Comfort food at its absolute best: eggs, potatoes and Parma ham. Outstanding.Andalucian Salmorejo from Cordoba, a puree of savory pleasures, spilling over with garlic bread, tomato, Jamon Iberico ham and hard-boiled egg. One of the best soups we've had this year; reminiscent in color to gazpacho, but much thicker and more flavorsome.Roasted piquillo peppers stuffed with blood sausage, soaked in their own rich sauce.Seafood and chicken paella. No one can accuse El Rincon of being saffron-stingy. Garbanzos con callos _ a rustic, salty stew, laden with lots of tripe, chorizo and chickpea. Cod fish cooked in tomato and roasted pepper sauce. A fine change from the run-of-the-mill cod recipes we often see in KL, thanks to a sauce whose comfortingly tangy, formidably creamy nature is the perfect partner for this fish.Iberico pork ribs, cooked medium-well for a lip-smacking vestige of bloodiness that would normally be associated with lamb chops instead.

Haven't been back to il Lido in awhile? This week's a terrific time to return, since Chef Andrea is featuring veal head on his current specials menu.Start with brain food: golden-fried and served with spinach, these veal brains are delicate in taste and buttery in texture, brilliant for whetting the appetite for meatier fare.Veal tongue braised with red wine. Tender, not rubbery, with a rich, bold flavor. Veal cheek, boiled to preserve its full gelatinous glory, spiced up a bit with horseradish sauce and partnered with lentils. The brain, tongue and cheek are all included on one RM82++ platter that'll remain available for several more days.In the long run, veal-lovers can still head here whenever they want for Il Lido's regular veal dishes, like this veal scallopine (RM58++), bursting with the natural fragrance of mushrooms and herbs, bolstered by a creamy-dreamy bed of polenta.Complimentary crostoli. Crisp and sweet, sending us out into the night on angel wings.

Lamb, cheese, red peppers, onions, olives and mint yogurt (RM18). The picture says it all.Customers with smaller stomachs can opt for sliders like this mini-burger with chicken and egg.2012 was supposed to be the Year of the Canele in KL. While that never happened, it's nevertheless nice to nibble on these French custard pastries.There's no escaping them: Macarons have invaded Ipoh too. Very soon they'll reach Kangar.B&G offers wine, a welcome sight after a nearly three-hour drive here.Alas, designated drivers must stick to soft drinks and coffee (or must they? hmmmm).B&G gets packed on weekend afternoons; waiting for a table might be necessary.B&G is around the corner from Ng Seksan's Sekeping Kong Heng in Ipoh's Old Town. Rumors have it that more eateries will open here, plus a cooking school potentially run by The BIG Group.

Thanks to the Ritz-Carlton for this invitation to check out Peruvian Gastronomic Week, which runs through Oct. 16 at this Bukit Bintang hotel's first-level Cesar's restaurant.Culinary wizards led by Chef Rafael Lopez-Aliaga of the JW Marriott in Lima are working major South American magic in Southeast Asia, conjuring platters of ceviche, pots of creamy potatoes & glasses of Pisco Sour cocktails for nightly buffet feasts.Recipes here reflect gastronomic globalization at its richest _ centuries of crop cultivation in Peru interposed with Italian, Chinese & Japanese immigration to create food that traces its lineage not only to Arequipa but Florence, Guangzhou & Okinawa too.Corn-laced rice & shrimp-laden soups, citrus-cured seafood & cilantro-stewed meat in exotically esoteric recipes whose names won't roll easily off our tongues but whose flavors slide ecstatically over our taste buds.For customers craving "choros a la chalaca" _ Peruvian port-style mussels steamed with salsa _ taking a taxi to KL's Ritz-Carlton is mercifully more convenient than booking a KL-Amsterdam-Buenos Aires-Lima flight.Have it raw (or not): "tiradito," uncooked tuna with avocados in a spicy sauce, sharing a counter with meticulously stewed seafood in yellow chili gravies.Duck, beef, chicken & lamb, prepared with herbs & spices carried by the chefs into KL. Some of the flavors here are familiar, others tickle our palates and imaginations with tantalizingly unrecognizable components (what's a Huacatay leaf?!?).It might seem impossible to pull oneself away from the plump scallops at the ceviche section, but save space for cakes & puddings, all fascinatingly flavored too.

Blood orange sorbet, paving the path for a creative conclusion.Bittersweet chocolate, super-sumptuous with raspberries, coconut sago and pistachios.More chocolate to wrap up a meal with a RM298++ price tag for paying customers.Add RM100++ for four courses of excellent wine at regular intervals throughout.Vino di Poeti (Gold) Prosecco, Bottega; Le Pitre, Primitivo del Salento, Villa Mottura, 2009 and Pedro Ximenez Solera, Alvear make up the highlights.Service at The Olive was outstanding, from the moment we stepped inside till the time we left.The Olive's MIGF menu includes a complimentary after-dinner drink: limoncello or choc grappa.