An Italian Experience @ Nerovivo, Changkat Bukit Bintang

A few days ago, it was KS's birthday and I decided to bring him to Nerovivo @ Changkat Bukit Bintang after work for a special dining experience.

Serving authentic Italian cuisine, Nerovivo sits in a chic and trendy inner-city bungalow, decorated with bold, sexy artworks and extensive displays of wines.  Outside, there is the open-air wood-fire pizza ovens where pizzas are made and baked.  Seats inside the restaurant is pretty limited, but luckily, as I have made reservations, we get to sit inside instead of the al-fresco setting.

While we were examining the menu, we were presented with a complimentary basket of freshly-baked pizza bread and balsamic vinegar dip.  Oh my, they are so deliciously addictive - full of herbs and garlic flavours with a nice smoky fragrance.

First on the menu is the starter.  We ordered the Zuppa di Zucca e Porri (RM 24), a pumpkin leek soup with roasted onions and sea salt.  The soup has a very light, uncomplicated flavour, with a hint of pumpkin sweetness.  It is quite thin in consistency and hence, it didn't give that feeling of fullness too early in the meal.

One thing that impressed me very much at this point was their service.  During the order, our waiter noticed that we only ordered one soup and kindly asked if we intended to share the soup, of which he then, to my surprise, offered to split the soup into two bowls for convenience.  How thoughtful!  This is the kind of service that warmth the heart of the diners.

The birthday boy ordered the Pollo Alla Diavola (RM 55) as his main dish.  This Devil's Chicken served with rosemary roasted potatoes and seasonal garden salad accompanied by black pepper sauce is one that brings a big smile to my birthday boy.  The forequarter chicken was very juicy and tender, and with each bite, you can feel the juice bursting out in your mouth.  We're very impressed with how well the chicken was cooked.

The flavours are quite gentle but wholesome.  Even without the black pepper sauce, the well-seasoned chicken is good enough on its own.  The roasted potatoes are also very nice and soft.

As for me, who love all things pizza, ordered the Pizza Contadina (RM 40) which has mozzarella, Italian chicken sausage, eggplants, ricotta cheese with tomato sauce.

Voted as the Best Pizza in the Time Out KL Food Awards 2009, Nerovivo delivered quite an impressive pizza (in my opinion).  The thin pizza crust was well-baked without having a burnt presentation.  There was a good balance of the ingredients and the cheese was so gentle-flavoured.  Although the eggplant was quite little (KS joked about not able to find the eggplant), I quite enjoy my pizza.  It didn't have the oiliness feel and was moist.

Finally come the desserts, which are beautifully plated and decorated with strawberry and gooseberry.  Both are also decorated with a piece of chocolate almond brownie-like biscuit, which I find very tasty.

Coming to an Italian restaurant, I cannot missed ordering the Tiramisu (RM 28).  When it first arrived, I thought it was ice-cream as it really looked like one.  Served in a crispy, sweet waffle-like tuille, the lady finger biscuits are arranged at the bottom and topped with scoops of mascarpone cheese mixture.  Generally, the flavours are light with a mild espresso flavour and very smooth texture.  The mascarpone cheese mixture has a nice  balance of sweetness and quite gentle on the taste-buds.  However, both of us preferred a more solid texture from the soaked biscuits as it was kinda too mushy for our liking.  But still, a good piece of dessert.

The other dessert which we ordered is the Dark and White Chocolate Mousse (RM 28).  The mousse is quite firm but velvety, and resembles very muck like a cake.  Surprisingly, this dessert was not overly sweet despite having so much chocolate in it.  However, I find the white chocolate portion being a little less captivating as it didn't have a strong milky, vanilla flavour but the dark chocolate portion was really good.

Overall, the food served in Nerovivo is very good.  Their flavours are generally lighter and focus more to the natural flavours of the ingredients.  I quite love how the flavours blend in perfectly without overpowering other flavours.  Thumbs up!

I love the cosy ambiance in Nerovivo with its soft lightings.  For a moment, it actually felt like I was on a holiday.  It is so comfortable that you feel all the day's stress has been lifted from your shoulders.  Not to mention the good food to heal your inner self and a good companion to share your thoughts.

Well, most importantly, my birthday boy is happy with the experience :)

Nerovivo

3A, Jalan Ceylon

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Tel:  03-2070 3120

GPS:  3.148411,101.706018

Italian meal @ Favola, Le Meridien

Stepping into this fine-dining Italian restaurant is like stepping into an era of the long forgotten past, with its beautiful and rustic Italian setting especially the wall decorated with various Venetian masquerade masks.  With such good reviews about the food and ambiance, we decided to celebrate our anniversary here at Favola @ Le Meridien Hotel.

Served complimentary is their selection of freshly-baked breads, accompanied with three different dipping - balsamic vinegar with olive oil, spicy carrot truffle oil and sweet guacamole.  The bread were crispy on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside.  Each with a different flavour, they smell so good.  In particular, I loved the bread with the sun-dried tomatoes - fragrant and so flavourful.  

Be gentle on them, because they are really good and you'll most likely end up finishing them (which may probably not be a very good idea since these are supposed to be just snacks).

For starters or antipasto (the before-the-meal), we ordered the Rucola e Salsiccia Anatra (RM 35), which was recommended in a few blogs I read.  

This antipasto is arugula/salad rocket served with chunks of pear, gorgonzola cheese, duck sausage and toasted walnut, drizzled with some balsamic dressing.

While this is quite a refreshing starter with a few distinct flavours kicking in at the same time, I find this so-so only because somehow, the dish seemed to be missing a link to connect all these different ingredients together.  Put in another way, eating them separately tasted with more sense.  Not really my cup of tea.

Next is the Zuppa di Fungi Calabrese (RM 35), which is mushroom soup, served with garlic & Swiss cheese bread.  Every spoon of it is bursting with the rich flavours of various mushrooms.

The mushrooms were not blended until very fine, so you can still feel small bits of mushrooms swimming in your mouth.  As they have used milk instead of cream, the texture is lighter and smoother - not overly creamy.  Really a delicious bowl of soup.  It is quite a big portion but luckily, I have KS to share it with me - it would be totally a bummer if I am already full to the brim at the appetizer stage.

As I was drooling for some cheesy pizza (a must in every Italian cuisine), I had the house special Favola Pizza (RM 40).  This 10-inch pizza is topped with slices of tomato, fresh mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and basil pesto.

It may looked very simple, but the ingredients combined very well to give a flavourful bite.  The cheese was not too strong and overwhelming, which I kinda preferred   Only the thin-crust pizza base was a bit too dry and charcoal-taste for my liking.

KS selected the Lasagna al Forno (RM 55) for mains.  Served in a small ceramic dishware, this traditional beef bolognese with chunky Wagyu beef cheek layered with fresh homemade pasta, golden-brown cheese crust and truffle oil looks very appetizing.  The beef bolognese was cooked in a very rich, flavourful tomato-based sauce, with a hint of herby flavour.  Each spoon of this lovely pasta was heavenly, especially the juicy melt-in-the-mouth meat.

To end, we ordered the Doppio Espresso Crostata (RM 30), which is a rich double espresso tart with fresh Chantilly cream, accompanied by raspberry fruit sauce and fresh mixed berries.  The tart is so adorable and super delicious.  For espresso lovers, this dessert is definitely a must.  Combined with the sweet raspberry sauce and acidic berries, it soften the pungent and bitter taste of the espresso, creating a beautiful balance of flavours.

We also ordered a cup of freshly brewed Illy Cappucino (RM 18) served with a piece of crunchy almond biscotti to complete the Italian experience.

While it may be a pricey experience, it is totally worth it to enjoy a delicious meal in a lovely, quiet setting.  Service was quite good, until when it became very packed after 7, of which it became a bit difficult to catch their attention.  Otherwise, a fantastic, memorable dinner.

Favola
Level 8
Le Meridien Hotel
2, Jalan Stesen Sentral 
50470 Kuala Lumpur

Marco's Pizza @ Taman Bukit Emas

If you're looking for a nice Western restaurant that goes well with the young and the old, it would definitely be this cosy, family-oriented Italian restaurant - Marco's Pizza @ Taman Bukit Emas opposite the Kelana Jaya LRT station.  As the name suggests, Marco's specialties are pizza.  But this time, we decided to go for the non-pizza items.

I brought my parents here previously and they love the Chicken Chop ala Marcos (M 23.80) very much.  This is one of the best chicken chop I have ever tasted.  Served with black pepper sauce, the deep-fried breaded chicken thigh is very crispy and yet, still very juicy and succulent.  One of the side dishes is the BBQ-flavoured Ranch beans, which is good to dip your french fries in too.

Another dish we ordered is the Fish & Chips (RM 21.80).  While this dish, technically, can never go wrong, there’s also nothing much to shout about since it depends heavily on the freshness of the fish.  So, Marco's passed the test.  But one thing I must give credit to is their tartar sauce, which is quite nice with enough chopped pickles to give a sourish taste.  Plus, they were very generous with it too.

KS ordered the Aglio Olio Spaghetti (RM 18.80).  This is a simple yet very flavourful dish.  Added with some chillies, it gave the pasta a lovely spicy kick.  The garlic taste is quite intense, making the spaghetti filled with the fragrant aroma.

We have also tried their pizzas before and they are equally good.  Although the taste may not be genuinely Italian, it has definitely been localized to give a very familiar taste, especially among the older people who may not have much liking for too Westernized way of cooking.

Portion-wise, they are quite generous.  You will most likely be full to the brim with their servings.

Marco’s Pizza

No. 81 - 85, Jalan SS25/2

Taman Bukit Emas

47301 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-7803 5000