A Sandra Knuyt painting looks down on the antipasto and dessert buffet.
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — I was early for lunch at Nerovivo in Kuala Lumpur, and watched as they laid out the antipasto and dessert buffet, under the fierce expressive eyes of a black woman with a cigar dangling from her mouth. It’s a Sandra Knuyt painting, and you will find several of these in this restaurant within a bungalow. They are all about women, sassy and strong, with “a punch of rebel and a touch of drama,” said the Belgian modern artist in her website. It’s mostly informal dining at Nerovivo, with no starched white tablecloths. On the antipasto buffet when I was there, were Veal Carpaccio with Tuna Sauce, Black Clams with Garlic, bruschetta, Octopus Carpaccio with Lemon Dressing, Frittata (Italian omelette) with asparagus and parmesan cheese, Caesar’s Salad, Buffalo Mozzarella with Tomato, Calamari and Zucchini fritters, lots of grilled vegetables in olive oil, among several other dishes.
The scrumptious Beef Bresaola. You have the pick of these, and the desserts for just RM34++, which is a steal for a light and satisfying lunch. However, add RM20 and you can choose a hot main course, such as the Ravioli with Clam Jus, Beef Medallion with Taleggio Cheese, asparagus and gomalata herbs, Seared Red Snapper with salad and tomato sauce, or Pizza Four Seasons.
Seared scallop wrapped in Belgian endives, green pea puree and lentil quenelle.You end with coffee and tea, and of course dessert from the buffet. This set menu is changed every day as there are regulars who come practically every day from Monday to Friday for the lunch. I’m definitely coming back for this. The restaurant is closed at lunchtime on Saturday; there’s also a buffet lunch on Sunday. But I was there to taste chef Riccardo Ferraroti’s dishes from the a la carte menu. First it was the Cured Beef Bresaola with Watercress, with marinated grilled peach and yoghurt sauce. Bresaola is beef cured with spices and salt and air-dried for several months in the Alpine air of Valtellina in Lombardia, north Italy. The chef himself comes from Biella, Piemonte in the north west and naturally his food reflects this. The large curls of paper thin beef that’s the Bresaola were circled with grilled peach slices that were both sweet and tart and were perfect with the beef which was topped with thin Parmesan slices. Sweet, tart and salty came together in the dressing for the salad that also had arugula and watercress. So you would taste the beef with the sweet fruit, the cheese or on its own, appreciating its flavour and texture. The warm starter of Seared Scallops wrapped in Belgian Endives, green pea puree and lentil quenelle offered luscious bites of the lightly-cooked scallops wrapped with a thin slice of endive. They sat on green pea puree, with a colourful dash of beetroot puree on the platter. The small dark lentils in a spoon by the side are sweet, and complement the sweet and sour endive round the plump scallops.
Chef Riccardo in front of his favourite “Blondie” painting. Cappelletti is little pasta hats usually filled with meat from Modena, north Italy. The Cappelletti, stuffed with Rabbit Ragout, Leek Confit and Parsley in a Piemontese sauce, had a wonderful aroma as it was brought to the table. It turned out to be incredibly good. The delicate cappelletti were smooth bites, the ragout so delicate that you’d didn’t think it was rabbit. A parmesan foam over the zesty, tomato-based sauce on the cappelletti brought everything exquisitely together. In an Italian meal, pasta is still a starter: the cappelletti was just perfectly light. You would have to share the Osso Bucco alla Milanese, served with risotto and rosemary tempura. Osso bucco is that large piece of marrow in the veal shank bone. You could pick out the marrow from the bone after eating the meat. It’s a classic Italian dish where the veal on the bone has been braised for hours with herbs, tomatoes, carrot, celery and onion, resulting in a dark flavourful gravy covering the tender meat. I threw caution to the winds with the delicious, creamy, cheesy and al dente risotto. To top it all generously were thin pieces of black summer truffle, which comes from Piemonte, which is famous for it. The truffles grow next to the pine trees in this beautiful part of the country.
Cappelletti stuffed with rabbit ragout, leek confit and parsley is a must-try.Riccardo does a truffle oil with these. He heats olive oil to 60 degrees C and leaves the truffle in for 24 hours. He lets me breathe in the heavenly aromas of this oil. I would love to have this on some plain pasta. Tiramisu was served in a glass jar on a piece of wood he had got from his pizza oven! Scattered roasted almond flakes, strawberries and blackberries on the wood, had this looking like a piece of art. The tiramisu had all the requisite flavours, and heavenly creaminess. It’s an extensive menu at Nerovivo, especially in the pastas, fish and seafood, meat and poultry and pizzas from its wood-fired oven. It’s also pork-free. Other striking main courses include Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek with cannellini beans and smoked streaky beef bacon, Layered Duck Breast with mustard grains, beetroot puree and snow peas, Seared Tenderloin with glazed apple foie gras and turned potoes, and Slow-cooked Rump of Lamb served with potato and fennel gratin. Nerovivo is located at 3A Jalan Ceylon, 50200 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2070 3120.
The scrumptious Beef Bresaola. You have the pick of these, and the desserts for just RM34++, which is a steal for a light and satisfying lunch. However, add RM20 and you can choose a hot main course, such as the Ravioli with Clam Jus, Beef Medallion with Taleggio Cheese, asparagus and gomalata herbs, Seared Red Snapper with salad and tomato sauce, or Pizza Four Seasons.
Seared scallop wrapped in Belgian endives, green pea puree and lentil quenelle.You end with coffee and tea, and of course dessert from the buffet. This set menu is changed every day as there are regulars who come practically every day from Monday to Friday for the lunch. I’m definitely coming back for this. The restaurant is closed at lunchtime on Saturday; there’s also a buffet lunch on Sunday. But I was there to taste chef Riccardo Ferraroti’s dishes from the a la carte menu. First it was the Cured Beef Bresaola with Watercress, with marinated grilled peach and yoghurt sauce. Bresaola is beef cured with spices and salt and air-dried for several months in the Alpine air of Valtellina in Lombardia, north Italy. The chef himself comes from Biella, Piemonte in the north west and naturally his food reflects this. The large curls of paper thin beef that’s the Bresaola were circled with grilled peach slices that were both sweet and tart and were perfect with the beef which was topped with thin Parmesan slices. Sweet, tart and salty came together in the dressing for the salad that also had arugula and watercress. So you would taste the beef with the sweet fruit, the cheese or on its own, appreciating its flavour and texture. The warm starter of Seared Scallops wrapped in Belgian Endives, green pea puree and lentil quenelle offered luscious bites of the lightly-cooked scallops wrapped with a thin slice of endive. They sat on green pea puree, with a colourful dash of beetroot puree on the platter. The small dark lentils in a spoon by the side are sweet, and complement the sweet and sour endive round the plump scallops.
Chef Riccardo in front of his favourite “Blondie” painting. Cappelletti is little pasta hats usually filled with meat from Modena, north Italy. The Cappelletti, stuffed with Rabbit Ragout, Leek Confit and Parsley in a Piemontese sauce, had a wonderful aroma as it was brought to the table. It turned out to be incredibly good. The delicate cappelletti were smooth bites, the ragout so delicate that you’d didn’t think it was rabbit. A parmesan foam over the zesty, tomato-based sauce on the cappelletti brought everything exquisitely together. In an Italian meal, pasta is still a starter: the cappelletti was just perfectly light. You would have to share the Osso Bucco alla Milanese, served with risotto and rosemary tempura. Osso bucco is that large piece of marrow in the veal shank bone. You could pick out the marrow from the bone after eating the meat. It’s a classic Italian dish where the veal on the bone has been braised for hours with herbs, tomatoes, carrot, celery and onion, resulting in a dark flavourful gravy covering the tender meat. I threw caution to the winds with the delicious, creamy, cheesy and al dente risotto. To top it all generously were thin pieces of black summer truffle, which comes from Piemonte, which is famous for it. The truffles grow next to the pine trees in this beautiful part of the country.
Cappelletti stuffed with rabbit ragout, leek confit and parsley is a must-try.Riccardo does a truffle oil with these. He heats olive oil to 60 degrees C and leaves the truffle in for 24 hours. He lets me breathe in the heavenly aromas of this oil. I would love to have this on some plain pasta. Tiramisu was served in a glass jar on a piece of wood he had got from his pizza oven! Scattered roasted almond flakes, strawberries and blackberries on the wood, had this looking like a piece of art. The tiramisu had all the requisite flavours, and heavenly creaminess. It’s an extensive menu at Nerovivo, especially in the pastas, fish and seafood, meat and poultry and pizzas from its wood-fired oven. It’s also pork-free. Other striking main courses include Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek with cannellini beans and smoked streaky beef bacon, Layered Duck Breast with mustard grains, beetroot puree and snow peas, Seared Tenderloin with glazed apple foie gras and turned potoes, and Slow-cooked Rump of Lamb served with potato and fennel gratin. Nerovivo is located at 3A Jalan Ceylon, 50200 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2070 3120.
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