Favola @ Le Meridien Hotel KL

I think that the first blog I read on Favola was through Sean's eatdrinkkl. I wondered where this new restaurant was located until I realised that al-nafourah was closed and replaced by Favola. Soon more and more bloggers started to flock to the new Italian restaurant and came back with good reviews. Well, if self-proclaimed Italian food lovers like Sean raved about this place, what could possibly go wrong right??

So one night when Sher Ryn was under my in-law's supervision, Jenn & I came here for a date! We used to go out on date a lot in the past, and dating was something that I love to do with someone I love. Don't get me wrong, my definition of dating is very simple - does not necessarily means going out for expensive meal or vacation. What matters to me was the fact that there were just the two of us spending time together, chatting the night away. Since Sher Ryn was born, those opportunities got lesser and lesser. That's why I treasure the time that both of us had together :)

I must have not come here for a long time as I was surprised to see the entrance of Le Meridien's brightly lid with artworks. Googling further, I plagiarised alilfatmonkey's description of this artwork "Earlier this year, Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur has transformed its hotel entrance into an art portal, commissioning the unique work of Chinese artist, An Xiaotong entitled ‘Everywhere’. Upon arrival at the hotel, guests are welcomed with striking colours displayed at the hotel entrance and ceiling along a narrow walkway. With the intention of resetting the guests’ mind when entering the hotel, the art piece features extended branches in bold red branches against electric blue to exemplifies a network of cities that spans everywhere throughout the world." Credit has to be given to this profilic and funny blogger :)


Taking the lift to Level 8 where the Middle Eastern restaurant Al-Nafourah once operated, we were shown to our table (why? You think that I would risk not having table on weekend evening? Hell no... I made reservation two days earlier)

Complimentary breads with 3 different dippings were absolutely spot on - one of the best in town. The breads were freshly baked and the variety of dippings were delicious enough to whet my appetite to gorge on the main course later.

After cracking my head, I settled for Risotto con Aragosta @ RM45 - lobster, lemon zest, and green pea foam. What I love about this dish was the distinctive taste of the lobster.. the portion was generous and I loved it to bits! Risotto lovers take note :)

Jenn's choice of Conchiglioni marinata al cartoccio @ RM40 was a right one - baked parcels with seafood (clams, scallops & lobsters to name a few), extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs and tangy tomato sauce. Topped with melted cheese on top, shell pastas were used to "trap" the sweet & flavourful sauce and went straight into your mouth. The result??? Fantastic is all that I can think of to describe this dish!

I was in the mood for something alcoholic so I ordered this Vibetini @ RM30 - lychee, sugar syrup, vodka and a dash of midori. Sweet but I think that the alcohol content was not potent enough!

Cassata @ RM20 - layered ice-cream with a few different type of flavour. The recipe remained a secret that Chef Antoine & his friend (who gave him the recipe and made him swear not to reveal it) know. I wonder why all of you didn't try it as this was perhaps one of the best ice-cream I'd tasted in my life!!!

Leo's verdict - Before my starwood card expires end of Sept 2010, I definitely will come here to savour on their other dishes again! Two thumbs up for Favola as it made into my Top 10 Italian restaurants!

Pizza Uno @ Centrepoint Bandar Utama

When one speaks about Italian food, I gotta admit that I am not as adventurous as most of you! The most expensive Italian meal that I'd ever had was at Villa Danieli of Imperial Sheraton Hotel but that was during my birthday last year. Even if you ask my opinion on Il Padrino or anything that starts with Nero, I'd just scratch my head and gave you all those blank stares :) don't get me wrong, I love Italian food but the truth is I won't purposely go looking for Italian restaurants unless they are really that DAMN good!

However, there is one particular place that holds a special place in my heart - Pizza Uno! But the first time I came to this place was not with Jenn but with my MBA classmates. It was year 2002 and I was still living in Puchong at that time and not very familiar with PJ or BU area. Then I realised that Jenn liked it here too when we went out for movie some time later (we were still normal friends at that time). When we started dating, we would come here whenever there was a craving for Italian food. Both of us simply love the ambience and the dining atmosphere at Pizza Uno. Things got a whole lot easier when I bought a house in Bandar Utama, as it's about 5 min away from our love nest. It's a good thing that we share a lot in common, especially in food...

Red and white wine bottles are placed on a barrel at the entrance.. to let you know that they serve wines in case you are in the mood for one :)

Tables are placed outside to accommodate diners and it is usually packed during dinner time.

There are weekend specials which are not available during normal weekdays. Initially I was planning to have my usual dish but the specials really piqued my curiousity. Therefore I went for their crab meat spaghettini, which is the smaller version of spaghetti. They were very generous on the crab meat but the whole dish was lack of flavour and frankly, quite bland eventhough spiced with lime and chilly.

Jenn opted for Herb-scented chicken with mushroom risotto - chunks of juicy roasted chicken with creamy arborio rice and mushroom. This was very good flavour-wise and the chicken meat was juicy and tender.

A bottle of mineral water for both of us... with a slice of lemon in each glass. Over-priced but they don't serve water so no choice.

Leo's verdict - whenever Jenn & I craved for pasta or pizza, we would normally come here to eat... convenient location and comfortable settings. Not necessary the best place for Italian food, but the quality is OK enough to warrant a visit (by the way, I am not a fussy eater so don't take my word for it... it's solely based on my taste bud). Apart from the dishes I mentioned above, their garlic prawn pasta is to die for and there's one particular dish that I want to mention here - Napoli Pizza, which is the anchovies pizza. Some might think that it's very salty but somehow I love it! The crust is thin, crispy and prepared using wood fire.