Garibaldi Italian Restaurant and Bar @ Bangsar Village

The day Garibaldi opened its doors to the public, it became immediately clear what Kuala Lumpur had been missing all these years: a warm, intimate ambiance, fabulous cuisine, and Chef-attended service. Garibaldi might have even launched a bit of a culinary metamorphosis in Kuala Lumpur, and in my humble opinion, it remains one of the best Italian restaurants in this city.

Yes, indeed, Garibaldi is on my list of top 5 Italian restaurants to dine at, in Kuala Lumpur. We like the mood, the food, the well informed staff and the appropriate prices, but so do legions of tuned-in KL-lites. I have never been disappointed each time I visit this establishment and so, Garibaldi has become a place I have no qualms in bringing my clients, friends or family members to.

black truffle promotion at Garibaldi

This time round, we visit Garibaldi for its Black truffle promotion. The black truffle of Périgord, the cynosure of every foodie’s dreams, is about to yield its most intimate secrets to us, and we are totally psyched!

amuse bouche

After a quick look at the menu, the waiter recommends all the “Specials” (on Specials Tuesday) which we happily agree to order, and soon, the amuse bouche of quails egg and potato salad make an appearance.

wild golden trout caviar 100gm, with chopped red onion, parsley, sieved hard-boiled egg, sour cream, truffle butter and blinis

Wildly delicious, wild golden trout caviar sat in a deceptively small glistening heap on a platter. Supremely addictive. The blini are small, yeast-leavened, buckwheat pancakes that originally come from Russia. Classically they are served with sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon, and these ones went perfectly with our plump, trout caviar. Be careful you do not fill yourself prematurely with blini and the truffle butter. I was guilty of slathering it on thick, but I had to stop myself, ah.. not too fast, I tell myself, and not before the good stuff arrives.

Baby Spinach with Orange Segments, Cheese, Cherry Tomato and Walnut Salad

Green Asparagus Cream with Poached Quail Egg

Sous Chef Andrea Genio weights out the black truffles to precision, before shaving it on to the dish before him

I always wonder how such an ugly thing, can have so much sexuality attached to it. You see, truffles are the fruit of fungi that infect the roots of certain trees, but they are of keen interest to pigs, particularly sows, because some secrete androstenol, a hormone produced by boars before mating. People who use sows to hunt for truffles often find it hard to prevent a sex-crazed animal from eating the truffle it has found and may lose fingers in the attempt to stop it.

Ugly yet sexy. If only life were that easy.

Warm Ox Tongue on Chickpeas Mousse, White Asparagus and Black Truffle Pregiato

I’ve never fancied myself an expert, just by eating truffles, but here’s what else I learnt.. (from a rather smart and sexy Italian lady).

Nestled underground in the roots of its oak tree host, the truffle fungus has a set of genes for detecting light. These are either to help it avoid sunlight and stay safely beneath the earth, or to help it sense the passage of the seasons. It has another set of genes for exchanging nutrients with its host. The fungus earns its keep, providing more food for the oak than the tree’s roots can obtain alone. Truffle-infected trees can often be recognized because a patch of bare earth develops around the trunk. Anyway, the “black truffle” or “black Périgord truffle” (Tuber melanosporum) is named after the Périgord region in France and the white truffle (even more sought after than the black) or “Alba madonna” (Tuber magnatum) comes from the Piedmont region in northern Italy and, most famously, in the countryside around the city of Alba.

Wow, I might not have known these cool facts before, about that black fungus, but I sure know how to appreciate its taste.

Ox Tongue and Black truffles.. AND white asparagus.. does it get any better than this?

The ones served at Garibaldi are lush, with an earthy, pungent perfume, that is hard to describe.

White Asparagus with Poached Egg and Black Truffle Pregiato

We try different ways of consuming these lovely black shavings of truffles, and I must say, I like them all!

Scaloppine – Veal Scaloppini with Porcini Mushrooms Truffle Sauce

Even a soft, and succulent veal could not detract from the beauty of the black truffle. It was a great journey that ended all too quickly. I was sorry to reach my journey’s end.

Special baked Cod Fish, in Mediterranean style..

Fish is another big deal with me. I love it. More than chicken or beef actually. Here at Garibaldi, the fish surpasses my expectations. This one is a must order for all you fish lovers out there. Baked Cod which is ever so lightly flavoured by the ingredients it’s baked with. The essence and flavour of Cod really shines through. I love this dish.

A special transparent foil that is heat resistant and fire resistant is employed to keep the flavours in, whilst cooking the cod fish. The resulting broth is brilliant! Never had a better fish than this.

Pan fried Sea Bream .. another great fish. Garibaldi is truly the place to go for great pasta, and fish dishes

Pappardelle with wild venison ragu

Rustic and meaty.. this was hard to put down till every last chewy ragu was devoured.

chestnut gnocchi with hazelnut butter & liquor-cooked grapes

This was another big highlight at our table. All my colleagues were oo-ing and ah-ing at the addictive texture of the gnocchi and the creamy buttery hazelnut sauce it came in. Wow… I fear my heart cannot take the richness of this dish. If you guessed that I might have run it off that evening, you guessed right.

The one of the coolest Chefs I know.. Executive Chef Giuliano Berta is always free for a chat! I love this guy’s smile:)

Here is Chef Giuliano Berta explaining why we should order the Chinese New Year special dessert. He describes it so well, we decide to order it.

Torta di Mele – Garibaldi`s Apple Pie with Vanilla Gelato

Tiramisu’ – Garibaldi `s Signature Tiramisu

Pannacotta – Bourbon Vanilla Pannacotta with Marinated Strawberries in Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Chinese New Year, special dessert employing chocolate, dragon fruit, mandarin orange segments and cream

Alcoholic Zabaglione with berries

The food at Garibaldi is great. This new month sees a new menu, and I’m definitely heading there for my Italian fix again soon. Garibaldi is best experienced at lunch, or just before the dinnertime hordes elbow in. Sitting here and chatting with my colleagues, I must admit that life does not get much better than this.

[Olympus logo]