marcky.my [That Thing I Do]

Breakfast under my parents’ roof was never more than whatever could be prepared from the most rudimentary of household food items; usually nothing more than a simple affair of bread with modest spreads of margarine and sugar, and a cup of hot Milo. Their ideology of breakfast is that it is something that should cost next to nothing, takes almost no time to prepare, and exists, if at all, merely to stay the morning hunger until lunch time.

I have a different ideology, though. To me, breakfast is many things; a mediocre affair is not among them. On Sundays when I wake up with my love’s warmth under my blanket, breakfast is a celebration of all the good things in life. One particular Sunday morning, it was at Sheraton Imperial KL’s Celestial Court where we indulged in one of my favourite renditions of breakfast – dim sum.

Har gao in crystal carrot puree with dried scallop and coriander (RM13++)

Ubiquitous at every dim sum table anywhere, har gao bashfully made an early entrance at our table – its flushed orange hue inescapably apparent. The poor little shrimp dumpling must’ve been very nervous that morning, as it failed to impress, despite being endowed with dried scallop for added flavour. Perhaps we should’ve spent less time admiring it and just lunged at it with our chopsticks the moment it was laid on our table.

Crispy dragon beard with cod fish and avocado (RM18++)

The crispy dragon beard with cod fish and avocado was one of many demonstrations of the chef’s creativity in combining different textures, balancing different flavours, and coming up with ridiculously Chinese names for a dish. Creamy against crispy; and a spectrum of mild, fatty flavours made it an interesting dish. I would’ve prefered the cod to be a fresh, juicy fillet instead of a fish paste, though.

Pan-seared stuffed scallop with squid mousse served with egg white, pumpkin and truffle puree (RM20++)

Perhaps the most unusual of creations by the chef, it was also the one that impress us the most, comprising of a single (giant?) scallop, squid mousse, egg white, pumpkin, truffle sauce, and caviar. Freshest of scallop, dressed in rich textures and little notes of sweet, salty, and savoury; we shared this small dish and finished it without the slightest rush, as the complexity of the flavours could only truly be appreciated at leisure, in between secret sighs of pleasure.

Xiao Long Bao with crabmeat at caviar (RM13++)

One of my favourite staple dim sum items, which I usually approach with much caution, is the xiao long bao ; and for good reason – too many restaurants try to live up to what these majestic soup dumplings should be, and fail. While not absolutely the best xiao long bao I’ve ever had, the crab meat (none of that “crabstick” nonsense) was an improvement over the pork that it stood in place of (Celestial Court is a pork-free establishment, incidentally) and the caviar was a nice touch (which I didn’t think really contributed a lot to the flavour).

Sauteed radish cake with shredded roast duck in spicy homemade sauce (RM25++)

Coming from a Hokkien part of the country, I have certain expectations of fried radish cake. Though I’ve (mostly) come to terms with the idea of never finding any place that serves very good fried radish cake, I harbor a secret hope that one day, I would be pleasantly surprised; and the day finally came. The chunks of radish cake were dense yet fluffy, with a lingering taste of a sauce that tasted familiarly sweet, yet eluded me. The shredded duck lent a new dimension of flavour that was unfamiliar in the dish, yet it belongs as if it had always been made that way. The chicken floss topping, as humble as it was, pushed the dish beyond my expectations.

Chilled avocado puree with walnut ice-cream (RM13++)

To mark the end of our (exceptionally heavy) meal, we shared between us walnut ice cream in chilled avocado puree. Creamy and rich, the pleasure was only muted by prior experience of the same dessert which I had in a previous visit, where coconut sorbet was used in lieu of walnut ice cream, which I preferred by far due to the interesting balance of sweetness, aroma and richness. Next time, I will request for a special order. After all, the waitstaff and chef at Celestial Court seem like they would be happy to accommodate any special requests; and so I would see fit to take advantage of that.

I have come a long way in redefining what breakfast is in my life, since the days of living under my parents’ roof many years ago. At least on Sundays when the fairer half is around, breakfast is a purposeful event; and we try to make the best of it, because to wake up in the morning with the one you love, with a purpose, with a plan, is really what most people seek, whether they know it or not. Perhaps the most important thing about breakfast to me, is that it serves as a reminder that I am in charge of how I want things to be for me, and never have to let anyone tell me otherwise; and I would demonstrate this more often than I should by defying what some may term as brunch, and insist that 11am is indeed still breakfast.

I’ve always romanticized the idea of having a rustic Italian meal in an old-fashioned house, tucked away in a suburban town in Italy. Stepping into the detached structure housed within Sheraton Imperial KL, Villa Danieli echoed heavily of the house in my dream. Cosy, dim lighting and naked brick walls were purposeful towards the enactment of my dream. The ambiance emanated a sentiment of well-being; I felt as if I didn’t need to decide what to eat, and that the food would take care of itself and I would be served with the best home-cooked food an Italian host would serve.

Herbs beef tenderloin carpaccio, arugula, parmesan crackers and Modena reduction.

A bold and unusual entrée to the unacquainted, carpaccio is an acquired taste that I particularly enjoy when done right; that is, the fresh raw tenderloin has to be pounded so fine, that it would almost melt in the mouth. The parmesan crackers were a lovely alternative to parmesan shavings, as it not only lent a crispy texture to the dish, but also allowed the crisp flavour of the arugula and the flavour of raw meat to register on the tongue before its bold sharpness would take over.

Potato gnocchi with hand-chopped veal ragout in Piemonte's way.

Villa Danieli’s gnocchi reflected the ideology that good food doesn’t always need to be elaborately prepared; but should instead focus on quality ingredients. Tender chunks of veal bathed the dish with its intense savoury overtones; while chunks of shaved parmesan counterbalanced with its own intensity and sharpness. The balance of textures and flavours was strangely reminiscent of a good bowl of dry pan mee, yet tasted completely different.

Melting beef cheek, olive oil mashed potato, leeks, and roasted asparagus.

Perhaps what I love most about Italian cuisine is the way it sometimes doesn’t try to impress, but achieves in doing so anyway. The beef cheek raised my brows in pleasant surprise as much as it raised my overall impression on the relatively modest cut of beef. You can simply not go wrong with braised beef, asparagus, leeks, and mash done right, and that is exactly what it was – a simple dish done right.

I just love the way Italians casually enjoy their wine and their red meat and their potatoes – it’s almost as if they don’t realize how amazing their food is, despite its simplicity; and that is perhaps the reason behind my Italian dreams. I just want to enjoy the best of life, without having to make a big fuss about it.