They have 2 private rooms. This is the bigger one. Don’t be fooled by the plastic chairs. It’s one of the most comfortable chairs on Earth. I am dead serious. They ain’t cheap!

The lamp above the private room table. I could stare at it all day long. It’s really quite pretty.

The waiters dress in brown and they are really friendly and attentive people! (:

Focaccia Bread. A little too oily, and too oily to even dip into the olive oil and vinegar. And it takes ages to reach the vinegar.

Crab Salad with Avocado and Bisque Jelly (RM39)
From degustation menu.

Pan Fried Goose Liver with Saba Wine Must and Sweet Potatoe Galette (RM59)
This is from the degustation menu. I *heart* foies gras.

Rigatoni with Lamb Ragout, Fava Beans and Pecorino Cheese (RM39)
Lots of cheese. Bite size lamb which is chewable unlike the lamb shanks. Love-a-ly. Love-a-ly.  *MWAH (I think I’m trying too hard to sound like an Italian.)

Tagliolini with Lobster and Spicy ‘Calabria’ Salami (RM59)
They say that the spicy-ness comes only from the special salami they imported but the salami slices would not be visible for some odd reason. The lobster’s nice and so is the tagliolini. This is from the degustation menu so it looks a little smaller in size.

Gorgonzola Cheese and Radicchio Risotto with Hazlenut Sauce (RM39)
I’m not really a fan of risotto but this is OK. They have another champagne risotto with LOTS of truffle. That is quite good as well I heard.

Sardinian Roasted Suckling Pig with Plum Sauce (RM85)
Another from the degustation menu. It would be 3 slices if ala carte. You could hear so clearly how crispy it is when you cut it. YUM.

Duck Leg Confit with Truffle Salad and Caramelized Shallots (RM75)
A little too dry for my liking. Like a lamb shank. Not something I’d want to order. ):

Ricotta Cheese Cake with Orange and Pistacchio (RM29)
What? What’s that on top? GOLD? Yeah. They are real gold flakes. I didn’t really enjoy this though. Imagine a cheesecake which is almost like cream. x10 the dry-ness. And add in the orange and pistacchio pieces in it.

Degustation Menu (RM180)

Il Lido

Jalan Mayang,
Off Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: +603 2161 2291
http://www.il-lido.com.my

Nang it!

Fresh Dutch Sealand Flat Oysters (6 for RM128/ 12 for RM250)
For starters, we had oysters and fresh oysters isn’t my thing. Cooked ones either. But each time I see oysters, I’d take one just to try it out.. I must say, this is the best oyster I’ve ever eaten. (I still quite dislike it, but eating it the french way was quite alright with me)

They have mini buns for you instead of the ordinary big fat bread that lies in the middle of the table all times. They serve it to each customer, asking which bun you’d like. This one is a multigrain bun.

Ocean Trout Tartar (RM58)
With basil leaves and wasabi sorbet in the middle.
The ocean trout was marinated with grain mustard, chopped dill, chives, olive oil and a drop of sesame.

Scottish Scallops Platter (RM88)
You have the Pan-fried scallop served on a creamy puree of Jerusalem artichoke on the left, then the carpaccio of scallops sliced thinly and placed over sweet beetroot cut in small cubes and lastly is a grilled scallop placed over sautéed oyster mushrooms and a mustard mouselline.
I liked the pan-fried scallop the best. The puree of Jerusalem artichoke compliments it so well! As for the carpaccio, my mum loves it so much. The last scallop was only yummy because of the juicy scallop meat.

Monkfish (RM128)
The pan-fried fish is topped with a crust of herbs like tarragon, basil and parsley and served with cooked spinach leaves and a stunning oyster béarnaise. The spinach leaves is gorgeous, the oyster béarnaise, not quite.. For the fish, oh my goodness, it’s so beautiful. Firm and juicy.. It’s not like eating a codfish. It’s different. By the way, go google monkfish if you don’t know how it looks like. Remember the movie, Nemo? There was one time when Marley and Dory went deep down to the sea where no light is seen? There they were attacked by this ‘cute’ fish with a light bulb? YES! That one!

White Halibut (RM118)
Oven baked to a light golden hue, the fish is placed on a fragrant langoustine broth with root vegetables like potatoes and topped with lobster ravioli.
The ravioli is good, but we only had one.. /:

Seafood Platter served with 2 creamy dips (RM248 per person, minimum two persons)

Osyter

Mussel

Langoustine

I was being all classy, I didn’t want to use my hands.. In the end I did, 3 of them just stared at me while I do it. PRESSURE! Haha

Callebaut Chocolate (RM38)

Ghana Dark Chocolate Ganache
Served in a glass topped with a foamy honey chocolate espuma and a sprinkle of coffee granite. It’s another rich dessert but to die for.

White Chocolate Cremeux
with pistachio, cottage cheese and raspberry

Sao Thome Dark Chocolate Brownie
A thin sliver of vanilla panna cotta (hardly could taste it though..) and chopped lime-pear compote. Yummyy.. I can already feel the extra calories..

Cottage Cheese Sorbet
It’s already starting to melt when I took the picture, you could imagine when it reach our table.. But it’s real good stuff, if only I could have more… (:

Evert Onderbeke, the Belgian chef.

Carol, whose been so nice and attentive. She’s a real nice lady who always had a smile on her face. (:

I just love my Lancome oscillating mascara..

High Tide

Website

Ground Floor
Menara Taipan
Jalan Punchak (on the way to KL Tower)
Off Jalan P Ramlee
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2072 4452

Anyway, we went to Giovino, Chankat Bukit Bintang for dinner. It’s a little pricey, but worth every cent! It’s a non-halal Italian restaurant. Nowadays, you can seldom find a good non-halal Italian restaurant. Giovino has a beautiful interior. Especially the upstairs. It looked like a bee-hive kind of thing.

Downstairs.

Upstairs! Look at that lovely pattern on the wall..

Chef Giovanni

By the way, they sell cold cuts too!

Pussy Foot (RM12)
It’s sort of reminds me of Oreo. Don’t ask why, it just does. It’s slightly sour if you don’t stir it up together. So, girls! Don’t order this if you decide to throw the cream away.

Kreatopita (RM16)
Baked minced meat in filo pastry
Very sweet juicy minced meat in the loveliest pastry ever.

Spanacopita (RM12)
Baked sautéed spinach in filo pastry
Recommended for vegetarians!

Greek Tiropita (RM16)
Baked goat cheese in filo pastry
OMG. This taste like heaven. The perfect choice for those who absolutely love cheese to bits! This is just so beautiful. The pastry is just as good! Maybe it will even change those who dislikes cheese.. And make them love them so much, they can’t stop eating cheese for the rest of their lives. (Am I scaring you?)

Pan-fried Scallops (RM28)
On a bed of Portobello mushrooms and garden greens served with red pepper sauce
I love the portobello mushroom. The scallop is quite okay, but not the greatest.

Greek Ntolmades (RM16)
Rolled Vine Leaf with Rice
How do you pronounce this? This is lovely too! Just by smelling it, your mouth would start to water. And this is just an appetizer!

A selection of cold cuts. Really worth it! They are so gorgeous!!

Spaghetti Carbonara (RM26)
with crispy bacon, fresh parmesan and egg
Just nice. It wasn’t too cheesy nor too creamy. It’s a lovely carbonara.

Buccatini Amatriciana (RM28)
Thick Pasta with bacon, onions in spicy herb tomato sauce
Compared to the Carbonara, this one isn’t so great. It’s tomato based, but creamy.

Pan-fried Cod Fillet (RM62)
Wrapped in bacon served with sautéed mushrooms and truffle butter sauce
Without the bacon though.. When I took this picture, my mouth literally watered. The smell of the lovely mushrooms.. The closer I got, I could smell the sweetness of the fish. I couldn’t wait to eat it! YUM!

Pork Steak (RM48)
with potatoes and salad
Imagine a sirloin steak, but it’s pork, and not too raw.

Greek Bifteki (RM52)
Beef patties sealed with emmenthal and bacon
This.. is another piece of heaven. The minced beef patties were juicy! Despite the fact it was minced..

It’s meant to be slightly burnt, so don’t get worried!

Wild Boar (RM48)
Cooked in red wine with mashed potatoes
Victor says it’s almost like lamb.

Lamb Shank (RM38)
with mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy
Not my kind of dish, so I can’t describe how it would taste.. ):

Greek Moussaka (RM39)
Baked layers of eggplant, lamb bolognaise, potatoes and béchamel
My mum liked it very much, but I didn’t.. It’s.. Weird..

Cheesy Vanilla Créme Brule (RM16)
You must try this! I can’t describe how heavenly this taste, every mouthful leaves you wanting more. Plus! It’s not too sweet, and good for those who are on a ‘diet’..

Warm double chocolate flan with vanilla ice cream (RM22)
This is another dessert you MUST TRY. Serious, try it. You won’t regret paying RM22!
Do remember to allow 15mins of cooking time.

Latte (RM11)

I had 6 main courses with a selection of buffet appetizer and dessert that costs only RM128++ (minimum 3 persons) at Impiana Hotel’s coffee house, Tonka Bean Café. I’ve never seen such a huge coffee house, high ceiling with lovely decorations. Although it was quite warm, I loved the ambiance. Overall, I like this hotel very much. I went there with my mum and my brother.. There were 2 other unfriendly Star reporters with us. Gosh, I cannot stand them..

Signature Yee Sang with Smoked Tuna with BB Abalone and Avacado (RM98++ for 5 persons and RM168++ for 10 persons)
I love yee sang! But the best one is the one we have back in my grandma’s house in Penang. Extra salmon.. Extra everything. As for this one, it’s really quite nice, but I wouldn’t pay for such tiny abalones. I’d rather get big ones but lesser.. The avacado is a little hard, I almost mistaken them for young mango.  My mum liked the smoked tuna. I didn’t really get a good piece, only a tiny half piece. ): But it was quite lovely, despite how small it was. It’s slightly salty and sweet. Not their fault that I got a small piece, probably it broke into two while we were mixing the yee sang.

Oh, oh ! Remember to pay extra attention to the plate! The decoration on the plate may look like its from the plate but its real! You CAN eat them!

Shark Fin and Crab Meat Soup with BB Abalone and Fatt Choy
The soup is really nice but excess crab meat! The crab meat overpowered the shark fin.. Oh by the way.. I am officially allergic to crab meat! ): My throat feels hot and itchy..

Steamed Cod Fillet with King Soy Sauce
A simple dish which is just so gorgeous. You can really taste the freshness of the cod fish. I wouldn’t like it if it’s made into curry, or with heavy gravy. Soy sauce is just nice to give a little taste to the fish.

Stir Fried Sea Tiger Prawns with Chinese BBQ Sauce
Fresh sea tiger prawns.. Checked. Good sauce.. Checked.

Wok Fried Black Pepper Wagyu Beef with Capsicum and Onion
First piece got me thinking.. I thought its usually the thick blackpepper sauce..? This tastes weird.. *takes another piece* Hey, its sweet and sour AND blackpepper-ish.. Which is actually nice, but quite unusual, don’t you think? They’ve added vinegar, soy sauce, LP sauce, ketchup, blackpepper and worchestire sauce

Clay Pot of Dried Oyster, Fatt Choy, Mushroom and Broccoli
Not my kind of dish. This is getting SO boring. Not only Impiana Hotel, mind me, I’m not offending. I’m just quite sick of this dish.. It’s not exciting.

Cantonese Noodle with Grass Prawns, Ginger and Spring Onion
I love the noodle but I was already to full to consume anything else.

Pretty marshmallows..

They have a chocolate fountain.. Which different things to dip with.

Tiramisu. It’s actually not bad! If you scrap the cream off..

After lunch, we went to One Utama and walked around.. There were so many cheong sams and decorations on sale. The whole place is so red! At about 4.30pm, we picked up our Chinese New Year Treasure Pot from Dragon-I. RM388++!! For at least.. 5-6 persons, it’s actually quite worth it.. They have prawns, abalones, scallops, money bag, roast duck, chicken and vegetables..

I love you, Victor Lee.