Oriental Pavilion @ Jaya 33

I have visited this restaurant a few times with my family, but most of the time we order dishes to share such as the smoked chicken, pork ribs with red wine, and etc. Based on my previous experiences, the Chinese food here is more fusion than authentic but delicious nonetheless. As Sandal's birthday was approaching, Oriental Pavilion sent us a RM50 voucher discount to dine in (If you sign up to be a member, you'll receive this voucher yearly about a month before your birthday. Membership is free =)).

With the voucher in hand, the both of us decided to be more adventurous this visit and ordered some dishes we have never tried before, such as the below :

Steamed King Prawns with XO sauce and glass noodles @ RM18 per pax (min. order 2 pax)

The portion for the Steamed King Prawns with XO sauce and glass noodles was extremely small. The prawns texture was bouncy but the prawns were utterly devoid of taste - sort of like biting into a tasteless rubber with strands of noodles to accompany it. I wonder whether they soaked their prawns in some sort of chemical to make it bouncier and the chemicals, while doing its job rendered the prawns tasteless. The XO sauce was spicy and tasted like the canned XO sauce that I used to buy from a Chinese mini market for like AUD5 in Australia. In my opinion, this dish was not only expensive for the amount served but disappointing in taste as well.

Pan-fried Stuffed Australian Scallop with Foie Gras @ RM28 per pax

Next up, the Pan-fried stuffed Australian Scallop topped with Foie Gras. Unlike the above-mentioned noodles, you can order just 1 pax for this dish. The portion once again was very small, the scallop tasted like a fried squid ball and the foie gras was so overcooked that the middle was firmed instead of melt-in-your-mouth. Guess I shall stick to the French the next time I decide to order foie gras.

Steamed Cod Fish with Fresh Bean Curd Skin & Black Fungus @ RM16 per pax (min. order 2 pax)

The Steamed Cod Fish with Fresh Bean Curd Skin and Black Fungus was generous in portion but the fish was just a tiny bit overcooked and like the prawns for the XO noodles, the fish was tasteless. Very odd, I really think that they soak their seafood in some liquid for too long.

Oriental Pavillion's Three Treasures @ RM18 per pax

The Oriental Pavilion's Three Treasures can be ordered for 1 person alone and it consists of 3 bite-size appetizers; bacon wrapped around a steam scallop with cream sauce, a cold prawn dipped in mango salad sauce and fried soft shell crab with plum sauce dipping.The mango salad sauce was fantastic; tangy and sweet without masking the taste of the prawn (not tasteless this time), and the soft shell crab was fried just right; light and crispy without being soggy and oily. I really enjoyed this dish and without a doubt, it was my favourite for the night.

Verdict :

For RM77.90 (after discount) our dinner tonight was not a very enjoyable one. Even with the RM50 voucher, it still felt like a ripped off due to the taste (the lacked of one actually in this  case) and portion. We left the restaurant hungry and unhappy. However, I shall not let this 1 bad experience deter me from visiting again as in the past I have had great meals here. If you do visit, make sure you order the Pork Ribs with Red Wine. It is divine ; )

Toothpick says : I will still return here for dinner but will definitely avoid the first 3 dishes mentioned above.

Sandal says : Very inconsistent and should just stick with their normal Pork Ribs with Red Wine and Smoked Chicken.

Address :

Lot P 104 & A,

1st Floor, Jaya 33,

3 Jln Semangat,

Section 13, Petaling Jaya.

03-79569288

GPS :

N = 3° 6' 38.05", E = 101° 38' 14.45"

Google Map :

3.110569, 101.637347

 

IL Lido @ Jalan Mayang, KL

After reading countless reviews on IL Lido, Sandal and I decided to give it a try as it so happened, Maybank Credit Card was having a 1 Free 1 promotion for both the degustation menu and the classic menu. Glancing through the menu we actually preferred the main course choices from the classic menu, but decided to opt for the degustation menu as we really wanted to try their foie gras.

The degustation menu consisted of 7 courses and cost RM180 per pax.

1. We started off with the amuse-bouche below. According to the waiter, it was deep fried duck with porcini and truffle cream. The texture was chewy, but sadly I couldn't really detect the taste of truffle and felt that it tasted more like a piece of deep fried mozzarella cheese ball =p.

Amuse-Bouche

2. Next up was the appetizer, Crab Salad with Avocado and Bisque Jelly. Both Sandal and I felt that the avocado masked the usually sweet taste of crabs and the dish as a whole was very tasteless.

Crab Salad with Avocado and Bisque Jelly

3. As the first two dishes were a let down, we started feeling a little apprehensive about our next dish which was our raison d'etre on why we chose the degustation menu; the Pan Fried Goose Liver with Saba Wine Must and Sweet Potatoe Galette. Lucky for us, 3rd time was the charm. The foie gras was exquisite, crispy on the outside and creamy yet bouncy on the inside. The portion was substantial and it was sheer decadence.

Pan Fried Goose Liver

Juicy-Yummy-Very-Unhealthy

4. Now with our appetite finally whetted, and our opinion of the Chef's skills improved, we eagerly awaited our next feast; Tagliolini with Lobster and Spicy ‘Calabria’ Salami. Alas, this was quite a let down. The tagliolinis texture was soft and soggy instead of bouncy and I hate to say this, but it tasted a little like Maggi that has been boiled for one too many minutes. The lobster portion was too small to make up for the pasta and I really didn't see a salami in sight.

Maggi Mee?

5. Finally to end our savory journey before moving on to the desserts, we had the Sardinian Roasted Suckling Pig with Plum Sauce. This was magnificent! Even though small in portion, it was bursting with flavor. The skin was crispy and light without being cloyingly oily, and every bite of the meat was an explosion of melt-in-your-mouth flavors. 

Sardinian Roasted Suckling Pig

6. For dessert, we were supposed to have the Molten Lava Chocolate Cake, but as they have ran out, they served us Tiramisu instead. It would have been nice if they actually notified us before serving us the Tiramisu and perhaps allowed us to choose from a few different options instead of forcing the replacement on us. The tiramisu was rich and creamy, but nothing extraordinary.

Tiramisu

7. Lastly, to end the meal we had coffee and tea with some bite-sized nibbles.

Macchiato

Nibble - nibble

The service here was impeccable. Waiters were attentive without being intrusive. However, do take note that they only serve bottled water here which cost a whooping RM18. If like me, you have issues with paying RM18 for a bottle of water, do ask for the beverage menu as the fruit juices are only RM12.

Sparkling Water @ RM18

Verdict :

As I had the Maybank promotion, I would say that the price was fairly reasonable. However, without the promotion I would feel quite ripped off and unsatisfied as out of the 7 courses only 2 were fantastic. Furthermore, this was the degustation menu and one would expect every course to be top notch.

Toothpick says : Will go back again to try their classic menu or ala carte dishes.

Sandal says : Overrated!

Address :
Jalan Mayang (off Jalan Yap Kwan Seng)
50450 Kuala Lumpur
(opposite Australian Embassy)

GPS :
N = 3° 9' 36.66", E = 101° 42' 40.24"

Google Map : 
3.160183, 101.711178

Ma Maison @ Ampang

Ma Maison - My Home

Somewhere in a quiet residential area in Ampang sits a cozy, warm, simple, unpretentious French restaurant. Ma Maison is the ultimate place to visit if you are craving French fare with reasonable portions and exquisite taste. Sandal and I have been here quite a number of times but this is the first time that we actually remembered to bring our camera along.

Prawn Bisque @ RM16

Oysters directly flown in from France @ RM8/pc

For starters we had the prawn bisque and two air flown French oysters. The prawn bisque was perfect; light with a strong aromatic flavor of prawns and saffron unlike Ze American counterpart of comfort soups which are usually too thick and creamy. As for the oysters, they were not only fresh but sweet and Chef Bertrand (the owner) was kind enough to give us one extra complimentary oyster.

Cod Fillet @ RM46

For mains I had the Cod Fillet with basil and lemon butter and Sandal, the Veal Sweet Bread with green peppercorn which is actually the glands of the veal (Sandal being very adventurous today). There was only ONE word to describe the Cod - DIVINE. It was cook perfectly; in timing and in style. The texture of the fish was  succulent, bouncy and firm. In fact, texture wise I have not tasted another which comes even remotely close to, and trust me, I have eaten cod in many different restaurants. The sauce that accompanied it was buttery yet light, and this allowed the sweet natural taste of the fish to shine out.

Veal Sweet Bread with Green Peppercorn @ RM60

Potato Au Gratin

On the other hand, Sandal's veal was actually rather strange tasting albeit having a good chewy texture. The sauce that accompanied it was very nice (Chef Bertrand is a pro at making sauces) but the veals' glands actually had a very strange, bland taste to it. Perhaps it wasn't our cup of tea, after all the both of us are not big fans of organs. So much for being adventurous eh? However, we loved the potato Au Gratin which came with the veal!

For dessert we were looking forward to  the very delicious moist, rich chocolate cake drizzled liberally with vanilla sauce served here. Alas! it was not to be as the cake was sold out during lunch.

** Dear Readers,

    I recently visited Ma Maison for lunch (1st Dec 2010) and found that they have changed 

    their Chocolate Cake recipe. I regret to inform that the new recipe is a disappointment and 

    the texture of the cake was very dry. For any readers who have  visited and  tried the cake 

    based on my recommendation above, please accept my sincerest apologies if you found 

    the new cake to be as excruciatingly bad as I did yesterday.

Romantic Little Gem

If you have never been here, do do drop by. We have tried the beef, foie gras, duck, venison, veal (meat not the glands) and we can strongly vouched that nearly everything we have tried here is delicious.

If you are in KL during lunch hour, they also have a lunch set for just RM 32 nett, where you can choose a main meal from two options given and have a free appetizer buffet which features pate, Kalamata olives, caramelized onions, cheeses, garlic bread, tuna salad, apple salad, egg salad and pasta. All very delectable.

Verdict :

I love love love this restaurant as it is unpretentious and all the prices you see in the menu is nett. Furthermore, Ma Maison offers complimentary plain water (instead of forcing you to buy bottled water at a ridiculous price), and that to me is a mark of a true first class establishment.

Our meal came up to RM 138, and in my opinion, was very reasonable for a French restaurant of this quality. However, do take note that Ma Maison does not offer credit card facilities so be sure to have cash when you bring your date to this romantic little gem.

Toothpick says : Hearty, good food at a reasonable price

Sandal says : One of my favourite dining places

Address :

32 Persiaran Ampang,

Desa Pahlawan,

55000 Kuala Lumpur.

(Open daily except Tuesday)

GPS :

N = 3° 9' 28.92", E = 101° 44' 49.05"

Google Map : 
3.158033, 101.746958