And then, yesterday, I get an email, originating from Nigel Wong, of Urban Rhythms, informing us where to meet etc. Oddly enough, on that recipient list, apart from Julian Si, was another Julian Wong. I had an old schoolmate of the same name, and wondered to myself, "could it be?". I even checked the email address to see if it was his, but nah, it wasn't. And then, the NEXT email I opened, was from Julian Wong, saying, "Yes, it's me, in case you're wondering". Boy, either I am way too predictable, OR he's a blardy psychic. But no, he wasn't, because, later on that evening, another classic moment ensued, when we introduced him to the Executive Chef of Leonardos (and Cava, Opus, and Moxie), Aidy. Now, Julian Wong and Aidy were roommates in school, and I knew this. But didnt let on to Julian. Ah, the look on the fler's face was priceless. It was gonna a great evening, I knew.
I also got to meet Memoirs of A Chocoholic, another delightful food blogger who I found out shares the same interest in Body Combat, amongst other things.
The briefing began, by Nigel, ....much like a general briefing his troops on the strategy for attacking the enemy...but far more peaceful. We were to be split into 3 groups, one to Tea for Two, one to the Tasting Room, and one at Leonardo's. The purpose of the event is for the upcoming "food safari" thing, organised by Urban Rhythm, via their portal, NIBBLEISH.COM.
Commercial Break:
Nibbleish.com aims to introduce a new & exciting dining concept in KL aimed at promoting awareness of the gourmet experiences that can be found in the city.
The basic concept is to get diners to sample various f&b, the specialty dishes and beste sellers, at various restaurants...
They make reservations on line, prepay in advance (at a discounted price, of course), and choose from 3-4 different locations, all within walking distance, to have their entrees, mains and desserts at 3 diff establishments.
End of Commercial
Like food crawl la. So yeah, our job was to taste these items that will be on the menu for the Bangkung food crawl, which will be held sometime in April.
The General, briefing the troops.
The troops... Hotlips and err... Hawkeye?
I was originally assigned the Tasting Room Squad, but Jules had already eaten at Leonardo's a few times, so asked to swap....heh heh, which I think worked out in my flavour...
A platter of garlic bread with creamy mushrooms....as a starter, not on the main menu. I could get full on these alone. Lovely buttery garlicky bread, .... and crispy in all the right places. And the mushrooms, yum...
A virgin margarita. One of those rare occasions when men aren't happy to be with Virgins.
Leo's Cured Salmon Carpaccio...I can't imagine anyone calling Leonardo (Da Vinci) LEO....fennel parsley orange salad with campari dressing. How exotic is that! It was yummy. Slivers of very fresh cured salmon, in a tangy subtle dressing that tantalizes the palate.
Waldorf Salad. Well, the exec chef did work in New York for many years, so its not surprising to find this in the menu. Very refreshing, and light, not drowned in mayonnaise, though a few of the walnuts were off. But only a few.
A side profile of Waldorf Salad. I must get myself some of these long white serving plates. So classy hor....
An aerial view of the Virgin Margarita. Actually it was rather refreshing.
Italian Sausages & Onions, with red wine, capsicum and tomato sauce. One of those snacks that would go exceedingly well with beer, but I dont think I'd actually order this as my own starter. More a communal dish. Oh, did I mention that Leonardo's is not halal?
The menu listed this as the Virgin Martini, but we questioned, how does one virginize a Martini? Turns out, she was no virgin. And rightfully so. Some drinks should not be virgins. It's like eating vegetarian meat.
A most divine Miso Glazed Salmon. Usually not a fan of cooked salmon, this one was done to perfection, on a bed of edamame, spinach (Yuen Choy), mushroom, and yup, those lovely pieces you see adorning the top of the fish, like wings, are bacon. Real pork bacon, complete with fat. This would be high on my choice of mains. Through this, we had the pleasure of the Exec Chef's company, explaining to us virtually all the dishes. Ah, the perks of knowing people in high places. I did mention he was my classmate right?
Grilled Pork Chops with Strawberries, Balsamic, mesclun, and sweet potato mash. Hmmph, some people thought it was pumpkin. I, ahem, of course knew straightaway it was sweet potato. One has to know one's tubers. Now, the pork marinade etc was delicious, as was the mash, but the pork chop itself was a tad dry. I reckon its cos it was all lean meat. Eating lean pork is like eating a tofu burger. You're better off just munching on beans for a protein fix. Chis.... but apparently its popular with Westerners, (same category as chicken breast, which to me, taste like blotting paper), ...and probably Singaporeans. I hear there is hardly any fatty charsiu in Singapore.
Spaghetti Vongole - Malaysianised with Bunga kantan, mmmm, splendid, and chili padi, fantastic. My kinda pasta. Choco mentioned the clams were a bit overcooked. But I LOVED the zingy pasta. I could eat a plate of this, no problem, as a main.
Tiramisu, simple but effective. Lovely dollop of mascarporne, complemented with another dollop of chocolate ice cream, and sponge fingers soaked in liqueur. It's like Obama...black & white, and everyone loves him.
Affogato.... there's something so classy hor, about saying AFFOGATO...affogato pay my credit card bill last month, and got whacked with a heavy finance charge...Honey, donfogato buy eggs today.... cos affogato....
Not really my cuppa coffee this one... but I can see why it would be popular. Vanilla gelato, espresso, whipped cream and kahlua... wow...
Nothing like a lovely cheese platter to end a meal, though being uncultured as I am, I dont mind even having a cheese platter at the beginning....
Waffles..... Exec Chef and I had a brief discussion on how to imitate the A&W waffles, arguably the best ever!!! Light, fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside. HOW DO THEY DO IT?!!!! These were okay, but we were pretty stuffed by this time....fortunately the other troops from the other battle stationed had joined us by this time.
Oh, in case, like Ciki, you see the pics and think I single handedly ate all of it by myself, let me clarify that all the dishes (single serves) were shared by 6 people.
Ah, meanwhile, not all were as fortunate as us, and were not satiated by their portions, so actually had to order extra food to fill up the tank. Cumi, Jules etc were tucking away into Leonardo's famous pork knuckles, as dessert....
Further good news, for drinkers....Leonardos will be featuring a supper menu, which includes things like BAK KUT TEH!!!!!! (see below)....porridge and noodles!!! I love this place already. Still in trial and error stage, but getting there.....
As I was leaving, some of the remaining flers tucked into this ice cream platter.
Well, thanks Jules for this timely invite, as I've been meaning to check out Leonardo's for the longest time, and even had to turn down an invite from the owner before, as had something else on.
Do look out for this food hopping event coming soon in April. I believe it will be reasonably priced, and it even comes paired with drinks...some virgin some not....but sounds like a damn good deal. To find out more, check out Nibbleish.com.
Do look out for this food hopping event coming soon in April. I believe it will be reasonably priced, and it even comes paired with drinks...some virgin some not....but sounds like a damn good deal. To find out more, check out Nibbleish.com.
