Upstairs @ Alexis Telawi

Upstairs @ Alexis has reopened after a physical revamp, looking spiffier than ever.

With light jazz wafting in the background, there's a calm dining section here for escaping the crowds, beside a lounge filled with plush sofas and decorated like a library (with fake books).

Clam chowder. Delicious to the last drop; this was brimming with clams, beef bacon & veggies, but what gave it extra oomph was probably a dash of Chardonnay.

Pumpkin soup. Also a thick, creamy pleasure, with a touch of spice to make it zesty.

Salad nicoise, with seared tuna sashimi, haricot vert, kalamata olives & half-boiled egg. Not the healthiest salad around, but perhaps one of the tastiest. The olives were a bit of a chore to eat though, since they came with their pits intact.

Homemade tagliatelle with duck ragu, grated parmesan & basil. Salty but addictive.

Wagyu beef cheeks braised in red wine. Looked hearty, but most of the plate was filled with rocket salad, gremolata & mashed potatoes. Would be nice to have more of the tender, flavorsome meat instead, but this was adequate for the price.

The Mandarin (absolut mandarin, cranberry, orange) & Mint Julep (rum, lime, mint leaves).

Click these for entries on Alexis @ The Gardens: Feb. 5, 2009 & May 31, 2009.

Upstairs @ Alexis,

Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru.

Wine Actually

If this looks nothing like a restaurant, that's because it's not. It's the sorta-secret headquarters of Wine Actually, billed as Malaysia's first licensed online wine merchant.

Wine Trivia #1: It can take 2.5 pounds of grapes to produce a regular bottle of wine.

Full details can be found on wineactually.com, but company co-founders Shaun Lee and Wilson Quah basically provide a nice selection of wines for customers to purchase on the website and have delivered to their doorsteps.

Wine Trivia #2: Italy, France and Spain are the largest wine-producing nations.

Both guys _ who've confessed on their website to a sordid history of underage drinking _ also run wineactually.tv, a collection of video clips that feature them tasting wine and offering nuggets of wisdom about how to enjoy various varieties.

Wine Trivia #3: The Latin phrase "in vino veritas," or "in wine, (there is) truth," refers to how consuming alcohol can cause people to speak the truth and spill their secrets.

I shamelessly invited myself for lunch at their office, shortly after Shaun and Wilson had opened a bottle for a wineactually.tv segment. They also packed some pretty tasty wantan mee, sui kow & veggies from Yip Kee at Menjalara Business Square.

Wine Trivia #4: California's Napa Valley wine region surpasses Disneyland as the U.S. state's top tourist destination, with more than 5 million visitors annually.

What went well with all that food? Las Moras Malbec 2008 (Argentina) _ very pleasant and easy to drink (sold by Wine Actually for roughly RM62). I thought there was a strong whiff of cherries in this, but Shaun pointed out that it was probably blackberries (which a Google search later proved to be accurate).

Wine Trivia #5: The biggest type of wine bottle is called the Nebuchadnezzar, which contains 15 liters of wine (equivalent to 20 standard bottles).

Took the opportunity to purchase some wines for future use: Saint Clair Pioneer Block 7 Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Grant Burge Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay NV & Torbreck The Bothie 2009. Prices are listed on the website _ pretty good bargains, compared to the restaurant prices that we usually pay.

Wine Trivia #6: The cheapest bottle of wine at wineactually.com costs RM34. The most expensive is a RM332 Pinot Noir.

Wine Actually,

Bandar Menjalara.

Tel: 6272-4394

Edo Ichi @ Solaris Kuala Lumpur

With some 200 choices on the menu here, was there ever any doubt we'd be back for more?

Click here for earlier entry on Edo Ichi (July 30).

Cold thin wheat noodles with unagi & half-boiled egg. The noodles were smooth and slippery, but the mouthwatering combo of warm, soft eel and explosively runny yolk stole the show.

Alaskan Maki, featuring deep-fried salmon & avocado. We've always wished there could be more stuffing and less rice in these rolls; this recipe fit that description perfectly.

Deep-fried seaweed roll filled with tuna belly. Not the best way to relish the melt-in-the-mouth texture of tuna belly, but still surprisingly addictive. Sorta like fish croquettes.

Sea bream head, steamed in sake. Tasted hyper-fresh, with lots of meaty flesh in its cheeks. We loved chewing on the huge, gelatinous eye.

Volcano Maki, comprising assorted fish rolled in sushi rice and drenched in mayo sauce. This one, on the other hand, had way too much rice. Seemed similar to offerings at Sakae Sushi and all those other shopping mall chains.

Salmon & eel "pizza." Decent toppings, but what fascinated us was the base that tasted like a cross between polenta and couscous (a variation of okonomiyaki?). Sufficiently crisp to bear the weight of the toppings, but soft enough that chewing is scarcely necessary (yay!).

Braised ox tongue with carrots & potatoes. Coulda been more tender, but would still work nicely as comfort food to help mend a broken heart. Had a healthy, home-cooked feel.

A bottle of sparkling sake (Ozeki Hana-Awaka) kept us in fizzy spirits all evening.

Edo Ichi is currently offering 20 percent off all food for dinner as part of a belated opening promotion through Aug. 31. Alas, we made this visit slightly before that promo began.

Edo Ichi,

Solaris Dutamas.

Clover Pub @ Solaris Mont Kiara

A laidback, friendly pub with a cool moniker. The food is rather ordinary, but customers can still savor a quiet evening playing pool here.

The luck of the Irish wasn't with the salmon. Despite being moist and hearty, it was the most flavorless fish we've tasted in recent memory.

Guinness beef stew. The meat was tough, but the robust, piping-hot gravy would be a welcome comfort on a rainy evening, whether in Dublin or KL.

Kahlua and two types of beer. The booze selection is limited.

The Clover Pub,

Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

China Treasures @ Sime Darby Convention

It's a strange thing: Despite not exactly loving Chinese food, I eat it fairly often.

Click here for previous review of China Treasures (April 30).

Deep-fried mantis prawns. Meaty and well-prepared, but not particularly memorable.

Tea-smoked duck. Really juicy. One of the tastiest ducks we've had this year.

Braised Chinese cabbage with fish roe & crab roe. The stock was rich and decadent, making the veggies seem almost like an unwelcome distraction.

La mian with beef brisket soup & chilli oil. Chinese restaurants are the best at tenderizing beef, aren't they? Even if their methods are somewhat suspicious.

Durian pancakes. Pretty fresh stuff, though Mandarin Oriental's version still rules.

Avocado pudding. A strange, artificial flavor made this a turnoff.

La Challenge Blanc (France). Wines are available by the glass, which is kinda rare for Chinese restaurants (but much appreciated!).

China Treasures,

Sime Darby Convention Centre.

Caffe Vivo @ Pavilion

Caffe Vivo recently took over Italian on Sixth's location at Pavilion, but it almost feels like the same restaurant _ no better, but no worse.

Grissini wrapped with Parma ham. Pork is still a mainstay on the menu here, thankfully. This one sounded interesting, but the ham was dramatically dry, lacking the decadent fattiness and intense flavors that would have won us over.

Seafood risotto, with squid, mussels & prawns, cooked with white wine & tomatoes. Disastrously bland and mushy. Dishes like this are what give risotto a bad name.

All was not lost though; we enjoyed these succulent scallops, nicely seared and wrapped in savory bacon with asparagus, avocados & balsamic glaze.

Creme brulee. Can't find fault with this, but can't praise it either.

Tiramisu. Equally forgettable, though adequate to satisfy a tiramisu craving.

Spritz Al Vino (aperol topped with white wine & sparkling mineral water) & Torresella Sauvignon Blanc, Veneto.

Caffe Vivo,

Pavilion.