Before I left for Egypt, I was in KL for Cheesie‘s 23rd birthday.
Cheesie has been a close friend of mine for quite some time. I only got to know her after I wrote that infamous entry about ‘The Stellars’ about a year ago. What most people don’t know is that a lot of drama has happened as a result of that entry. I was partly to blame.
“You! Ma’am! You want some BACCALA?!?!?”
Anyway, what happened is a long story but suffice to say, she didn’t quite enjoy her birthday at all last year. In fact when I talked to her, she was still upset about what had happened that she planned on spending her birthday holed up at home watching some DVDs.
I reckon that’s no way to spend a 23rd birthday, so this 1st April, I came up with a plan to make up to it. 😉
Those who follow Cheesie’s blog would know that this girl loves good food and she loves the food at Italiannies, having blogged about them many times. After talking to the good people at Italiannies, they generously agreed to host her party!
Being a fan of Italian food myself and after hearing many good comments from Cheesie herself, I was looking forward to visit this fine restaurant. And I must say, I am mighty impressed.
Upon walking into their restaurant at One Utama, it is easy to forget that I am actually inside a busy shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur. The environment is warm and cosy, and the inside is so tastefully decorated that it feels more like Tuscany than anywhere in Malaysia.
I love it how they encourage their diners to share their food. How many restaurants ask you to share?
You might as well share, since portions at Italiannies are famous for being HUUUGGGEEE. It’s almost impossible to finish them on your own.
By my estimation, one standard meal portion at Italiannies can feed one fat Italian mafia don.
Or two average-sized Malaysians.
Or five Sanjayas from American Idol.
The guys at Italiannies took care of us well. Service was top-notch and the staff are very attentive. As a special treat, they even gave us a preview of some of their new menu items that has yet to come out on the market!
Among the all of us, we must’ve gorged down around 20 different dishes that night. I couldn’t possibly list them all here, but here are some of the highlights along with my honest comments.
While waiting for our meal, we were served complimentary fresh bread with olive oil and vinegar.
This type of bread is called Ciabatta, which sounds kinda crude in Hokkien but really, it’s just Italian bread.
To start with, we have Roasted Red Pepper stuffed with garlic shrimp. I’m not big on eating capsicum that way, but I must admit their presentation is kinda cute.
As an appetiser, this is alright. Tasty and not too filling.
This is Spinach and Artichoke Formaggio, served with garlic bread on the side. The flavour is a bit bland for my liking, but Cheesie finds it yummy since it’s, well, cheesy. 😛
For vegetarians, this is probably a good choice.
Of the new menu items they served that night, their Seafood Risotto hands-down tops my list as my personal favourite.
The risotto they use is wonderfully fragant and the texture feels fantastic on the tongue. Tastes best when eaten hot. One spoonful into the mouth and the combined flavour of scallops, sotong and prawns spreaded out on my tastebuds.
Very, very nice.
If you’ve never tried risotto here before, give this one a shot. This dish is new on the menu and comes with a golden kennysia.com stamp of approval!
For the health conscious, there’s the Sicilian Chicken Salad.
Not my favourite although naeboo wolfed it down like no tomorrow.
Then there’s the Grilled Salmon Oreganatto. Yes, it tastes as good as it looks. The salmon is deliciously juicy and the aroma blends in perfectly with the spinach.
Again, another must-try.
I don’t know how to pronounce “Conchiglie Pomodoro”, but it is shell pasta served with a kinda slightly sourish sauce.
If you like your pasta cute and tangy, then this is one is made for you.
For me, I prefer my pasta in all its creamy and savoury glory, which is why I can’t get enough of Italiannies’ Classic Cabonara. Topping it with smoked bacon is an excellent touch.
They said it’s their best-seller and it’s not difficult to see why.
Soon after we finished our dinner, I gave the Italiannies crew the cue and out they come in full force to present the birthday girl their LOUDEST rendition of happy birthday.
Cheesie got a Strawberry Cheesecake, which was quickly gorged down despite everyone feeling so full after eating so much.
Heh heh.
You gotta hand it to them. This is seriously one damn good piece of orgasmic delight.
The cake, not the male model.
It is yummy. One of the best I have indulged in a very long time.
I’ve always heard good stuff about their tiramisu, but by that time I was already too bloated to gorge myself further. I had to be carried out of the restaurant in a wheelbarrow.
After dinner, we headed over to Laundry Bar at The Curve for some drinkies.
Laundry is normally packed to the brim on Thursdays and Saturdays with fans coming to watch their favourite live bands perform. Lucky we’re there on a Sunday so it’s quiet enough to just sit back and chill out over a few drinks.
We had an awesome-looking Blue Margarita Tower, which is an excellent party drink to share.
As soon as the clock struck midnight, Cheesie officially turned 23 and she received a gift from the bar in the form of a Flaming Lamborghini – a concoction of Sambuca, Kahlua, Curacao and Bailey’s poured over a tower of wine glasses and then set on FIRE!
All in all, everyone had an enjoyable birthday party. Many thanks to Italiannies and Laundry Bar!
To finish off this entry, let me show you one (belated) April’s Fool prank that you can easily pull off on your friends. Next time you are asked to take a photo for your friends, wait for them to pose but instead of taking their photos, secretly switch to video mode and hit ‘Record’.
Watching their reaction = priceless.
Dona Wee, a stylistic mother and a powerful singer blessed with the voice of Celine Dion, is the only finalist from Kuching in the hitz.fm’s American Idol contest.
Dona will be performing this 5/5 at The Curve in KL. Click HERE to register and give to her your sacred vote!
Ya, I have tried that before…. Record video while friends waiting for me to shoot a “photo”… Priceless indeed. Oh yeah.
superb nice food there!
bimbo
worked in italiannies before =)
my fave is the shrimp linguine
How do I get to The Curve by public transport?
italian food is meant to be share……the best italian restaurant that i’ve been to, their motto is ALL FOOD IS SERVED FAMILY STYLE AND MEANT TO BE SHARED…….
even though I know we are not required to pay tips dining in Malaysia, but just curious, do you all readers tip at fancy restaurants? not RM1 or 2 but more than 10% those kind of tips……excluding service tax
*chio peng* for the video… 😛
FUCKING CIBAIII
Dude, your white balance seems off for all of the photos you took inside Italiannies.
lol..the recording camera joke has been used many times..nothing new..
but looks like it was a happening party..
im hungry
nice food there..shall try it someday, though the price should be quite high…hmmm….
i’m beginning to think that u posted this just because Italiannies paid u to advertise their food all over your blog.. no?
nice cake..!!
oh.. i know Dona Wee… but never heard her sing b4..
Dude- don’t you have a job or something? Always see you enjoying a life free of worries. You seem to travel alot, i must say you are pretty rich!
wow nice..
how did u persuade the ppl in italiannies to host the party?
*looks at picts admiringly*
sniff.
wonder when i’d have the oppotunity to host such a grand birthday party heh.
Their bread is served with Balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Superb… It used to be even better when it was jam packed and the bread always come straight from the oven, hot. Their Shrimp Diablo was very good. Too bad they took it out from their menu. U should have tried their Tiramisu. The best I have ever tried in Malaysia, since most Tiramisu in Malaysia is ‘halal’.
Omg!!!!! I’m hungry again!!!!!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….
I remeber Cheesie BD, I sent her a present from NY, I love the video. Cool
wah….now only u want to post ar?
U should’ve tried the other appetizer, the plate of yummy mussels.
i like the cake….yum yum….looks so nice….I switch to video mode and watch my friends reaction before…so damn funny…lolz
I SPOT SZE KERNG…. tiba tiba my friend is there…
Hahaha..I did that to myself before. Actually, a lot of times. XD
Accidentally switch to video mode while taking a picture with a friend. So..it’s like..waiting for the flash, and then asking yourself why your camera is lagging..and then realising you have just taped your whole dumb-dumb convo on video. LOL.
The food looks gorgeous as like the birthday girl 🙂
that salad is full of creamy cheese lar. how health concious can it be la!
“The environment is warm and cosy, and the inside is so tastefully decorated that it feels more like Tuscany than anywhere in Malaysia”
So Mr. Kenny Sia has been to Tuscany huh… My dear friend, you haven’t the slightest idea on what real Italian food is. Tsk tsk, very badly written promotional gambit for the restaurant.
leo-chan, I never said that it is real Italian Food. Half their kitchen staff is Indian. So it’s probably Indian-Italian food.
Wow… A nice place to introduce for Italian food.
Kenny next time also intro some food at Kuching..
Geez…this bunch…criticism about everything in these comments. If you guys dislike Kenny Sia so much why the hell do you hang around his blog? I don’t agree with everything Kenny says but he should be able to talk about a night out with his friends and not be attacked for everything.
Why don’t you do this:
Guys like Leo Chan – Create a blog and share your exhaulted wisedom about Tuscany and real italian food. While you are at it give me a detailed essay about Italian history and culture. You seem very knowledgable and well travelled at least well enought to tsk tsk and bitch and complain.
Tell us about your blog. Rest assured that I will read it. If I find anything wrong or suspect with it I will be sure to hunt you down and TSK TSK you. nitwit.
it is now 12.42am in London and I am hungry again…
damn.. i m suppose to be on diet!
wow..starting off to food blogging ar?..u need some practice mate..hahaha
FOOD!FOOD!UR FOOD PIC MADE ME FEEL VERY HUNGRY!!
Hi Kenny,
Am not sure if you got my messages on your shout box but just wanted to let you know that for your upcoming trip to KK, the Pacific Sutera at Sutera Harbour is pretty great in terms of proximity to just about everything i.e. town, airport et al.
The Hyatt is smack bang in the middle of town but it’s a business hotel – boring.
Le Meridian is new but kinda pricey.
The Nexus Karambunai Resort is about 25 minutes out of town and is pretty nice as well but can be considered a bit isolated.
So you planning on hitting the town with us KK bloggers?
Alan,
Yes I am well travelled and knowledgeable enough to know Italy’s food, culture and history.
My blog link is there for anyone to visit.
well… i have done that before and the victim WASN’T HAPPY. hahaha… kena hentam gila sial..
Italianies’ is great for parties and large groups of friends, as its dishes really are quite economical. But if you want a great Italian restaurant, I recommend Vincenzo’s in Bangsar. Much pricier than Italiannies, but its ambience is excellent. Very very romantic. They turned a house into a restaurant and you can sit outside near the garden, or on the balcony. Lovely. Food is excellent and service is top-notch.
Yes, I agree with RK Boo. Italiannies’ has good food for cheap prices. But, Vincenzo’s has far better ambience.
They say good friends pat your back while you puke.
Best friends are the ones that hold your hair back.
Artichoke Formaggio where got BLAND!!! It’s so kao can die ok! 😛
Seems like you guys had a good birthday bash. ^_^ way to make up for it!
that vid is rad kenny! but i’d like to share this video with you guys, so damn funny! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAYX0GTnLxU
hilarious!
nice cake there!!!! the cake looks very very smooth..yummmy yummy…
ceh… not funny
im hungry after i read this post. XD
ai yah write something new lah .u always become chai tao, birthday only nothing special,next time write something good ok ah sia….
Leo Chan,
Your last comment only shows how obtuse you are. Yes, I know you have a blog. Yes, quite possibly, you are intelligent and well travelled.
But the reason I am annoyed at people like you is the arrogence and lack of diplomacy you possess. You are welcome to disagree with Kenny Sia and other people on this blog. You are welcome to talk about your own experiences and opinions. But you demonstrate a level of arrogence and smugness that is disagreeable to say the least.
Smugness and arrogence is no way to impress or influence people. I know you have a blog Leo Chan and I am incline to say – so what? My first impression of you is awful and in my mind and probably many others your blog has become subpar to say the least due to you personality flaws.
Am I being rude? Am I being a jerk? Yes most definately. But to those who show unbearable smugness my answer is – I don’t care.
To Mr. Alan,
First and foremost, thank you for taking the effort to submit the comment and visiting my blog. I trust that you have gone through all my posts and checked it for accuracy – all 289 of it.
You are not in a position to lecture me on what I shall or shall not do, diplomacy or people skills. Shall I add that I am not the one going around calling people nitwit. I am neither trying to impress nor influence. In other words, who died and made you moral police?
It’s a free world. You have your thoughts, I have mine. Don’t like it? Just too bad. =)
If my comments can be taken as smug and arrogant, I am most flattered. Bottom line – just like you, I don’t care. This discussion is obviously futile in my point of view and will not be continued. You are most welcome to tell your story to someone who cares, from this point on.
Cheers, Leo
Kenny:
Maybe that’s why… Indian-Italian food… Fusion or confusion?
Leo,
Yes, you are correct. Because I called you nitwit I have no right to to think of myself as being diplomatic.
You are also correct when you say this dicussion will go no where. It should be ended least we end up engaged in a never ending war of words. Yep its a free world and I can think what I want. I definately am having some interesting thoughts right now. You won’t like them. But oh well, free world right?
Bottom line is – let’s not think of this incident anymore. Its not worth the bother.
Wow… chill boys. It’s Kenny’s blog so let him write whatever he likes, and yes, Kenny didn’t say it was authentic Italian fare at this place. I personally thought the food was okay, despite being not Italian at all. I won’t go back but that doesn’t mean others can’t promote the place and have a positive feedback on the restaurant.
On the other hand, it is a comment box so I presume Kenny will accept our two cents worth with open mind. Everyone’s entitled to type their mind and it’s interesting to exchange thoughts.
Back to Italian fare… Nero Vivo offers some delish real deal. Haven’t found any better ones till date, let me know if you guys know of any in KL.
Let’s not fight, spend more time eating instead!
xx
i’ve been to Italy, and i personally think that real italian food sucks. (maybe its just my taste, maybe its just the restaurants that i tried.. i dont know) i prefer Italian food that has been altered to Malaysian liking..
now i’m studying in the states, and so far all the malaysian restaurants i’ve tried is bullshit. i guess its just that its hard to get the same ingredients over here to make it as good as at home..
fxxk u kennysia
Woww!! Nice food ye! but I only think about getting fat after eating so, so far try not to think delicious about food but think about making me fat.
i tried the classic carbonara..it is really yummy!!!
Lynn, you could also try Cippola in Bangsar Telawi area or Ciao at Jalan Tun Razak… Same owners, Frederico if I’m not mistaken.. Oh no.. Frederico runs Thai restaurants (Tamarind Hill & Springs). I think the fella is called Andrea or Giorgio if I recall correctly.
Yeah, Nero Vivo rocks.. But very much southern Italy influence. They have also opened a bistro near Changkat Bukit Bintang, yet to try that one.
you so funny lah kenny. but i get the feeling you are only praising italianies because they hosted your party. was the food really that good? its okay if you were just blogwhoring for a free hook up…
Gosh… i LOVED birthday parties….. i had a great one this year too…
Doesn’t Leo-Chan look gay on his blog. Yes Day by day just fade away. Why not fade away.
How about the price? The food & the place are extra nice, but I bet they must’ve cost u a hand and a leg.
I don’t recall anyone asking for your opinions about restaurents Leo Chan. Why don’t you just fade away from here.
NICE YUMMY FOOD THERE!!
i like your blog. the pics are so captivating!!
visit me if you are free
http://imalaysian.com
aiya….leo jealous kenny sia blog more traffic compare to his ma….sob sob…sour grapes TSK TSK
cibai leo-chan tink he food expert issit…go host HO CHAK la kanineh! why got so sohai msian one…
Kenny! 1U is in PJ not KL lah! xD
OMG…juz saw the vid of cheesie’s bday!
The part where i said “Its a video arr..!!!” is so so funnyy.. i mean i can’t imagine i looked that horrendous! GRrr..
anyways, it was nice meeting u that day! im yet to post the italiannies pics!
You guys just fell into the trap of being flame-baited.
Just ignore the as*holes lah. If you respond to them they will keep coming back.
how come some faces are pixelated in the photo of the blue margarita tower? haha some pple not supposed to be there ah?
is it me or do the strawberries on the cheesecake look photoshopped