I was told that the menu at Blu Med was produced and consulted by Chef Yasuhiro Sasajima, of Iron Chef fame. Having watched the Iron Chef program on television , I was naturally excited that I will be savouring a menu directed by the talented chef himself!laugh

Chef Sasajima broke out of the realms of traditional Japanese cuisine and started his love affair with Italian cuisine, marrying the two together to cook up a fine fusion of meals from his kitchen.

I was looking forward to tasting his unique and distinctive Italian cuisine with a Japanese twist so much.



Upon arriving at the 2nd floor, I was greeted to interior decorations befitting a minimalistic concept.

It was brightly lit with incandescent spotlights, boasted cosy wooden and brick-wall ambiance, spacious and splashed with warm, earthly colours comprising shades of brown, white with a touch of blue.

I exchanged a few words with the friendly managers present.

After being ushered to our seats, we sat at our table in anticipation for what the evening had to offer.

The waiters began to pour some wine for us.

We were served the Luis Felipe Edwards Cabernet Sauvignon

The first dish on our table was the appetitzer of Buffalo Mozzarella and Plum Tomato "Caprese".

The buffalo mozzarella, which is typically used in Italian dishes and less rubbery than usual mozzarella, was moist and had a mild piquancy – slightly tasteless, but well paired with the mint sauce drizzled around the dish (which doubles as good presentation too!).

Buffalo Mozzarella and Plum Tomato "Caprese"

For purists, this is made out of curd cheese using pure buffalo milk.

The locally sourced tomatoes and lettuce sprinkled with olive oil, basil oil and vinegar upped its initially bland flavour and hit the concept of freshness in mediterranean food right on the bull's eye.



The second dish that was placed before us was the Carpaccio of Hirame with Wild Rice and Soft Aubergine.

The first thing I did was to look for the aubergine. I couldn't see it at all! Did they give my plate a miss? I soon found out that the soft, "mashed" aubergine was hidden underneath the Hirame. That was my favorite of the night.

The wild rice reminded me of risotto, but slightly grainer and nutty in comparison. When mixed with the relatively moist and "grassy" taste of the alfafa sprouts, it amassed a rather odd but not unpleasant flavour - definitely an acquired taste.

The Hirame, a popular type of white flesh fish used in Japanese cuisines (see how the fusion of Italian and Japanese influences is depicted now?) was fresh and served cold, just like sashimi.



Then came along our mains.

The third dish to arrive was Spaghetti Tomato Sauce with Sea Bass and Grilled Vegetables.

We were told that the pasta sauce was made from real tomatoes, and not the ones out of cans nor puree versions.

A block of Parmesan cheese was grated to our desired amount, as toppings for the pasta

The cheese added a light but sharp flavour to the pasta, making it a very good choice for garnishing.

We could clearly see how its sauce wasn't the ones right out of the can.

I found this dish slightly watered down and tasteless, but then again, it was justifiable, as they only used fresh ingredients and we all know how fresh tomatoes holds a high water content. Good or bad? I'll leave you to decide.

It also had minimal seasoning; giving way to the natural flavours of tomato, sea bass and its side of grilled vegetables. This dish was fresh, light and had a oceanic and "fishy' flavour to it.

This dish was pretty standard, nothing to shout about especially to people who are more familiar with, or prefer their pasta with strong, heavy flavours. It does has its strengths and weaknesses, whatever suits your palate! smiley



Being sweet tooths, I was only looking forward to the desserts after that.

Hopefully, our moods and appetites would take a positive turn once it arrives.

The final dish that we got to taste was the Espresso Pannacotta.

But being a culinary aficionado myself, I do understand that the most difficult part of making the perfect Panna cotta is mixing the right ratio and achieving the right texture – soft, but firm enough to hold it together, with a gentle wobble only when moved.

Though pretty in presentation, I must say that the texture of the Panna cotta was slightly dissapointing as it was too jelly-like, stiff and rubbery. I much prefer my Panna cotta to be the usual, softly set, creamier ones with silkier pudding-like consistency.

Apart from that, I loved the rich taste of this typical Italian dessert – especially this one as it is infused with Espresso! yes

It gave me a smooth mouthful, albeit not a melt-in-the-mouth texture. Still tasted delicious, though. The berries and almonds were a great touch too.

During the weekend, theboyf and I decided to go for some late night bites.

We dressed up and headed down town to the city at midnight for a little Friday date

Steamboat supper!



After much driving around, we decided to dine at the Concorde Hotel KL for their supper buffet.

We walked in and was ushered to a table. Picked our choice of food from the buffet spread and had a steamboat stove-pot sent to our table.

Enjoying our steamboat of TomYam soup x Plain soup

Apart from the steamboat supper, there were Nasi Lemak and desserts aplenty

We had a great time!

I’ve always been a fan of fine dining – come to think of it, isn’t everybody? Hmm I’m pretty sure if we all had enough moolah to throw around, everyone would be flocking to those fine dining spots and posh eateries already.

Chef Jerome, the Executive Chef
cooks up a storm!
In this new menu presentation, we were served with fine portions and a good combination of foie gras, mussel soup, cod fishes, roasted beef and caramel custards.

Le Bouchon isn’t like an outlet like any other set in the row of the thriving F&B square of Changkat Bukit Bintang. It’s one of the premier ones which for your info, is an 8-time award holder of the Malaysian Tatler’s Best Restaurants.
scuba diving
Lemme take you around for a lil visual tour, shall we?

Upon entering, you will be greeted to the likes of many wine bottles all arranged by indexes and organized in order. Also, a wooden coffee table for two for those wine-lovers out there to chill.

After walking down a few flights of steps, you’ll come to an intersection where a door on your left leads you to the kitchen. You obviously do not go in there… however, you can peer at those hardworking chefs preparing your meals via the glass pane just like I did!
There will also be a little fishpond at the corner laced with more wine bottles.
Authentic interior decor
There are a few different sections for you to choose from though – the mainroom, the private room and the couple room. Plenty of room for different occasions!

Okay, time to vanquish those gastric juices already! To kick-start the whole session, we were served with some bite-sized cookies and warm house bread. Following which was the Appetizer itself, Terrine de Foie Gras maison.

Next up on the line is the Soupe de moules noires au safran et legumes aromatiques. Nevermind the extremely long dish name. It’s basically black mussels and saffron soup with aromatique veggies. Good things come in small portions, I couldn’t get enough of this! Every last drop was worth a voyage into wonder.

Let’s take a closer look at those springy yet tender mussels.

Man, they were succulent
As we moved on to the main courses, I could not help but to rub my hands together with glee.. especially when I knew there was gonna be some fish on the plate. Long-time readers of benjicajessdotcom will already know that I’m a lover of all things fishy. (Pun unintended)

Served with asparagus, this roasted codfish was to die for.
I’d give them brownie points for the beetroot sauce too!
Get ready for the name of this dish in French. It’s called *deep breath* Filet de morue roti au sirop d’erable et piment, asperges vertes a l’ail, beurre blanc de betterave. Woots! Try saying that in one breath LOL

As cosy as it is, there were immaculate sculptures with fine carvings as well. Check out this statue of a medieval angel atop a mantelpiece of the makeshift fireplace.

Back to where I left off, we had Roasted Beef Tenderloin. I instantly took a liking to it as was glazed with Bordeaux wine sauce and it was perfectly done. Not anything close to overdone toughness yet not undercooked with those bloody traces of flesh.

It came with ratatouille veggies and sauteed potatoes
with smoked duck bacon

Heavenly. This is a winner for all you carnivorous meat-swashbuckling lovers out there. According to Chef Jerome, the cattle imported over are all grass fed. Unlike those grain-fed ones. Anyway, more beef pictures for you?

The steak made us full to the brim.. with absolute goodness! Ahyes.. I’m pretty sure I wont be touching another slab of meat for the next couple of days. Heh. Don’t wanna overkill, yo! <
span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">But make no mistake, that Roasted Beef is one to get your teeth sinkin’ into.
Dessert came to wrap up our dinner session with sugary sweetness of a caramel custard. It was Creme Brulee with raspberries – known in French as Creme Brulee aux framboises.

Loved the texture.
My tastebuds sang in unison upon tasting it
The upper crust layer was hard and sweet, but once you scoop it up with your spoon a smooth milky taste of custard follows through. As I hit rock bottom, the raspberries ended my experience with a sourish-sweet spring of fruity delight.

It was not often that cousins reunite after moving off to a distant place. In this case, Madelene and I never saw each other for almost half a decade. Except bumping into each other at a nearby coffeeshop back in Penang. And now, a cosy Italian Restaurant.

Two gurls, a camera and a pizza place
This is one place I must recommend. Cipolla Ristorante Pizzeria is the name, and fabulous Italian food is their game. It’s located in Bangsar, KL.

The ambience is one to marvel at. Dim lighting and rustic atmosphere really sets the mood going. Don’t plant notti images in your own head just yet but honestly, it is a really romantic get-up.

The food here is absolutely mouth-watering. Its portions are enough to feed the whole of Africa! Okay well, I’m exaggerating here but yeah, you catch my drift. It sure as hell made me full even before I finished!

We started off with the appetizers and soup.

My fave being the Pumpkin Soup.
(which reminds me of bestie Joyce too)
I was pretty fascinated with the way they sprinkle those condiments on my soup. It’s a glow in the dark shaker!

The snacks served with olive oil – on the house!
And proceeded to the main courses.

Anyways, you guys should check out this place! We gurls dig it. Lovely place for some dining and soothing music.
FYI, prices range from RM30 and above per main course

Eccucino, the central coffee house and restaurant of Prince Hotel & Residencies. I was stoked upon seeing all their Christmas decors and the wholesome Christmas menu! Totally reminds me of the real Christmas spirit!

I see snow!

The first thing which got me heading towards was of course, the carving station. Loved almost everything there! On the sides were Bread Stuffing and Cornbread Stuffing with thyme, dried fruits, sausages, bell peppers, beef bacon, apple and more. That really tasted swell!

Roasted Turkey with Giblet Gravy was the main attraction of that station but they also had various sauces for us to choose from - I chose one of each, just to have the best of both worlds! Or this this case, best of 5 worlds

My pick would definitely be the either the Chipotle Cranberry sauce
or the Cranberry-Orange Compote

Other fabulous dishes on the buffet table was the Chick Pea Salad with Smoked Chicken Breast and Grilled Zucchini. A healthy yet delicious alternative though! Those chicken strips are just right and tender to my tastebuds

Miss those signature Italian meatballs with that heavenly yum of a gravy? Gulp it all down this Christmas – and you don’t have to head all the way down to Ikea to get your hands on those!

In this Christmas Menu, the New England Clam Chowder was made in abundance too. Bet mom will love that heaps! But one of my fave soups of all time would definitely the Pumpkin Soup.

At each and every food review or even casual foodie outings,
the Pumpkin Soup would be my choice of starter soups.

Some lovely French Pastries to to add to that perhaps?

Comes in all shapes and sizes!

It was dessert time after that gastronomic haul of more food such as Barbequed Duck Breast, Creamy Potato Salad, Steamed Salmon, Minced Lamb Salad, Roasted Sirloin, Sauteed Prawns, Stewed Lamb Shank and too many that I won’t be able to list them all down before the cows come home.
So let’s take a look at those desserts instead!

The Yule Log
with little santas atop! Whee ain’t they cute?

The very popular Dresdner Stollen!
Aww look at lonely Santa

Fairytales of the Gingerbread Man and the Gingerbread House takes me a loooong way back when I was just a child of 5 spending Christmas with my folks back home. Check out their Gingerbread house with lotsa snow and ornaments!

The legendary chocolate fondue!
Dip them with Marshmellows and you’ll never go wrong

At the other end of the table, there was an ice sculpture of a Christmas Tree. Edward Scizzorhands much?

With this, I’m glad that you won’t go devoid of ideas of where to eat your Christmas Dinner! Amayzeeeng with a capital A. So, head down to Prince H0tel & Residence with an empty stomach and you’ll be sure you’ll leave bursting your buttons! Such an amazing job well done by their team of chefs lead by Chef Donald Pezar!