Lorong Nibang, off Jalan Ampang. But inside the well decorated restaurant was a menu that reference a piquant kaleidoscope of flavors and cuisines.

Purple potato bread. 

Beef Carpaccio (RM39) - The beef carpaccio was seared and served on a bed of wild rocket, with sweet slow roasted cherry tomatoes, laced with some balsamic reduction and lemon caviar. We absolutely loved the well sliced beef carpaccio, which was thicker than usual.

Spicy Peri Peri Chicken Liver (RM21) - The creamy chicken liver was well balanced with sofrito, crisp salad leaves and homemade bread. Romanza may have opted for an austere, black and white furniture design, but the menu was definitely in full color. 

Slow braised lamb shank (RM70) -  The braised lamb was tender, served with a carrot emulsion, pomme puree and topped with minted peas finished with a thyme jus. It may not be the cheapest lamb shank in town but the portion was surely huge. 

Line fish of the day (RM52) - The pan seared fish was paired with delicate pesto potatoes and bathed with mildly spiced tomato salsa. The fish may pale against its peers, but it's definitely a healthier option.

Chocolate Landscape (RM42) - For dessert, its hard to go wrong with chocolates that offers light white chocolate mousse, peppermint crisp semi freddo mille fueille, dark and white chocolate set ganache with crisp hazelnut meringues and dark chocolate cylinder filled with hazelnut anglaise - It was indeed a beautiful landscape.

Previous entry on Romanza.

Verdict: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Restaurant La Verticale @ Hanoi, Vietnam

Didier Corlou is one of the few special chef that has the ability to create new dishes by amalgamating French ingredients with Vietnamese tastes. Opened in 2007, La Verticale was ranked one of the top 100 world best new restaurants by Conde Nast magazine in 2008.

The former executive chef of Sofitel Metropole hotel has more than 35 years of culinary experiences. La Verticale, Madam Hien and DC Bistro Boutique are his notable cooking arena in Hanoi.

La Verticale was housed in a four story French villa located behind the French Embassy. 

At the ground floor, you will be dazzled by all sorts of condiments, ranging from sea salt to bowls of loose star anise. 

Located on the first floor, the dining room was tastefully decorated with less than 15 dining tables. 

Didier Corlou's homemade condiments. 

Amuse bouche - Scallop + vinegar fish drink + cucumber

Grilled scallop - The scallop was cooked to perfection with truffle vermouth adding depth and taste to the bivalve. 

Chili Salt - Playfully briny with a spicy kick. These tiny red chili are sourced from Center Vietnam and you can bring it home for US$3.5 per 25g.

Clam soup infused with lemon grass (bottom) and watercress soup (above) layered with dry rice and some condiments. Both soups were creamy and yummy.

Flowery Clams - Artichoke pluck with venus clams, extra flat nem and halong curry. The clams were a tad overcooked, making it rather chewy.

Red Tuna - The red meat was acidulated with passion fruit and lemongrass before hitting the grilling pan. The finish product was rather interesting with sweet and sour notes.

Lobster - This sea giant was fresh, infused with vanilla and turmeric

Foie Gras with Dalat wine, accompanied by Hanoi 5 spices, pears and figs. The foie gras was absolutely gorgeous!

Muscovy Duck stuck between a succulent foie gras and baguette. Meaty, fatty and totally satisfying!

Chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream and grated cinnamon. 

Puff pastry laced with heaps of chocolate sauce and roasted almonds.

I was totally smitten by this cheerful passion fruit in warm clafoutis. The Halong curry ice cream sung beautifully with the tutti fruity soup.

Smitten Dishes:
1. Foie Gras of duck with Dalat wine
2. Muscovy Duck
3. Passion Fruit in Warm Clafoutis


Verdict : TOTALLY SMITTEN 


La Verticale
Address: No. 19 Ngo Van St. Hanoi
Telephone: 04 3944 6317
Opening hours: 11am to 2 pm, 6pm to 930pm.

Romanza @ Hock Choon KL

Located at the ground floor of Hock Choon off Jalan Ampang, Romanza is one of the latest addition to the Kuala Lumpur's fine dining scene. Whether you are there for a scrumptious lunch or an intimate dinner, Romanza is the way to experience luxury dining in every dish. The laminated menu features French Mediterranean cuisine with a hint of South African flair. I suggest a day of fasting before coming to Romanza, as there are just too many interesting dishes to try. 

The black and white themed dining room was jazzed up with bold wallpaper, chandeliers and motif printed chairs. If you are keen to dine with the stars, an outdoor terrace is available.

Chef Steven Kruger started us off with a deep fried mushroom tortellini. The amuse bouche was warm, with mushroom oozing out of the crispy tortellini. 

Trio of Squid (RM26) - Or should I called it a trip around the Mediterranean region. From Asia, we had Tom Yum marinated squid on baby salad (left). From Europe, we lingered with some crispy crumbled squid rings and squid ink infused risotto (right). In Mediterranean, we had cous cous stuffed Patagonian squid with a roasted red pepper coulis (center). The plating was beautiful, with each squid highlighting the different techniques and textures.

"Baked Alaska" of Salmon (RM34) - The Norwegian Salmon fillet was lightly coated in French meringue, sprinkled with citrus and cucumber salsa, topped with smoked salmon ice cream. We were intrigued by the smooth smoked salmon ice cream that hardly emitted any fishy taste. Perhaps jelly fish and oyster ice cream may follow suit very soon. 

Palate Cleanser - The beet root jelly coupled with raspberry and pistachio sorbets were equally refreshing, removing all the lingering flavors, setting us ready for our main course.

Sesame Crusted Yellowfin Tuna Loin (RM60) - The tuna loin was effortlessly satisfying, enhanced by the avocado puree and home made sweet chili sauce. The flavored sushi rice was topped with nori layered omelette roll and some greens. 

Daily special (RM75) - The medium rare pan seared and oven roasted Ostrich Fillet was laced with spiced pumpkin puree. It was accompanied by pommes croquettes, dried apricots, mange tout and curry infused jus. 

Romanza Liquid Centerred Vanilla Parfait (RM24) - This igloo looking dessert consisted of raspberry coulis, served in white chocolate coated honeycomb. A scoop of honeycomb semi freddo with pistachio nuts was enough to keep it nice and cold. 

The dessert alone was worth the trip! The combination of raspberry coulis and white chocolate honeycomb was exhilarating new to us. This dish evoked the word "lovely" and definitely captured our culinary imagination. 

Romanza, which means Romance in Italian, ended our meal with some colorful jelly bean. We were overwhelmed by the Chef's stunning creations and we look forward to our next visit. 

Verdict: TOTALLY SMITTEN

Ten Japanese Fine Dining @ Solaris Dutamas

Thinking is addictive. The more you think, the less you live. A wise man would rather live than questioning living. But how did the wise man figure it out? By thinking? On the food:

Surroundings - Ten is housed at Solaris Dutamas where parking can be quite confusing for first timer. The best way to reach Ten is to drive all the way up to D5 and you will see the restaurant on your left. To park, drive pass the restaurant and look out for a parking sign on your right. Remember to validate you parking ticket near Joseph Kitchen before exiting.

Menu - Prices are on the high side with main dishes costing more than RM35. Entree ranges from RM10 - RM80, while desserts are RM25 each. If you are looking to splurge RM300, the Supreme Ten Kaiseki Course, which comprises 8 course degustation menu is a good way to savor the Chef's culinary skills. If you are an ardent sushi eater, you can opt for a Sushi Omakase Course, which cost the same amount of money.

Chawan Mushi (RM30). This is probably the most expensive Chawan Mushi in town with standard toppings in it. For this price, you will probably get a foie gras in your Chawan Mushi at other restaurants.

The plate of Salmon Carpaccio was dressed with Ten's unique carpaccio sauce and showered with some fried garlics. All you need to do is wrap the sashimi around the garlics and drag it through the sauce...

Unagi Maki

The Sushi Moriawase (rm70) was delightful, the fish was fresh and the rice was comforting. However, I wasn't too happy with the unagi maki as there were some bones stuck between the meat. =(

I'm a big fan of Chazuke. Its actually very similar to Hakka Lei Cha except that it uses less vegetables. The Shiromi Chazuke @ Ten was quite unique. The green tea paste was earthy and smoky. The sliced snappers, black sesame seeds and finely chopped onions toppings worked well with the dish. Nonetheless, a dab of wasabi and some salmon roe would make this dish even more exciting. =)

The Black Sesame Ice Cream was sublime - smooth and silky. The sponge cake underneath the ice cream gave an additional texture to the sweet delight.

The dining experience at Ten was pleasant. One thing I really admire is the tableware, the ceramic bowls, tea cups and plates were beautiful. Not to mention the Japanese wait staffs were very helpful and good looking too. Will definitely be back on a special occasion to try their Kaiseki Menu or Sushi Omakase Course.

Verdict : SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Prime @ Le Meridian KL

A dinner at Prime is a journey for nearly everyone. A recent meal there proved that the restaurant is as good as ever.

Surroundings - Prime is located on the 5th floor of Le Meridian Hotel. The dining room offers an inoffensive muted elegance with a see through kitchen showcasing the Chef's skills. The soft acoustics Jazz Music buzzed without interrupting normal conversation.

Menu - At Prime, the focus is steak. The extensive menu features a wide variety of steaks in different cuts. It prides itself in serving only the finest imported beef. Be it the famous Wagyu beef, Black Angus 200 days grain fed steaks or the Australian 120 and 80 day aged steaks.

Three different bread spreads to be applied onto the freshly baked breads.

The Wagyu Beef Carpaccio was tucked under the Rockets, drizzled with whole grain mustard. The pleasantly bitter leaves gave the additional flavoring to the Carpaccio. This dish was accompanied by an asparagus soup and a western style chawamushi (the texture was thicker and more concentrated).

5 different sauces to go with the fresh oysters.

The Oyster are fresh and it tasted like seawater - in a good way :) It will be cool if I could identified the different types of oysters, time to hunt for an oyster book.

3 Way Foie Gras. 1St way : Creme Brulee Foie Gras - This sinfully delicious appetizer is a great alternative to the pan fried foie gras, with texture was as smooth and creamy as steamed egg coupled with a perfect crunch of caramelized sugar.

2th way : Pan Fried Foie Gras - This classic way of preparing foie gras will never go out of style.

3rd way : Terrine Foie Gras - In the southwest of France, liver is traditionally served in porcelain terrine mold, along with serving spoons and a bowl of hot water. Each person will dip the spoon in the hot water to heat it up before scooping out the Foie Gras and spreading it onto a coarse bread. The Terrine Foie Gras at Prime is elegantly sliced before serving. It was rich and smooth.

Oyster Blade Wagyu - simply awesomeeeee. The waitstaff did a good job in recommending me this dish. It goes perfectly well with the truffle sauce.

Wagyu Pro Flapmeat - The steak was artfully presented but it doesn't melt in the mouth like the Oyster Blade. Nonetheless, is still a good piece of steak.

The Fudgiest Brownie is indeed very fudgy. The presentation was beautiful surrounded by Strawberries, Blueberries and Cape Gooseberry. The Cape Gooseberry is a small, smooth orange-gold color round fruit wrapped in a papery case that have a delicate sweet and sour taste.

Verdict: TOTALLY SMITTEN