DV Ristorante, Bukit Damansara: An Italian Christmas Eve Dinner Menu

Casual Authentic Italian Dishes that Aims to Please!

Holiday cheers are the perfect time to indulge and here is another place to go authentic Italian this Christmas holiday! Head on over to DV Ristorante Pizzeria at Bukit Damansara for a taste of their Christmas Eve Dinner Menu this holiday season that comes with a complimentary glass of Prosecco. The casual Italian dining, owned by Frankie Ferrarese, is famed for their hearty and rustic Italian dishes and wood oven pizzas. It’s the kind of friendly neighborhood restaurant that one can feel at ease dining and enjoy comfort Italian dishes.

The ambience is simple and exude warmest the moment one steps in. Guests can catch some actions from the bar or the open pizza kitchen equipped with wood oven which gives guests a warm and fuzzy feeling with lots of earthy aromas from its baked goods.

First up, DV Ristorante Christmas Eve Dinner Menu takes diners into an Italian Christmas experience with a 4-Course menu. The Christmas Eve Dinner Menu comes with a glass of complimentary of Ruffino Prosecco which is the perfect kick off to the yuletide season.

If you prefer a non-alchohol drink, a mocktail will be replaced upon request.

The Italians loved their bread and so there will always be a basket of freshly baked bread served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to whet the appetite.

For starter, the Italians loved their cured meat and so Bresaola Wrapped Scallops reminded us of all the gorgeous cured delicatessen meats. Scallops is wrapped in air fried Bresaola, aged salted beef air dried and cured, served on a bed of fresh arugula, Sicilian Blood Orange and shaved Pecorino cheese. The scallops are juicy and plump while the Bresaola has an intense meaty salty note. This gorgeous started managed to evoke all the beautiful flavours of salty, sweet, sour and bitter on a plate.

Our entrée was Tortelloni in Double Boiled Consommé. How would an Italian meal be without pasta? The pure delicate flavours of the consommé are warm and soothing, so much so I literally scrape the bowl for the last drop, ignoring my manners at the table. The authentic homemade tortelloni has a light stuffing made of chicken and beef ham. What won my heart was the golden crispy garlic toast served on the side. That was so good, I wanted more garlic toast. It is a dish that many homes in Italy would be proud to serve!

There are three choices of main courses available featuring beef, veal and fish. We tried two out of the three and were pleased with the choices available.

Bollito Misto is served the way the Italians like with a minimalist presentation. The dish is a traditional Northern Italian style boiled meat and is served with marinated vegetables on the side. Our plate had sausages, beef cheek, ox tongue and chicken. The broth has been simmering for hours, gathering up all the essence of the meats. Again here, it’s a very earthy and hearty dish, a dish where most Italians adored for its simplicity and home cooked flavours. As this is a meaty dish, the piquant and tangy marinated vegetables cut through the richness of the meat and balance the flavours cleverly.

The second choice of Veal Involtini is just as delicious as it looks! It’s a roulade of veal wrapped with organic spinach, anchovies and shallots. The veal sat on a bed of creamy spiced pumpkin puree and is served with a caramelized apple half and a luscious pieces of seared foie gras. Sautéed haricot verts, carrots and shallots completed the dish. The veal is tender and went very well with the moist spinach stuffing. I like how the spiced pumpkin puree acted like a thick flavour sauce to the roulade. The highly prized foie gras is cooked to perfection while the apple added a delicate sweet fruity note to the overall dish.

For certain regions of Italy, fish is a must for Christmas. Some regions even go all out on a seven course fish menu for the holiday season. The third choice is Monk Fish Fillet, featuring pan seared monk fish fillet served on lentils and asparagus tips together with quail egg.

All dinners have to end and ending it the traditional Italian way is a house baked Panettone which owner Frankie personally is proud off as the recipe is tweaked to perfection. The Milanese Christmas cake or rather bread is served warm on a pool of vanilla sauce and shavings of chocolate. Too simple for some maybe but we were assured that Panettone is simply a must for Christmas. I happened to enjoy the fluffy and sweet notes of the Panettone made luscious by the creamy vanilla sauce.

DV Ristorante Christmas Eve Dinner Menu is priced a RM170+ per adult and comes with a complimentary glass of Prosecco. Kids below 12 years old can also enjoy Chef’s Special Menu at RM60+ per child.

Besides the Christmas menu, DV Ristorante has many Italian favorites that aim to please. Go for their signatures pizza and pasta and there are several authentic Italian main dishes as well.

It’s without any doubt that wood oven creates the perfect pizzas in the world. The aroma and heat will give the pizzas the essential flavour, texture and aroma a darn good pizza has. Our selections of the evening were Margherita (RM22), Bresaola e Rucola (RM30) and Quattro Formaggi (RM28). As one can see, the pizzas here are as rustic as it gets. Hand crafted and formed with a few tossing, the pizza base is medium thick with a good solid light crust and lightly chewy insides. The sauces and cheeses made the pizza as good as it is. I personally enjoy the Quattro Formaggi which features intense cheeses like gorgonzola, asiago, parmiggiano reggiano and mozzarella. I love my cheeses, can’t you tell?

We also savored Spaghetti Allo Scoglio (RM28) featuring pasta and seafood in tomato sauce. Lots of approving marks here for the al dente pasta, well-seasoned tomato sauce and beautifully cooked seafood. When classics are executed well, the satisfaction will always be there.

I am a personal fan of risottos. There is something sinful about creamy al dente Arborio rice cooked in broth till the glorious silky creamy notes coat each tiny grain of rice before it’s generously flavoured with lots of cheese. Our Risotto al Funghi (RM24) had the added bonus of earthy mushrooms jazzing up the cheesy luscious rice beautifully. Mamma mia… how I love thee…

Our table of foodies agreed unanimously that the Chicken Scloppine with Wild Mushrooms (RM28) is superb! Moist and tender organic chicken scallopini is seared just right and is smothered in a savory and earthy luscious cream sauce flavoured with porcini and other mushrooms. The gentle squeeze of lemon really lifted the flavours of the dish even higher. We polished this dish happily.

Go ahead and check out DV Ristorante Pizzeria. Even if it’s not for the festive menu, I am sure many will be pleased with their rustic Italian offerings of appetizers, pizza, pasta, main course and desserts. This casual Italian neighborhood eatery is decently priced and offers a no-thrill but honest-to-goodness Italian cuisine in the city.

DV RISTORANTE PIZZERIA

65-77, Jalan Setia Bakti, Bukit Damansara,

50490 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA.

Tel: +603-2098 2001

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DvRistorantePizzeria

Business Hours: Mon – Sun 12pm to 12 am

Mediteca, Fraser Place: An Italian Christmas Menu

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day Set Dinner Menu

Glad to be back at Mediteca for an Italian Christmas feast! From my previous visits, I have had such a wonderful Mediterranean experience that I was really looking forward to another meal at Mediteca. A first for me, I was curious about an Italian Christmas menu. Chef Riccardo Ferrarotti, inspired from Southern Europe cuisine, has specially prepared the dishes from his family’s recipe that he has been enjoying each Christmas since young.

Mediteca is perfect for a holiday cheer with its warm soft lighting and ambience. All set for the holidays, the warm ambience has Christmas tree glowing in one corner and more festive décor is dressed subtly throughout the restaurant.

Mediteca has a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Set Menu for RM158++ per person for a four course meal plus coffee or tea and a glass of Prosecco. Kids below 12 years & below gets a complimentary meal.

Complimentary warm Italian bread and grissini is served with a glass of Prosecco in the set dinner.

Dinner starts with Capunet from The Chef. Capunet, a Tuscan stuffed cabbage leave roll, is what Chef Riccardo and his family enjoy for most festive meals. He remembers fondly how his mother would prepare this dish and wanted guests to experience his beautiful memories of this holiday dish.

He uses savoy cabbage and wrapped it with minced meat and cheese béchamel sauce before baking it. The capunet is served with a garlic and anchovy emulsion. The roll yields at the cut of a fork, oozing with soft juiciness. Sweet cabbage with savory filling and a creamy goodness, the aroma of this dish is very tantalizing. I adored the garlic and anchony emulsion, strangely subtle and moreish.

Our next course was a Croatian Omelette playfully served in a can and a side of rocket salad on a wooden board. It was pretty great with the presentation as it plays on the Christmas mood of opening a present to see what’s inside.

The omelette flavors are delicate while the texture is delightful. Forking into the fluffy eggy omelette, I had also taste bits of bouncy octopus, fresh peas, fontal cheese and herbs. This course is really light, delicate and shows off the egg flavors to its max. Contrasting beautifully is the side rocket salad which was lightly dressed in a tangy dressing to lift up the flavors of the omelette.

The next course is the ultimate dish for me. I have never tasted gnocchi so light and fluffy that it simply melts upon contact on my tongue. Seirass Ricotta Gnocchi is out-of-this-world. Chef Riccardo uses a mixture of ricotta cheese and without any potato which is what most gnocchi are made of. The little thumb size pillows are so fluffy and cheesy. Cooked in a vegetable stock, the ricotta gnocchi is finished off in a buttery thyme sauce and herbs before being crowned with black potato, or more often known as black truffles. A truly comforting dish made so well that it takes indulgence to new heights with something so simple.

I simply cannot stop myself from polishing off this dish wholeheartedly. Salty, cheesy, creamy, buttery, aromatic and fluffy, I continuously raved about this dish to Chef Riccardo, hoping he may share his secret to this light ricotta gnocchi recipe with me.

Main course features two options with a robust Pork Tenderloin wrapped with Bacon or Pacific Se Bream.

The Pork Tenderloin was stuffed with terrine foie gras and wrapped with bacon before being baked. Dressed in marsala sauce and served with a luscious potato dauphinoise, the pork fillet dish is gorgeous. Tender and lean, the addition of bacon rendered a good note of flavors to the pork. The marsala wine sauce has great depth of flavors, adding more oomph to the meat. I could also see and taste rosemary and garlic in the dish. Dauphinoise potatoes completed the dish with its much welcomes creamy and cheesy flavors.

If you prefer fish or more delicate flavors, then Pacific Sea Bream with potato gratin, olives, fennel and basil accompanied by own broth will be just right for you. The white fish is light, sweet and flaky. A blanket of paper thin green and yellow zucchini slices protected the fish to retain its delicate texture. The fish is served in a basil emulsion with chargrilled fennel, basil and olives together with potato gratin.  The lots of herbs used in this dish are a great way to aromatize the dish without overpowering it. The dish is best eaten while its hot for maximum flavors.

Dessert was a gorgeous traditional Christmas sweet featuring Warm Panettone Gateau smothered in thick creamy anglaise sauce and chocolate. You get sweet soft gooey goodness at first bite. Soft fluffy and studded with bits of dried fruits, the gateau shouts Christmas in all ways. The dessert is quite heavy and rich so sharing it may actually be a great idea.

Coffee or Tea to end the meal.

My little one loves their pasta and he got a complimentary Carbonara Pasta that was so good, we ended up stealing this a little from him.

It is an amazing modern European festive set dinner menu that you won’t want to miss. Value for that price, it certainly takes one to another world of gastronomical dining experience right in the heart of the city for the festive holidays!

For New Year’s Eve Celebration, Chef Ferrarotti has designed an elegant 5-course dinner, priced at RM168++ with a glass of bubbly upon arrival. Start the dinner with a Tapas Platter of Shallots stuffed with venison, Octopus Bite as well as Iberico and Tomato. Second Course; Veal Muse in Catalan Style with Warm Crunchy Music Bread. Enjoy the third course of Risotto with Barolo Wine and Foie Gras, follow by Main Course of Cotechino Sausage with stewed lentil and lard or end with Chef’s fish choice that will give a taste of freshest seasonal seafood. To complete the holiday meal, enjoy the Warm Panettone Gateau. What’s more, sit back and relax and enjoy yourself with the Acoustic Jazz Performance exclusively arranged on these special days!

For reservations or enquiries, please call 03- 2181 2426 or email info@meditecawinetapas.com

MEDITECA

Lot 163, Fraser Place,

Jalan Perak,

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603 2181 2426

Fax: +603 2161 1106

Facebook: facebook.com/mediteca.kl

Website: www.meditecawinetapas.com

GPS: 3.154271,101.709364

Business Hours: Monday to Saturday 11.30am till late