Best Italian Cuisine

Il Lido Italian Dining & Lounge Bar- I can’t help it that I have a soft spot for this fine restaurant. It’s simply faultless – impeccable service, exquisite food and posh surroundings. It doesn’t matter that I have to fork out a pretty penny just to sample its Italian menu (mind you I save up long and hard). After all what comes out of the kitchen is nothing short of extraordinary. Each morsel of food explodes with flavor and texture.

When Il Lido decided this year to go halal (or pork free) and employ a new chef to head their kitchen, I got nervous. “Could my only indulgence be no longer worthy of my time and palate?” I was seriously concerned.

It was a relief once I found out Italian chef Andrea Zanella was picked to helm the kitchen. You see I’ve already been accustomed to Chef Andrea’s culinary magic (he owned Chiaroscuro, a local Italian restaurant that garnered quite a following for its intimate and splendid food.) Chef Andrea hails from Vicenza in northeast Italy and brings with him 30 years of culinary experience.

Photo Courtesy of Il Lido

I was thrilled about the restaurant’s new menu. So I sampled…

Each of the 40 dishes (in the ala carte menu) was created by Chef Andrea. Veal, directly from Italy, takes center stage, along with fresh, seasonal ingredients quintessential to the Italian cuisine. Expect to see ingredients such as bottarga, zucchini flowers and carnaroli, pop up in your dishes; and pastas are made fresh.

Photo Courtesy of Il-Lido

Begin your meal with the refreshing Crudita’ Veneziane, a salad with citrus marinated seafood carpaccio-a wonderful mix of treasures that include anchovies, fish and scallops; or with the very light and fresh crab salad with watermelon and tomato elisir; proceed then to indulge in the Chef’s homemade Ravioli al Miele Tartufato – the sweetness of honey mingles expertly with the earthy tasting truffles; the exquisite beef ravioli with mushrooms; the restaurant’s signature dish veal ossobuco with saffron risotto – each mouthful a decadent mix of succulent veal and tender bone marrow paired with a piquant saffron risotto. All of Il Lido’s dessert favorites remain with just one extra thrown in – the tangy lemon flan with strawberries.

Without doubt the new menu reaffirms Il Lido as one of the city’s top fine dining Italian restaurants.

Il Lido Italian Dining + Lounge Bar, 183 Jalan Mayang (off Jalan Yap Kwan Seng), 50450 Kuala Lumpur, +603 2161 2291, www.il-lido.com.my