We were seated at the enclosed room inside Alessio which has the portrait of Marilyn Monroe printed on cushion. Very eye-catching colour tone of red and yellow at the bar.Nasi Lemak Istimewa
Coconut flavoured rice with a scent of pandan accompanied with a whole leg chicken rendang, chili paste, peanut, anchovies & cucumber topped with a sunny side up
Everything done right to complement each other on this plate of Malaysia symbolic dish, but rendang chicken excels with its tender texture. Apricot & Chestnut Chicken Involtini
Chicken involtini with apricot, chestnut & smoke duck bacon served with arugula salad & toasted focaccia
As Involtini means rolls in Italian, it implies a small bite of food consisting outer layer wrapped around the filling. Its complicated process paid off as I indulge in sequence like how one door leads to another: crisp layer of chicken skin, to soft and cushion layer of fat, to firm chicken meat, and finally to smoke duck bacon with apricot & chestnut. Spaghetti Vongole
Spaghetti tossed in virgin olive oil, basil, garlic butter & clams dripped with Alessio's house basil & mint sauce
Distinct from those with sauces, it forefronts the simple flavors of Alessio house basil & mint sauce on Vongole (clams in Italian) and good quality olive oil on al-dente spaghetti.Grilled Aubergine & Mushroom Bruscetta
Grilled marinara aubergine on Alessio's house focaccia bread and fresh button mushroom baked with cheddar & mozarella on Alessio country wholemeal bread
An appetizer combination made specially for KL restaurant week in getting the best of both worlds: Grilled Aubergine Brucetta and Mushroom Bruscetta. Grilled Norwegian Salmon
Grilled deep sea Norwegian Salmon on a bed of creamy mashed potato served with coral & rucola salad, garlic butter focaccia & fresh mango sauce
Grill salmon might be of no challenge but it takes master to have crispy skin. Mango sauce comes in great with its tinge of freshness. Crème Brulee
Fresh vanilla crème brulee with caramelize raw sugar touch
Rich custard base topped with right amount of sugar as contrasting layer of hard caramel and served in ramekin.

Overall it was a pleasant dining experience at Alessio with affordable price.

Momofuku-Inspired Pork Buns RM21
Chinese-style braised pork belly slices with pickled cucumber, sandwiched in steamed flower mantao

Came in a bamboo basket much like the dim sum, these two pieces of fatty pork belly were not for the health conscious patrons. Big thanks to the addition of sour pickled cucumber, greasiness of that soft melting pork fat has lowered to a more acceptable range. Portion was small enough to be finished in few bites but for those pork meat die hard fans out there, this would very much worth the price. Spaghetti Carbonara RM26
made the traditional way with pancetta chunks & roughly-torn proscuitto, tossed in cream & topped with a raw egg yolk

Procuitto or Parma ham is a dry-cured ham that is usually sliced thin and served uncooked while pancetta chunk is a spiced, salted and dry-cured pork belly. Flavourful enough as they preserved the pork meat as it is and chewy enough for you sink the teeth between meat lines. Yet, pardon this lady for not understanding the art of dry-cured meat and seek more sips of the sauce in order to swallow that dry, salted meat. Distinct from the usual carbonara, raw egg yolk was being presented in front of my eyes which later has added the extra smoothness to the spaghetti.
Though portion was not that huge, I needed Jason's help in order to finish this plate.

(left) Gunner RM15
Ginger beer, ginger ale with a dash of fresh ginger extract and honey
(right) Mint Limeade RM15
Fresh mint leaves, fresh lime squeeze, topped with water or soda

Agnes and I were more than happy to take up their Digi rewards offer of free drink worth RM15 upon ordering from selected mains. She had Gunner and I who'd always love the minty flavor, opted for mint limeade. I was expecting the mocktail version of mojito with visible mint sprigs followed by moderate lime and sugar, perhaps in the proportion of 3:2:1. But mint leaves were nowhere to be seen as in the menu description, more of like lime/lemonade soda. Carbonara with Smoked Duck RM28
Traditional rich creamy carbonara sauce with duck eggs blanketing spinach tagliatelle and juicy slices of smoked duck

Wise combination of spinach Tagliatelle, a narrower flat ribbon pasta than Fettucini in matching its sauce of carbonara with duck eggs: Rich (in flavor), yet not cloying. Did I even mention that the pasta was cooked to al dente? Each bite is heavenly and we wiped clean till the last drop.
Encountered with previous horrible experience of spring onion with carbonara, I overlooked on this because the taste was so insignificant. However, it's better to leave them out of sight next time. Grilled Herb Chicken RM29
Boneless chicken breast marinated with thyme and spices, sous vide to perfection and served with vegetables, mash potato and cilantro garlic oil

Sous Vide, a French word of "under vacuum" is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in water bath for longer than normal cooking time, in order to maintain the level of "doneness" inside out. ~ Wikipedia

This grilled herb chicken was mediocre in terms of flavor with stuffed spices but lacking when it comes to texture. I am unsure of its cooking method of sous vide and/or grill because it has failed to grasp the essence of either. Mash potato was good with its less milky flavor and potato chunk contributing to better texture. Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake RM10
For one who can easily finish up one whole jar of peanut butter, this was too dry and too dense for me to take. Appreciate the fact that it came warm, but it was not a happy ending.

Mediteca @ Fraser's place, smack in the middle of busy downtown KL and amidst million ringgit swanky luxury suites and a mere 10 minutes walk from KLCC (though it took me almost an hour navigating traffic from Jalan Ampang but what is KL without the traffic?)Firstly I'm not a big fan of spray on food. To me anything that comes out from a spray nozzle is used to annihilate pesky bugs. For the EVOO and Balsamic vinegar, I'd much prefer the traditional pour and dip.Stewed Sardines with Tomato Basil Sauce RM24
Not my favourite due to the strong fishy taste and smell and for the typical Malaysian sardines are associated as swimming in tomato and IN A CAN. So after a customary and obligatory bite, that's it for me.Casserole of Stewed Beef Cheek RM12
Perfectly cooked beef cheeks served in a little casserole dish and a delight to eat by itself or the accompanied baked on site bread. A wonderful play with spices make this tiny but hearty dish an absolute wonder for the mouth. The best dish of the evening!Bruschetta with Rocket Salad and Artichoke RM22
I must admit that I'm not a big fan of vege on vege but I can't fault the chef for putting a handsome price as the combination of peppery rocket salad, artichoke, tomato on a perfectly crispy bruschetta is an absolute wonder. A word of advice, eat it fast, then again it's tapas, you are supposed to.Garlic Prawns RM22
3 skewers of prawns coupled with roasted garlic. Perfectly cooked and perfectly coupled with the roasted garlic. A great start though we were forewarned by the beautiful host Rachel that "we were in for a meal".Seafood Vermicelli RM36
As for the mains we were served seafood vermicelli, with seafood. More like spaghettini with offerings from the dining halls of Poseidon, the dish is my second favourite for the evening as everything Poseidon gave was given due justice in this non too subtle seafood dish. I would say the vermicelli ties this dish up perfectly.Entrecote Tagliata with Parmesan & Glazed Mushrooms RM70
Fancy name for a sir/strip loin beef done perfectly with roasted garlic and button mushrooms. The Parmesan cheese was beautifully masked and this is a worthy red meat dish nonetheless. I've had better beef dishes (the casserole of stewed beef cheeks) so I'm a bit biased on this one. That's the trouble when one reaches the climax on the very first bite. Darn it!! (L) Baked Rosemary Custard RM12 (R) Yogurt Mousse with Mango Cream RM16
I found yogurt mousse with mango cream offering a tad too sweet, trying to discern the yogurt but the mango sauce made it difficult. Baked rosemary custard is more to my liking though at my advance age, I tend to mellow down my sweet cravings. The rosemary tang wasn't too subtle, you know it is there and the crackling of caramelised sugar adds a very nice touch.

Write up by Lawrence Lim
Photo by Cheryl Chan