Cilantro @ Micasa Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Click here for earlier entry on Cilantro (December 22).

Amuse bouche of tuna with fish roe. Tasted really fresh. Wouldn't mind having an entire platter of this.

Cream of truffle soup. Good to the last slurp.

Cappelini with mentaiko, scallops and prawn. The seafood was fresh and luscious, especially the plump prawn.

Fried foie gras with unagi. A match made in heaven.

Braised ox tongue with foie gras & madeira sauce. Creamy decadence.

Grilled Wagyu sirloin with garden veggies. A fatty, flavourful cut.

Selection of French cheese, with five different kinds of goat cheese...

... as well as various cow and ewe cheese. Divine in their stinkiness.

We settled for a mix of Saint Maure, Mimolette, Epoisses de Bourgogne, and two others whose names we've forgotten.

Perrin Reserve Rouge 2007 Cote Du Rhone (France) & William Fevre 2007 Chablis (France).

Tatachilla 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (France).

Cilantro,

Micasa All Suite Hotel.

Ciao @ Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur

Ciao has reopened in a new location, a two-minute drive from where it once was.

The current place has the same beautiful feel, with a few snazzy, up-to-date touches, including a prodigiously stocked bar.

The setting has always been the key reason to visit Ciao _ not the food, which is satisfactory but not outstanding.

Penne with mud crab, broccoli, green olives, diced tomatoes, dill and lobster bisque. A hearty portion, generously laden with fresh-tasting ingredients.

Ravioli filled with roasted pumpkin & served with sun-dried tomatoes, capers, smoked salmon & lemon zest. Pumpkin ravioli might be the ultimate comfort food in Italian cooking.

Potato gnocchi with gorgonzola & cream sauce. A bit too stodgy to recommend.

Cactus Jack (tequila, blue curacao, orange, pineapple, lemon juice) and Butterscotch Daiquiri (rum, butterscotch liqueur, lime juice).

Roasted Toasted Almond (vodka, kahlua, amaretto, cream) and Frozen Russian (bailey's, vodka, creme de cacao, vanilla ice cream).

Ciao,

Jalan Kampung Pandan,

Off Jalan Tun Razak.

Click here for online reservations.

This restaurant is available for bookings under TABLEAPP, which enables customers to make instant reservations at Malaysia's top restaurants, while saving time and money in the process. Reserve your table at this restaurant by clicking here.

Weissbrau @ Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Click here for earlier entry on Weissbrau (October 14).

Alsatian flammkuchen topped with parma ham. A northern French pizza smothered in creme fraiche and onions. Crisp, thin and scrumptious.

Pissaladiere. The southern French version, covered with onion, garlic, anchovies and olives. A bit less tasty, lacking the sour cream in the flammkuchen.

Pork spare ribs with rosti. The ribs were flavourful but slightly tough, since they were fried. The rosti tasted very fresh and not oily at all.

Pork knuckle with spaetzle and sauerkraut. Succulent stuff.

Olma Veal Bratwurst, a sausage from St Gallen, made of veal, milk and spices. Worth ordering if you prefer soft, non-salty sausages.

Swiss chocolate mousse with pear and kirsch sauce. A hearty, decadent dessert.

Merry Berry (mixed berries with yogurt). Refreshing but sourish.

Red Cliff's Shiraz, Australia.

Weissbrau,

Pavilion.

Warisan Cafe @ Royale Chulan

A bright, breezy hotel coffee house that offers a typical, rather boring buffet.

The selections include rice-stuffed pickled grape leaves, couscous and mussels...

... obligatory cold cuts, sushi and smoked salmon...

... cups of Caesar salad, avocado mousse and prawn pineapple salsa...

... slipper lobster ...

... and a pretty tasty range of desserts, especially the mousse cakes.

Warisan Cafe,

Royale Chulan.

Albion @ Berangan KL

Click here for earlier entry on Albion (December 21).

Albion is now fully up and running; the place is still quiet on weekdays, making it perfect for a peaceful, intimate dinner. And yep, the menu finally has prices on it: the starters and desserts generally cost below RM20, while the mains are between RM20-RM40.

Fish cakes with baby spinach & strawberry salad. Crisp and piping-hot.

Pork & prawn kofta with herb salad. Rather mild-tasting and ordinary.

Potato-wrapped pompano with asparagus, sweet corn and lemon butter sauce. A terrific fish, really moist and flavourful.

Quinoa & asparagus. Fewer guilt-inducing carbs compared to risotto, but (nearly) as tasty.

Slow-roasted pork belly with root veggies and apple. Tasted surprisingly healthy (but still reasonably succulent) for a pork belly dish.

Lemon tart and fruit compote. Had that lovely "freshly baked" aroma.

Espresso panna cotta. Silky smooth and bouncy.

Last Rites and Peanut Butter Martini. Really, really good cocktails.

House-pouring Chardonnay.

Albion,

Jalan Berangan (beside Bar Italia).