aly's wonderland

Amanda Imani at Delucca, The Italian Restaurant

*Due to very low lighting, my pictures do not do the food justice*

It rarely happens, but it did. Lil’ Chef was off on a Saturday night. “Yes!” I screamed, throwing my arms in the air. “We can have a normal dinner like normal people!”

I met Amanda and her wonderful mother Azlinda (also her manager) a few of months back as she was at the start of her musical career. By sheer coincidence, I was invited to watch her sing live at Delucca on that very same Saturday.

In November 2009, a friend was surprised with a birthday dinner at Delucca. 25 people, a long, long table and a set menu that did little to impress me. Perhaps it was the fact it was a set menu, that made it a tad ordinary, and rather bland. I decided against writing about it afterwards.

This time though, this time… I was impressed with the food.

It’s a beautiful restaurant, really, with chic interiors that have a hint of playfulness.

The dark, earthy tones make you feel warm and welcomed, while the hanging blackboard with Chef Nicola Carradori’s specials adds a ‘gastro-pub’ touch.

The space is heavily dominated by the Island bar that separates the restaurant into two sections, and the stage for that evening was placed at the back of the right section.

An annoying mosquito was hovering at our table, and the temperature in the room was a little on the warm side. Service was pleasant, although the waitress (like the mosquito) hovered a little too closely as we perused the menu. She asked us twice if we were ready to order and it was clear that we were not.

Lil’ Chef ordered a bottle of Chianti at RM 150, to give her something to do and we went back to discussing the menu.

“He likes carrots, right?” I ask him, referring to the ingredient popping up a number of times in a few dishes. It was a strange ingredient to advertise. I don’t think it’s an ingredient with distinctive taste, nor does it add value to sell a dish.

I guess the Chef must have a close personal affection for this pointy orange vegetable. It did nothing to excite me, so I opted for dishes without it, and so did Lil’ Chef.

We ordered after the waitress poured our (very full glasses of) wine.

Half the bottle was empty and we hadn’t even had a sip! I began to wonder if giving the place a second chance was the right idea, but I reminded myself I was there for Amanda, and not the food.

I needn’t have worried about either of those things. Amanda started singing shortly after our bread arrived.

She sang a mix of songs from her new self titled album, and also a few covers.

Such a powerful voice from a mere 18 year old! She reminds me of Joss Stone, but also has a little Shakira in her! Maybe it’s the gorgeous long hair…

Anyway, as we were serenaded by her soulful voice, our starters arrived.

ANTIPASTI

Carpaccio di Filetto RM – 38

Paper thin juicy beef tenderloin with arugula, shaved grana cheese and artichoke

Paper thin indeed, but layered oh so thick! The middle of the plate dipped, and they must have had a good few layers to achieved about a 1 cm height. A well prepared dish, flavourful and worth every penny.

Toretta di riso con vongole e cozze  - RM 26

Marinated Arborio rice served with clams and mussels, tossed in a “Hot” spicy tomato garlic sauce

Mama Mia! This was not what I was expecting at all! In my head, I had pictured a sloppy dish, risotto on the bottom with the mussels and clams on the top. What I got was a pretty plate, well thought out and incredibly tasty.

Top marks for presentation, and top marks for taste. Yes, I picked up the shells with my fingers and licked each one clean.

Rucola e formaggi  - RM 34

Fresh Arugula with four classic Italian Cheese

If you order this, be prepared for more of a cheese platter with salad, rather than salad with cheese.

Very tasty and generous chunks of cheese, so generous that we chiseled our way through them for the rest of the meal. Avoid the bread rounds on top as they were hard as rocks.

For mains, we decided against pasta and went for main courses instead. Lil’ Chef went for something on the blackboard, the Special Delucca Pizza “Folded, RM 36.

You could really taste the skill in the dough, which looks heavy but was light as a cloud. Filled with a simple tomato sauce and cheese, this was incredibly satisfying.

I went for the Scaloppina al limone e funghi at RM 54.

Australian Chilled veal in butter, sage, mushrooms and lemon sauce

It far exceeded my expectations. Very tender, drenched in a rich, buttery sauce that I can only describe as velvet on my tongue.

My only complaint would be the shitake mushrooms that snuck their way into this dish, as they did into our side dish of Funghi misti/sautéed mix mushrooms. Asian mushrooms and western flavours = CLASH, to me.

We also had the Fagiolini/French beans in butter. All sides are priced at RM 9 and come in generous portions.

We skipped dessert as we had the remnants of our “cheese platter”, and instead continued to be entertained by Amanda who put on a sterling performance.

I have her album, and you should have one too.

www.amanda-imani.com

Delucca is one of the few places where you can have good food and live music, yet still really enjoy your dinner. I will have to block out images of baby cows being slaughtered, because yes, I would go back for that veal. The mussels and clams? YES. Beef Carpaccio, YES. Folded Pizza, YES. Mushrooms, MAYBE if they got rid of the Asian ones. French Beans, YES.

Inspired by American Idol (which I’m watching right now) Delucca gets not FOUR, but FIVE “YES’s” out of six for the dishes we tried. Delucca is through to the next round!

Contact:

Delucca, The Italian Restaurant (Pork-Free)

One Residency

Office Tower (Tower C)

No. 1 Jalan Mesui, Off Jalan Nagasari

Tel: 03 2144 6545

Fax: 03 2144 6532

www.delucca.com.my