La Scala @ Mayang, Off Yap Kwan Seng

La Scala has risen from the ashes of il Lido, aiming to become a worthy successor to what was once KL's best Italian restaurant.

 Named after Milan's famed opera house, La Scala strives to orchestrate the gastronomic equivalent of a stirring symphony ...

... conducted by the family of a former Italian ambassador that owns the restaurant, harmoniously combined with the considerable expertise of chef Lucio Russo from Naples & sommelier Sante Losio from Venice.

Russo makes all of La Scala's pasta fresh daily, so even an amuse bouche of spinach-topped ravioli stuffed with carrots is worth examining & slowly savoring.

Starters reveal a welcome complexity in the kitchen's recipes; what's labeled on the menu simply as truffle-roasted Hokkaido bay scallops with quail eggs (RM68++) turns out to feature more than merely that (fans of beetroot & olive oil, rejoice).

Pumpkin soup (RM35++) emerges as creamy & sunny as egg yolk, enhanced with mascarpone cheese, sliced almonds & the surprising fieriness of chilies.

Delicate 'sedanini' tube pasta (RM42++), made rich with a ragout of organic veal. 

Potato gnocchi with bolognese sauce & cheese (RM44++), filling & fulfilling.

 Seafood seeks to steal the spotlight at La Scala: The fruits of the ocean include sea bass fillet (RM68++), pan-fried with nutmeg-tinged spinach, caramelized cherry onions, celeriac sauce & balsamic vinegar ...

... seafood casserole with Sicilian couscous (RM72++) ...

... & a big slab of cod fish resting on a mound of Italy's sweet, soft Tropea red onions (RM85++).

Desserts include 72-percent Araguani Valrhona chocolate cake (RM26++) with vanilla ice cream.

La Scala's menu seems to be a work in progress; expect the full scope of the chef's capabilities to be unveiled as the weeks proceed.

The restaurant has been gently refurbished in recent months, with more natural sunlight flowing in during daytime & lovely artwork on the walls.

The rooftop terrace bar remains intact, tempting patrons with Bellinis & more.

With so few new Italian restaurants that bear strong ambitions in KL these days, La Scala is certainly a welcome entry; we'll be back.

La Scala Kuala Lumpur
183, Jalan Mayang, Off Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, Kuala Lumpur
Mon-Fri, lunch & dinner; Sat, dinner. Tel: 03-2161-2291

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets. Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013 (This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link).

Awesome Canteen @ Taman Paramount, Petaling Jaya

Naming a restaurant 'Awesome Canteen' is a risky gambit, but this Paramount Garden newbie possesses the potential to live up to that description.

Thanks to Joachim for pointing us to this place, which opened this month on a street dominated by auto workshops, further up the row anchored by Loong Foong, the Chinese restaurant famed for roast duck.

Awesome Canteen is a thoughtfully outfitted outlet, with salvaged-wood tables & 20th-century relics like rotary phones & typewriters providing a nod to the past in a cafe that clearly caters to contemporary tastes. 

Come during dinnertime, when surprisingly delicious burgers are offered, ranking among the Klang Valley's Top 10. Spicy creations include a Tex-Mex medley of tabasco-grilled beef patty, melted pepper jack cheese, tomato-&-guacamole salsa & grilled chilies.

Equally excellent, if not more: A chicken burger with house-made sambal & anchovies. The fillings taste fabulously fresh, with a brilliant balance of flavors, complemented by fluffy-light poppy-seed buns; most of the burgers hover around the RM20 mark.

Gotta love burgers when they're lusciously loaded; Awesome Canteen also serves bun-free "Paleo Burgers" for those on the primal caveman diet.

Here's the Thai-influenced veggie relish that's the topping for Awesome Canteen's Tom Yam burger, featuring crisp, vividly refreshing flavors that prove the hallmark of this cafe's recipes.

Even the herb-tinged fries are well worthwhile, thanks to the diligent efforts of a nine-person team that includes Diane Ong & her friends at a Malaysian graphic design firm who've decided to pursue their dream of running an F&B establishment, hiring a talented young chef in the process.

For lunch, customers can dig into comfort food comprising not only pastas but also this Japanese curry chicken rice ...

... served steaming-hot, satisfyingly hearty with meat, cheese, potatoes, carrots & onions.

Sandwiches are also available; treats include the walnut bread stuffed with roast beef, mustard, capsicum, rocket & more (RM21.90 before taxes).

All in all, Awesome Canteen's a blast of fresh air in this neighborhood. Expect to hear & read much more about it in the months ahead.

Awesome Canteen PJ Paramount Garden (might still not have signboard this week)

19, Jalan 20/13, Paramount Garden, Petaling Jaya

Open 11am-10pm, closed Mondays as of Dec. 2. Tel: 03-7865-8048

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets. Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013 (This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link).

The Olive Tree @ KLIA & Athens International Airport

Same name, but two different restaurants; same cuisine, but at two different airports _ Travelers can eat at outlets named The Olive Tree at both the Kuala Lumpur International Airport & Athens International Airport. Neither establishment is affiliated to the other.

First up, KLIA's The Olive Tree, where an acceptable Greek salad's available (RM30+), though with far less feta than what customers would be accustomed to at the birthplace of this recipe.

Vegetarian moussaka (RM28+), safe & agreeable in the manner that airport food tends to be.

Lamb casserole (RM42+). The fatal flaw: the surliness of a staff member who shouldn't be in the service sector; he casts The Olive Tree in a bad light by looking angry & inconvenienced & refusing to even reply when we asked to move to a larger table in the near-empty restaurant & requested ice for our bottle of wine.

Wine by the glass costs about RM40 here, so order a RM120 bottle instead.

We ended up having a more pleasant experience, with substantially friendlier service, at The Olive Tree at Athens International Airport.

Complimentary rolls are served here, complete with dips of spicy cheese, fish roe & eggplant.

The Olive Tree's house burger (€13) comes with a Greek twist ...

Olives & feta folded into its pork-&-beef patty.

Peppers & tomatoes also come stuffed here ....

... with rice for a home-cooked feel (€14).

Snatch a seat by the window & savor wine (€4 per small bottle) while watching planes take off.

Frappe, the Greek obsession as far as coffee orders are concerned.

The Olive Tree @ Kuala Lumpur International Airport

The Olive Tree @ Athens International Airport

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets. Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013 (This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link).

Marquee @ Bukit Bintang & Grid 9 Gastropub @ Maharajalela

Checking out a couple of places downtown that serve late dinners comprising offbeat recipes, starting with Marquee, a recently launched restaurant & lounge at Bukit Bintang's BB Park.

 

The top temptation's the Tommy Gun Burger: French toast topped with beef patty & brown sauce (RM25++). It works, sorta; the kind of hot mess that's worth at least a few bites.

 

For more familiar comfort food, Sarawak laksa (RM18++) is offered; might not be the best in town but unlikely to be the worst.

 

Cocktails come in the customary Cosmopolitan & Mojito forms.

 

A ten-minute drive from Marquee, there's a quieter retreat to be found at the ground-floor gastropub of Grid 9, a new backpackers' hotel near the Jalan Maharajalela monorail station.

 

Malay Tex-Mex? Tacos stuffed with spicy sambal prawns, lettuce & tomatoes (RM10). (Relatively) cheap & (fairly) tasty.

 

Wine & hard liquor are both available at Grid 9.

 

Marquee Lounge

BB Park, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

Grid 9 Gastropub

Grid 9 Hotel, Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur

The gastropub is closed Sunday & Monday nights

 

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets. Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013 (This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link).