“Bring Me Food” @ Tosca in DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur

I like the concept of “Bring Me Food” that’s being introduced at Tosca in DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur. I mean, who wouldn’t like that, right? Bringing someone food must surely be one of the best things to do, especially to food lovers! It’s kinda like the Japanese Omakase concept. Basically that means “I’ll leave it up to you” and in this case, it means leaving it to the chef to cook whatever he fancies for that meal. To some, it may be a bit risky for who knows what the chef could be up to, right?

With Michelin Guide accredited guest Chef Andrew Blundy, you can rest assured that your meal will be well taken care of. For one, before the meal, you will be given a card to list down your dislikes, as far as food ingredients are concerned. The good chef will take note of that and will come up with dishes that will be to your liking. You just need to indicate the price of the meal you are prepared to pay, from RM80++ per person and Chef Blundy will cook up the dishes for sharing – that’s traditional family-style dining in Italy.

That’s Chef Andrew Blundy on the top right!

The affable Chef Blundy comes with 25 years’ experience and he’s full of animated stories about how he started his culinary career in a Greek restaurant. In his clipped British accent, peppered with doses of dry wit, he regaled us with tales of his culinary capers and those stories are pretty extensive seeing that he has worked in some of the finest kitchens around the globe in England (but of course!), Australia, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malawi (made famous no doubt by Angelina Jolie’s child adoption efforts).

So… “Bring Me Food” is for you if you are a bit adventurous and loves to be surprised. Better still, dine in a group and you get to share, taste and sample a variety of dishes in great company… and always with a sense of anticipation, to see what the chef will whip up! As Chef Blundy puts it, “there is no menu, we use the freshest ingredients available in the kitchen on that day… let us surprise you and give you a great dining experience that is value for your money!”

With that promise, we braced ourselves for a lovely dining experience at Tosca recently.  It has been several months since we last dined at this trattoria-style restaurant by the pool on the 10th Floor.  As there were several other diners in our group that evening, we really got to experience food sharing at its best, Italian-style!

Based on RM150++ per person, we got to sample 1 soup, 2 appetizers, 3 pizzas, 1 lasagne, 2 mains and 3 desserts! See what I mean when I say it really pays to dine in a group?

The soup we had was Tortellini in Brado – Egg Broth with Chicken Pasta & Green Pea Puree whereby the broth was only poured onto the pasta at the table, so that you get to eat tortellini which is not over-soaked or mushy. The broth was clear and light so that the texture and flavours of the tortellini were not marred.

 Nicoise Salad with Tuna Tartare & Mollet Quail Eggs

Salad of Beef Bacon with Walnut

I love both the salads… the Nicoise Salad with Tuna Tartare & Mollet Quail Eggs came on crisp boat-like lettuce leaves. The use of grilled quail in the Salad of Beef Bacon with Walnuts was a nice touch (but for some strange reason, the walnuts were missing). Obviously quail and quail eggs are the chef’s favourites and the little fowl were grilled to perfection… crispy skin and tender juicy meats beneath.

 Smoked Salmon, Calamari and clams SANS cheese Pizza

Air-dried beef, pepperoni & roasted onions Pizza

Out of the 3 pizzas served, my favourite was the one with Smoked Salmon, Calamari and clams SANS cheese. Chef Blundy took note what I wrote in my list and decided to make a pizza without the customary cheese. It’s not that I don’t like cheese totally – I’m fine with cheese on pizza, it’s just that I’d prefer not to be so cheesed out, especially in an extensive Italian meal! I love that cheese-less pizza… the crust was thin and crispy and those pieces of smoked salmon, calamari and clams were very fresh and sweet.

Capsicum, mushrooms and spinach Pizza

Having said the above, I must say the other 2 pizzas – one with air-dried beef, pepperoni & roasted onions and another vegetarian-style with capsicum, mushrooms and spinach were just as good. The toppings were generous and we could really taste that the vegetables used were very fresh.

Next came the Lasagne al Forno which is a classic comfort Italian dish with all the goodness of a thick punchy beef ragout oozing out from the thick layers of pasta and cheese.

Imagine… we had all these dishes and we haven’t even reached the Mains yet… which came next.

Saltimbocca of Seabass with Squid Ink Tagliatelle, Clams and Tomato with Coriander Salsa

Of the 2, I much preferred the Saltimbocca of Seabass with Squid Ink Tagliatelle, Clams and Tomato with Coriander Salsa, although the Braised Lamb Shank “Osso Bucco” style with Braised Vegetables and Polenta is Chef Blundy’s favourite. The thick slices of fresh seabass were well-flavoured and cooked to just the right level of done-ness. The sweet juices from the fish had seeped onto the bed of tagliatelle and when eaten together with the tart salsa, it gives a contrasting, yet very nice, mouth feel.

Braised Lamb Shank “Osso Bucco” style with Braised Vegetables and Polenta

Roasted Vegetables to go with the Mains

The Braised Lamb Shank was so tender you can carve it with a spoon, as pointed out by Chef Blundy. It’s his comfort food, and for many people, too, I’m sure and it is one dish he cooks and eats very often! Cooks it very well, too – you would never go wrong with the Chef’s personal favourite … all the flavours of the herbs and meat are simmered and preserved in this one-dish wonder.

3 desserts were served on a platter, in manageable portions (thank goodness!). It’s a symphony of sweet delights and all arranged so prettily. The semi-frozen hazelnut and chocolate served with raspberry sauce & mascarpone cheese ice cream, the layered Limoncello milk custard and jelly served with berries stew & homemade honey comb together with the Italian Cassata were all good. But if I had to choose a favorite, it has to be that Italian Cassata – a traditional sweet from Palermo, Sicily with layers of ice cream, dried fruits and sponge cake covered with whipped cream!

All the above are also part of the Modern Italian promotion recently introduced at Tosca and available until 30 November 2012.  So, do head on over to Tosca soon and if you see Chef Blundy there, he’ll be more than happy to story you about his culinary adventures and if you are good, he just might serve you his famous omelette (which we didn’t get!!!)

During this promotion, there’s a special a la carte menu and an exclusive one-day-only 5-course Wine Dinner featuring wines from Ruffino winery (one of Italy’s renowned wine brands) on 2 November 2012 priced at RM220++ per person.

Diners dining at Tosca for the Modern Italian promotion are entitled to an entry for every RM350 spend to win a return flight ticket for 2 to Milan, Italy with Etihad Airways along with 3D 2N stay at DoubleTree by Hilton, Milan!

For dining reservations, please call +603-2172-7272/7614 or log onto www.makan-moments.com for more information.

Tosca
Level 10
DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur
The Intermark
348 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2172-7272
Fax: +603-2172-7270