Ciao Ristorante @ Jalan Kampung Pandan

Rating:

• Food (1-10): 8
• Price (1-10): 7
• Environment (1-10): 9

1 May 2010: Ciao serves authentic Italian food. It is the oldest Italian restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, opened in 1992. It used to be located in Jalan Tun Razak. Recently, it is newly re-located in Jalan Kampung Pandan, just off Jalan Tun Razak. The restaurant resembles a rustic Italian country house with a cozy garden and man-made lake overlooking at the golf course, and with ample parking facilities.

We had two different types of pasta dishes for dinner but I forgot to snap the photos of those. I can’t recall what did we order but they taste alright. Luckily, I did not forget to snap the desserts…

• Chocolate Lava Cake (RM22) -> warm, thick and rich, melted chocolate sauce filling flowing out from the cake. Thumbs up. Highly recommended.
• Tiramisu (RM16) -> quite tasty alright, although I’m not a tiramisu lover.

After a satisfying dinner, it’s really great to have a walk at the garden, looking at the man-made lake and golf course across the lake. It’s really a place to consider for those who wish to have a garden wedding.

Here's the location and details of Ciao Ristorante...
Address: No. 20A, Jalan Kampung Pandan, Off Jalan Tun Razak, 55100, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-9285 4827
Business Hours: 12pm-2.30pm (Monday-Friday), 6pm-11pm (Monday-Sunday)


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Ming Ren Restaurant @ Highlands Hotel, Genting Highlands

Rating:

• Food (1-10): 7
• Price (1-10): 7
• Environment (1-10): 8.5

31 March 2010: Ming Ren specializes in lamb dishes. It uses unique blend of Cantonese culinary methods and Xinjiang’s traditional spices and seasonings in preparing the lamb dishes.

Ming Ren is located at Level 2, Highlands Hotel, Genting Highlands. It offers very quiet and comfortable environment to enjoy a peaceful lamb-based meal. Here’s what we tried…

• Stir-fried Lamb with ‘Zi Ran’ (RM25++) -> ‘Zi Ran’ is a Xinjiang’s traditional spices for lamb. The lamb slices are very tender and go just right with the special spices. Recommended.
• Lamb Soup (RM15++) -> Very very strong smell and taste of lamb, which I don’t really enjoy. Recommended for hardcore lamb lovers.
• Stir-fried Hong Kong Choy Sum -> Normal taste. Fresh vege. Nothing much can go wrong.

In conclusion, I will recommend this restaurant for lamb lovers but not those who are just ‘ok’ with lamb, like me

Here's the location and details of Ming Ren...
Address: Level 2, Highlands Hotel, 69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang.
Tel: 03-61011118 (Highlands Hotel General Line)
Business hours:
12pm till 2.30pm, 6pm till 9.30pm (Monday - Friday)
11pm till 2.30pm, 6pm till 9.30pm (Saturday - Sunday)


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Neroteca @ Lorong Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur

Rating:

• Food (1-10): 8.5
• Price (1-10): 7
• Environment (1-10): 8

12 October 2009: It is my birthday and my bf brought me to Neroteca for dinner. Neroteca is a non-halal restaurant specialising in Italian dishes with pork. There are limited number of tables, hence prior reservation is recommended to avoid disappointment.

We ordered…

• Tagliatelle Funghi e Prosciutto, ham and mushroom (RM24)
• Spaghetti Carbonara with bacon, eggs and parmesan (RM24)

Both of the dishes are great. I hope to go again to try others.

Here's the location and contact of Nerotaca...
Address: Ground Floor, The Somerset, 8 Lorong Ceylon, 50250 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-20700530
Business Hours: 10am to midnight (Daily), 6pm to midnight (Tue)


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New Heong Kee Restaurant (Beggar Chicken)

Rating:

• Food (1-10): 5.5
• Price (1-10): 6
• Environment (1-10): 5.5

20 June 2009: New Heong Kee Restaurant is located at Jalan Ulu Klang, near Zoo Negara. It is famous for its Beggar Chicken (叫化鸡). Beggar Chicken is a legendary dish of Beijing origin, wrapped in lotus leaves and covered in clay. The original and historic preparation involved cooking in the ground. However, here, the chicken is wrapped in bakery/wax paper. Due to the complicated and time consuming preparation method, prior reservation is required.

Here's what we had...

• Beggar Chicken -> Very unique preparation method but… the taste is disappointing. It tastes slightly bitter. I suspect they put too much dark soy sauce. For those who have never beggar chicken before, you can have a try but for those who have tried beggar chicken elsewhere, please don’t waste your money, time and space (stomach).
• Country Fish -> Really special method of preparation. Flesh of fish was removed and processed into fish cake. The fish cake is then shaped to form the original shape of the fish. It is quite tasty. Recommended.
• Fried Kangkung -> Normal.
• Melon Soup -> Nice presentation but tasteless. I can cook better than this.
• Tiger Prawn -> Quite fresh and tasty.

In conclusion, I will not return to this restaurant again for another try. My father commented that this is one of the worst meal he has ever had :D

Here's the menu, location and contact of New Heong Kee...
Address: New Heong Kee Restaurant, 446, Batu 7 1/2, Jalan Ulu Klang, 68000 Selangor (Near Zoo Negara)
Tel: 03-41068698
H/P: 016-3932632

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L’Orient @ Colmar Tropicale, Bukit Tinggi

Rating:

• Food (1-10): 7
• Price (1-10): 7
• Environment (1-10): 7

10 May 2009: Colmar Tropicale is a French-themed Resort in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang. L’Orient is a restaurant in Colmar Tropicale serving Indo-China and South-East Asian cuisine. Based on my survey, I found that L’Orient is the most economical restaurant in Colmar Tropicale. Most of the other restaurants in Colmar Tropicale are quite costly.

Here’s what we had…

• Mee Khmer (Stir-fried thin rice noodles) (RM9++) -> quite big portion, taste not bad, but a bit too sweet
• Indochine Fried Rice (RM9++) -> taste good, recommended
• Mango Coconut (RM5++) -> very thick coconut milk with fresh mango, worth a try

Although the price for food served here is quite reasonable, the drinks are actually quite expensive. A glass of soft drink costs RM7++, which is even more expensive than their desserts.

Here's the location of Colmar Tropicale, Bukit Tinggi...


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