Ben’s General Foodstore, Bangsar Village 1, Kuala Lumpur

One fine noon we decided to head somewhere chilled – out for lunch. Where other than Ben’s General Foodstore, Bangsar Village 1. This restaurant is part of the B.I.G Group, and is always crowded no matter the hour of the day.

We started off by ordering the Portobello Mushrooms, topped with turkey ham, gruyère cheese and pine nuts with some pesto sauce on the side. The dish is served with a side salad that is displayed at the salad bar. We decided to go with the Fried Eggplant with French Beans, Kicap Manis (sweet soy sauce) and Garlic Dressing (RM25.90).

Mien: Really really good. The pesto sauce accompanied the dish really well. The cheese wasn’t overwhelming. The pesto is possibly one of the best pesto sauces I have had. Also, the salad was good. Will order it again.

Kav: Cheesy, yummy goodness! The earthiness of the mushroom and the stringy gruyère cheese was set off well by the crunchy pine nuts. To my amazement, I liked the salad, as it was not too sweet despite the kicap manis.

Shiv: What a scrumptious delight! Would recommend it to everyone out there, especially vegetarians. I was also surprised by the salad, as I expected it to be overly sweet, but the kicap manis complemented the dish nicely.

Next up was the Spit-roasted Chicken with two sides. Again this dish was served with salads that are displayed at the salad bar. We opted for the Soba Noodle Salad with Eggplant, Spring Onions and Sesame Soybean Paste and Pesto Penne with Roasted Almond Flakes (RM29.90).

Mien: I love love love the soba at Ben’s General Foodstore. I MUST always order this salad whenever I frequent Ben’s General. I sometimes get the soba to – go for dinner sometimes. The roast chicken here is one of the best I have tried in KL, and the penne goes well with the roasted almonds. However, the penne was not done al dente.

Kav: The chicken was roasted beautifully – the skin crispy and the meat tender. The gravy was savoury and had a sharp herb-y taste, almost like a bak kut teh broth. The earthy flavours of the soba and eggplant were a perfect pair. Add a little chilli oil, and you have the perfect meal. Also, the penne was good, almonds crunchy, although it lacked salt.  

Shiv: The chicken was fresh and flavoured well. Loved the accompanying gravy. Soba was very earthy and healthy tasting (hence why Mien lovesss it!) and went very well with the meaty main. Lastly, the penne was a load of greeny-goodness!

 

Somehow, on this PLEASANT afternoon we decided to be adventurous and ordered the Fish Pie (we are lovers of fish but we are not fans of savoury pies). Again this dish is served with a side salad that is displayed at the salad bar. This time we went for the Marinated Button Mushrooms and Barley with Spring Onions, Soy and Lemon (RM29.90).

Mien: This made my afternoon UNPLEASANT. I was eating cream instead of fish! I am not big on the barley salad. I found it very bland.

Kav: OMG! Nightmare! Tasted like baby food with too much baby formula in it. However, love love love the barley salad.

Shiv: This was truly vile. I could hardly taste the fish, as it is prepared with too much double cream, and too little flavouring. Stay away from this one. The barley salad however is worth mentioning – love the lemon flavour.

As all of us were unhappy with the Fish Pie, we sent it back and decided to replace it with the Mushroom Lasagne served with some pesto sauce. This dish also comes with a salad. This time around, we chose the Roasted Beetroot with Walnuts and White Beans (RM23.90).

Mien: Not a big fan of the lasagne, as it was too floury and cheesy. The salad was very ordinary – nothing to shout about.

Kav: Tasted of uncooked flour. Will not be ordering this again. Also, I disliked the salad, as the combination of beetroot and white beans was too bland.

Shiv: The cheesy – ness of the lasagne was cloying, and the pasta tasted uncooked. Even the salad did not provide redemption, as it lacked flavour. Not one of Ben’s hallmark moments. =)

Funnily enough, on this particular afternoon, our stomachs were bottomless pits. We ordered yet ANOTHER dish: Lamb Shank Pie and with yet another salad of our choice – Tabbouleh of Bulgar Wheat with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Parsley and Mint served with yogurt dressing (RM29.90).

Mien: Not a big fan of lamb due to the gamey smell. Didn’t enjoy this dish. However, the salad was flavoured well, surprisingly, as it looked bland. Do not think I will order the salad again though.

Kav: Lamb was cooked to perfection, and the savoury tomato sauce with mashed potato complemented the dish really well. The salad was good, as the mint gave it a certain freshness.

Shiv: Sinfully delicious! The lamb was so tender, it practically fell of the bone, and the mashed potato in tomato gravy was amazing. Loved the middle-eastern influence of the salad. Faultless!

After all that food, what better way to end the meal than with COFFEE!!! Mien and Kav ordered Mocha (RM8) and Shiv had Cappuccino (RM8).

*The photo only displays the mocha.

Mien: The mocha is so good! Better than Starbucks!!!

Kav: I am a mocha person, and this one is yet to be beaten by any other.

Shiv: Strong and full-bodied – just the way I like it! =)

Verdict: WOK ON!

Ben’s General Foodstore is an easy choice if you are undecided on where to eat. The food is good, but not EXCEPTIONAL. Pricing is reasonable, and its a go-to place for casual-dining. We will be frequenting the place again.

*NOTE: Ben’s General Foodstore also serves breakfasts and pizzas. The B.I.G Group has opened a fairly new section of Ben’s General, located just next to the first store. With the new store, the menu has expanded and now also serves burgers, hot dogs, sausages, quiches, lamb meatballs, pastries and more.

BEN’S GENERAL FOODSTORE

G17 & 18, GROUND FLOOR

BANGSAR VILLAGE 1

NO 1, JALAN TELAWI 1,

BANGSAR BARU

59100 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 2284 8790

Website: http://www.thebiggroup.co/bgfs/#/home

Opening Hours:

9AM – 10PM daily

11.30AM (breakfast last order)

9.30PM (bar & kitchen last order)

*There is another branch of Ben’s General Foodstore at Publika. Details as below:

BEN’S GENERAL FOODSTORE

LOT 1A 83 – 95, LEVEL UG,

PUBLIKA, SOLARIS DUTAMAS,

JALAN DUTAMAS 1,

50480 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 6209 1717

Opening Hours:

11AM – 10PM daily

9.30PM (bar & kitchen last order)

Acme Bar and Coffee (ABC), Troika, Kuala Lumpur

One Saturday evening saw us make our way to Acme Bar and Coffee (ABC) located at Troika.

We were welcomed by a beautiful, chic and modern interior.
 

We decided to have two starters, the first being Grilled ‘Bacon’ Wrapped Snails, which was escargot served with coco beans and parsley garlic sauce (RM19).

*The 'bacon' used is made from turkey meat.

Gaj: AMAZE-BALLS, wouldn’t have minded having seconds.

Shiv: Best dish of the night, and set the bar really high for the rest of the meal. Thanks ABC for making my first escargot experience quite delightful. Highly recommend this one.

Mien: Hands down the best dish of the night.

Kav: My first time eating escargot. Loved it!!! The meat was bouncy and the garlic-y flavour complemented the snails beautifully.

The next starter was Chorizo Fried Mushrooms, with man tau pau croutons (RM17).

Gaj: This dish was not memorable. The mushrooms were tasty, but the croutons were a tad tasteless.

Shiv: Expected the chorizo bits to flavour the dish, but could barely taste it. However, I thought that the man tau pau was a unique substitute to ordinary bread.

Mien: The man tau pau croutons were bland, and the flavour from the mushroom did not go well with it.

Kav: It was unique. However don’t expect a burst of flavour as the dish was only mildly flavoured. I liked the man tau pau.

We had Green Chili Pesto Fettuccine for our first main course. The pasta is usually prepared with prawns, mussels, clams and squid. As we are not big on mussels, we requested for the dish to be omitted of this and replaced with more prawns and squid instead (RM35).

Gaj: I did not enjoy this pasta, I felt like the prawns and squid were not done well.

Shiv: This lacked the flavour that you would normally expect in a seafood pasta. Also, the pesto coated the pasta very poorly.

Mien: The pasta tasted very average, and the pesto sauce was BAD!

Kav: The squid was tough and the pesto sauce was below average. Poor!!!

This was followed by Moroccan Lamb Stew. The lamb was served with carrots, papadum and cilantro rice (RM35).

Gaj: The sauce that accompanied the lamb was sweet.  Dislike!

Shiv: The rice did not have hints of cilantro, as the name suggested, and the sickeningly sweet sauce may have even dampened my hankering for dessert. =) The only consolation for this dish was the tenderness of the stewed lamb.

Mien: I expected the dish to be prepared in a tagine, but it wasn’t. =( The lamb was too gamey, hence I didn’t like it. The gravy was wwwaaayyy beyond my threshold for sweetness.

Kav: The only thing edible in this dish was the rice and papadum!!! The lamb tasted like they had poured a butter scotch sauce over it!!! Let’s just say I have tasted better desserts before.

As we were unsatisfied with the lamb, we decided to try another main, Roasted Lemon Sole served with Artichokes, fried lettuce, capers, confit lemons and butter (RM37).

Gaj: The fish was overcooked and though the artichokes were done well, this dish was definitely not up to par.

Shiv: We should have just stopped at the lamb. Fish was dried out, and stale tasting and the lemon-butter dressing didn’t do much to help with the overall flavour.

Mien: Fish was overcooked. Will not order this again, ever ever ever!

Kav: The lemon sole was far from soulful!!! It was dry and rubbery. What a waste of delicious artichokes and capers!!!

Moving on to desserts, we first had the Cempedak or Jackfruit cake, with pistachio nut coating (RM15) and we ordered cappuccino (RM13) to go with our desserts.

Gaj: This cake tasted like pandan-laced medicine.

Shiv: Another major letdown. The cake was laced with WAY TOO MUCH sugar, and it tasted chemical-y. I stopped after one bite.

Mien: There was a nice natural jackfruit flavour, however, it was too creamy. Kav and I finished the cake.

Kav: I think ABC spends most of their budget on sugar!!! Too sweet. However I thought that it had an authentic jackfruit flavour. I dipped the cake in my sugarless cappuccino to balance out the taste. Loved their coffee.

The second cake we ordered was Raspberry Chocolate Cake moist layers of raspberry and chocolate ganache (RM15).

Gaj: This cake was definitely better than the first cake, but definitely not the best chocolate cake in town.

Shiv: Mediocre. Again, too sweet, and could have been more moist. I may have said it was bad if I hadn’t tried the first cake.

Mien: Not a fan, it was like eating sugar!!!!!!

Kav: After eating this cake I was convinced that they were getting free sugar supplies. Tooooooooo sweet!!!!! I preferred the first cake.

Verdict: WOK OFF!

ABC definitely did not live up to its hype and whilst it boasts a great ambience to chill and hang out, the food here leaves much to be desired. Our humble suggestion: Skip the mains altogether and have coffee (and maybe starters) to enjoy the lovely atmosphere.

ACME BAR AND COFFEE (ABC),

THE TROIKA, JALAN BINJAI,

50450 KUALA LUMPUR 

Tel: +603 2162 2288

Website: http://acmebarcoffee.com 

Opening Hours:

Mon - Thur: 11am to 12am

Fri: 11am to 1am

Sat: 9.30am to 1am

Sun: 9.30am to 12am

Hao Kee Seafood Restaurant, Kuala Lukut, P.D.

You know how it feels when life gets monotonous, boring and tiresome, and it’s time for a vacation? Those were the sentiments of Kav and Shiv in the beginning of July. 

Thus, plans were made, bags were packed, and they were headed for Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan with their parents (Guest #1 and Guest #2).

The obvious thing to do was to try one of the seafood restaurants, and we spent a good hour scouting for one. Our search ended at Hao Kee Seafood Restaurant in Kuala Lukut, Lukut.

The restaurant was situated in a very obscure location, on the way to one of the Kuala Lukut jetties, thus freshness GUARANTEED!

*The adjoining temple added a unique touch to the restaurant.

We brought our own alcohol, and to our pleasant surprise, they did not charge a corkage fee.  We had the 2009 Hardys Merlot Varietal Range and a bottle of Tiger beer for daddy dearest.

Shiv: When it comes to wine, we are quite clueless, but nevertheless, it was light, slightly fruity, and a good way to whet our appetites.

Kav: I really liked this wine. Agree with Shiv that it was mildly fruity, and it went well with the food.

Our first dish to arrive at the table was Kangkung Belacan, or morning glory with shrimp paste (RM8 – small).

Shiv: This was soo good! The belacan was just pungent enough, and it coated the kangkung well. It also did not have small stones (due to inadequate washing) that you may sometimes find in other Chinese restaurants.

Kav: The one thing I love to order in a Chinese restaurant is kangkung belacan. This one was exquisite. The belacan was extremely savoury, just the way I like it. The kangkung was cooked to perfection, it was crunchy and yummy.

Guest #1: Excellent. Good blend of ingredients.

Guest #2: Agreed. Really delicious.

Next up was Sautéed Brinjal and Longbeans (RM10 – small).

Shiv: The sauce was like none other I have ever tasted. So garlic-y and the brinjal was cooked to perfect firmness, and the long beans was very crunchy. Off the hook!

Kav: Delicious. The brinjal and long beans combo was a hit. The gravy was thick and savoury. Yum! Yum! Yum!

Guest #1: Mouth-watering, and it reminded me of Nyonya cuisine.

Guest #2: Not a common combination, but nevertheless, it was very tasty.

Then came the Butter Prawns, and we ordered the shelled version (RM24 – small).

Shiv: As a self-declared butter prawn lover, this was a HUGE, I repeat, HUGE disappointment. The sauce was sweet (hate that in my savoury dishes), and lacked flavour. Credit must be given though to the freshness of the prawn, as it was seriously fresh – no complaints about that.

Kav: This was the only dish that I was disheartened with. From my previous experiences, I believe that there are two common preparations of butter prawns – a creamy base and a dry, flaky, floss-like preparation. Personally, I prefer the latter. However, the one we had was the former. It tasted like a modified thousand island sauce, and was too sweet. The only consolation was that the prawns were really fresh.

Guest #1: Mediocre, but prawns were fresh.

Guest #2: The preparation left much to be desired, although the freshness of the prawns compensated to a certain extent.

Chilly Crab was next on the list (RM45 per 1kg).

Shiv: The gravy was aplenty, and the crabs were ridiculously fresh. Best dish of the night. At 

the end of the meal, we ordered an extra serving of rice to polish off the balance gravy. #toogoodtobetrue.

Kav: Crabs! Crabs! Crabs! Loves! Loves! Loves! The crabs were simply scrumptious, and it was so fresh, and although it didn’t need any flavouring, the accompanying chilly gravy was just to die for.

Guest #1: Fresh, juicy and definitely calls for a revisit.

Guest #2: Being my all-time favourite food, it was craby-licious!

We then had Steamed Ikan Jenahak, or Golden Snapper Fish, in Ginger and Soy Sauce (RM50 per 1kg).

Shiv: The sauce was light and salty, and the ginger shreds went well with the fish. Good.

Kav: I suspect that they may have overcooked the fish as it was a little dry. Nevertheless, the gravy was very well-flavoured. The heat from the ginger, and the saltiness of the soy sauce perfectly complemented the fish.

Guest #1: As fresh as it gets. Taste-wise, excellent.

Guest #2: One of the better steamed fish preparations I have tasted in a while.

Our meal concluded with Claypot Pai Kuat, or pork ribs (RM12 – small).

Shiv: Ordered out of sheer greed, as I love myself some good pork ribs, and let me just say, it did not disappoint. The gravy had a herbal taste to it (imagine bak kut teh broth thickened with corn flour), and it was DIVINE!

Kav: For you pork lovers out there, this is a must have! The meat was so tender, and it just melted in my mouth. The gravy was viscous with just a hint of sweetness, and it carried the earthy flavour of the claypot.

Guest #1: The variety of ingredients complemented the pork, and added to its taste.

Guest #2: Despite being full, it brought back memories of comfort food, and was a very pleasing way to end our meal.

Verdict: WOK ON!

PRICE: Very reasonable. Our bill came up to RM164.90 (inclusive of 6 dishes and 5 small bowls of rice).

AMBIENCE: Very serene atmosphere, which can be credited to the adjoining temple and the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere.

SERVICE: Excellent. Small town hospitality at its best.

FOOD: Fresh, delicious food par none (with the exception of the butter prawns). Will most definitely come back for round two!

HAO KEE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT,

NO.19, KAMPUNG KUALA LUKUT,

LUKUT, 71010,

PORT DICKSON, NEGERI SEMBILAN

Tel: +6016 666 8811 / +6016 626 0321

S.Wine, Publika, Kuala Lumpur

S.Wine is part of the B.I.G establishment of eateries, located within Ben’s Independent Grocer at Publika. 

As its name suggests, this place serves pork and patrons can buy wine from the Ben’s Grocer and bring it into S.Wine without a corkage charge, which we think is pretty cool. :)

After choosing a beautiful bottle of South African Pinotage (RM75), we headed over to S.Wine for dinner (located opposite the wine area). The wine was light, fruity, smooth and it complemented the food very well - although we are not wine connoisseurs.

For appetizers, we had Scallop - Bacon Bites - scallops which were wrapped with a layer of bacon (RM34).

Gaj: The scallops were succulent and the bacon was crispy – it was a perfect way to start the meal. Yummy!

Kav: The scallops were extremely fresh and the bacon was crispy. It was a match made in heaven, loved it! Generally, I don’t like a cream based sauce, however, this one was really nice. It had a hint of spiciness and it complemented the dish. 

We then had the Pork and Pine Nut Sausage Roll (RM19).

(Sorry guys, we forgot a picture for this!)

Gaj: The pastry was lovely, light, flaky and the filling was delicious. I could taste the wonderful pine nuts, which added a delightful zing to the dish. 

Kav: I agree with Gaj - the pastry was light and not too heavy. The pork and pine nut filling was scrumptious as no one flavour overpowered the other. Was very  filling. 

We had 2 pastas, the first being spicy bacon and mushroom (RM26).

Gaj: The olio styled spaghetti was well flavoured with chili flakes and garlic, however, I did not enjoy the  preparation of the bacon.

Kav: Like most of the B.I.G Group pastas, the ratio of ingredients to pasta was not well-balanced. There was too much pasta. However, the pasta was flavoured well. I found the sausage very tough and a little sour. Overall, it was mediocre.

The second pasta was Olio Chorizo chunks and broccoli with blue cheese (RM26).

Gaj: I enjoyed this pasta and it too was accompanied with pine nuts which complemented the broccoli and blue cheese well. Again, the preparation of the chorizo was not to my liking, it was too fatty. 

Kav: Again, the ratio of ingredients to the pasta was not well-balanced. However, the pasta was flavoured well. Love the combination of blue cheese and broccoli. The sausage was similar to the one in the previous pasta. I liked this pasta better.

Verdict: WOK ON!

We were stuffed silly as it was only Gaj and Kav at dinner, and therefore, we did not order dessert. However, we would definitely come back here again to try the other porky-licious dishes and dessert too.

[Note : Advisable to reach before 7pm especially during the weekends to avoid waiting in a queue]. 

S.WINE CAFE DELI,

BEN’S INDEPENDENT GROCER,

PUBLIKA, SOLARIS DUTAMAS,

KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 6209 1700
Fax: +603 6209 1701

Garibaldi, Bangsar Village 1, Kuala Lumpur

Late June saw us make a visit to Garibaldi, Bangsar Village 1. We decided to try the degustation menu  at RM160 per pax.

We were served breadsticks and freshly baked focaccia. The breadsticks were served on a base of coarse salt that was dyed pink.

 

Kav: The breadsticks were mediocre. However, the focaccia was to die for. It was freshly baked, warm, soft and crispy.

Shiv: Excellent way to start our dinner. The bread was heavenly and the breadsticks were presented beautifully. However, I am not a big fan of breadsticks, so this was just OK for me.

Mien: Breadsticks were very ordinary. The focaccia was nice, hot and my bread knife just sliced through it. The hint of cheese made it more amazing.

Gaj: The focaccia was lovely and it was so good that it melted in my mouth.

We were then presented with the Chef’s Daily Special Creation, Stuzzichino, which was quinoa with an edamame bean.

Kav: This was really something different. It was delicious and the texture was very similar to couscous. The edamame bean complemented the starter perfectly. Loves!!!

Shiv: Had a natural, earthy taste to it. Loved it!

Mien: I did not like the combination of the edamame bean with the quinoa.

Gaj: I loved this starter, it was yummylicious.

The first dish was Carpaccio Di Pesce, which is a King Fish Carpaccio with Orange segment, Pine Nut and Golden Trout Caviar.

Kav: This dish was a combination of many flavours. The strong fish flavour went perfectly with the pine nuts and caviar. However, I was not a big fan of the orange segments as it overshadowed the fish flavour, but this could also be because I am not a fan of fruit in savoury dishes.

Shiv: I was pleasantly surprised despite the fact that I am not one for sweet elements in my savoury dish. There was a party going on in my mouth!!

Mien: I did not expect it to taste that good considering the fact that I thought the combination was odd. Found the carpaccio to be too fishy, but the citrus effect of the orange sliced through the strong fish flavour and made the dish really good.

Gaj: The fish had a great smokey feel and the dish had a piquancy to it. It was presented beautifully and it reminded me of the beauty of summer.

Dish number two was linguine, which was a flat spaghetti pasta with crab in white wine sauce and sweet cherry tomato.

Kav: The pasta was delicious, it tasted of the sea. The white wine sauce was slightly creamy and the crab flavour was strong and it carried the pasta entirely on its own.

Shiv: OH MY GOD! It was an orgasmic experience. Best dish of the night, hands down!

Mien: Really liked the pasta, I could taste the crab essence – flavoured very well.

Gaj: This dish was..........'wait-for-it’.......... AMAZE-BALLS!

Next up was the Straccetti. It was home-made fresh pasta with smoked duck breast on borlotti bean purée.

Kav: The pasta was too meaty and poorly flavoured. The purée did not coat the pasta well. POOR!!!

Shiv: As a duck lover, I enjoyed this dish moderately. I think they should have used tagliatelle instead of pappardelle as it would have complemented the dish better.

Mien: Tasteless. Flour-y. Dislike.

Gaj: I do not enjoy duck generally, and found this dish to be too floury and too pungent.

For the main course, Garibaldi’s degustation menu offered a choice of Merluzzo (Roasted Atlantic Cod)  or  Cappone (Boneless Chicken stuffed with Chestnut and Ricotta cheese, served with sautéed spinach and foie gras sauce). The four of us, being cod fanatics, obviously decided to go with the cod fish.

We waited awhile for this one, but when it arrived, it did so in splendour.

The fish arrived in a plastic-like closed package for each one of us, and had to be cut open by the waiter.

It was steaming hot and the aroma of the fish in its broth hit us at once.

Kav: I believe that cod fish is one of the easiest things to get right as it is an oily fish full of flavour. However, this was a real letdown as the fish was not fresh. I felt like I was eating a very poorly flavoured rubber band!!!

Shiv: Major disappointment. The fish was not fresh and the poorly flavoured broth did nothing to help the dish.

Mien: Highly^^∞ dissatisfying. I love fish, but this was out.

Gaj: As someone who loves cod, it saddens me that this dish was not up to par.

*Since we unanimously found this dish to be a bit wanting, we decided to inform the waiter of our disappointment. He then notified the sous chef, who attended to us promptly. Upon discussing with the sous chef, who was very obliging and polite, he offered to serve us the other choice of the main course, Cappone to compensate for our dissatisfaction. We happily agreed.

Kav: This dish was way over the top. I felt like the cheese overwhelmed all other flavours. I enjoyed it initially, but as I went on, the foie gras and cheese were too heavy and the flavours clashed.

Shiv: The chicken breast was really tender. The sautéed spinach was to die for. The combination of foie gras, spinach and chicken was a match made in heaven. It was a filling dish.

Mien: Hate foie gras, hence I could not enjoy this dish. Quietly enjoyed my sautéed spinach.

Gaj: I felt like the combination of foie gras and chicken was too heavy and did not quite enjoy this dish.

The degustation meal ended with Zabaione, which is mixed fresh berries in Porto wine sabayon with pistachio gelato.

Kav: The combination of the mixed berries, Porto wine and the pistachio gelato was magical. However, I personally felt that the sabayon was too sweet.

Shiv: The berries used were fresh and the Porto wine did not overwhelm the dessert. The flavours complemented each other well and it was a fantastic way to end the meal.

Mien: I am not big on sabayon but I loved this dessert. The pistachio gelato was just exquisite. Would probably go back and order the pistachio gelato by itself.

Gaj: The pistachio gelato was yummylicious and the cream that accompanied it was nothing short of delicious.

*The degustation experience concluded with a choice of coffee or tea.

Since we were there for a birthday celebration, they served us a complimentary tiramisu without liqueur.

Kav: The virgin tiramisu was not bad, though I was not overly impressed.

Shiv: Average. Not memorable. *Yawn*

Mien: Very mediocre.

Gaj: It was just alrite.

*On a previous visit, we tried the tiramisu with almond liqueur. We unanimously agreed that it was distasteful as the liqueur used did not complement the mascarpone cheese well. It tasted chemical-ly.

To our pleasant surprise, we were served an additional dessert, strawberry sorbet, on the house.

Kav: Strawberry flavoured cough mixture!!! Ewwwww…..

Shiv: Unfortunately, we were not impressed with this dessert, as the strawberry flavour tasted artificial. On the whole, this dessert lacked the freshness that you would normally expect in a sorbet.

Mien: BAD SHAPE!!!!

Gaj: Not a big fan.

Verdict: WOK OFF!

Below expectations. The one thing that we all agreed on was that the starters were decent and the first dessert was amazing! Garibaldi did not live up to its hype.

GARIBALDI ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND BAR,Lot. 10 & G22, Bangsar Village 1,
Jalan Telawi 1,
59100 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
 
Tel: +603 2282 3456/57

Opening Hours:
Restaurant: 12PM-3PM and 6PM-11PM daily
Bar: 12PM-12AM (Weekdays)
12PM-1AM (Weekends and eve of public holidays)