LaDiDa Lafite Lunch

I had heard so much about the Lafite promo lunch, also cos they have this new smancy fancy chef from Spain (I think) who uses all these canggih manggih cooking methods, such as liquid nitrogen. Lafite for dinner, or any other time, is probably out of my budget, so this was a rare opportunity to be able to peek into the enclave of the lifestyles of the rich and famous.....

Priced at 68++, the lunch has a mini buffet starter, and dessert, and a pleasing choice of mains. By the way, how did I end up talking about restaurants? This is meant to be a recipe blog....a well. Must be the contagious influence of the floggers. Yar, anyway, stacked up on a glass column, are the mini appetisers. The menu has a set of instructions on HOW to go about eating your lunch, something to the effect of:
1. Pick up your base plate from the table, and proceed to the buffet appetisers.
2. If you wish for a 2nd helping of starters, please ask for another base plate.
3. Notify the waiter when you are ready for your mains.
4. YOu will be provided with another base plate for your dessert.

I'm surprised they didn't stipulate we should walk with elegance and poise to the buffet, and not like some mahjong group yabbering away at 2 million decibels so that the entire Lafite knows who's son is doing what, and who's daughter is marrying who.

Teeny weeny portions, of a myriad variety of starters, such as thai beef salad, seared tuna, salads with their individual syringes of dressing. The thai beef salad was probably the most notable. Smoked salmon rolled around cream cheese, bits and bobs of sushi wannabes, ... the breads were wonderful, but it's served with that dreaded unsalted butter... bleagh, also, breads fill you up. Oh, my fellow diner, big time lawyer from Melbourne, on his sabbatical, had arrived earlier and text me asking if he may order a drink while waiting. I replied, "yar, if you must, your drink will probably cost more than your meal". (I am cheap, and make no effort to hide that fact).




For the mains, we had a choice of pasta, lamb, chicken, tenderloin and cod. I vaguely remember being advised to take the cod, but who can resist the words tender and loin.... which actually, might have been a mistake. It was alright, but I've tasted better. Oh, when I was busy snapping pictures, the chef walked past, and quipped, "you fellas aren't from KL Hilton are ya"...


Melbourne Lawyer had the lamb which was rather good. Very tender, and succulent.

And the crowning glory that makes or breaks any dining experience. Dessert. A pleasing choice, from creme brulee, blackforest slice, cream cheese mousse, mini pavlovas, fruit salads....well, to be honest, nothing particularly stood out as orgasmic, but they were all good. I mean, nothing that makes you go, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH, this is absolutely fabulous. My personal favourites were the creme brulee, and pavlova, which wasnt too sweet, so it might be possible to make a meringue nest with less sugar.

Dessert

Mini pavlovas

Some kind of white chocolate mousse

Overall, at 68++, for that kind of quality of food and ambience, it really is a steal. No wonder that it is always quite crowded and it's advisable to book in advance. COffee and tea are not part of the set, though the way they ask you, you'd think it was (part of the set). Not wanting to sound TOO cheap, I risked it, and ordered coffee as did my friend. Now, his carrot juice was RM22++ and coffee RM18++, so I was right, his drinks bill was RM40++, more than lunch. (discount card mah, so the RM68++ is 50% off lagi). We live in an ironic world if you think about it. Paying RM22 ++ for a glass of carrot juice.... ( I personally would never order something like that)

Finally, for the benefit of Tummythoz, I sneaked this pic of the men's toilet, because, the minute I walked it, it had this dizzying effect, and I was quite disoriented as to where the urinals were. Mirrors on every wall, with that infinity effect.