Kampungkayell

Food, life, and fun in my "kampung,"(village), KL (Kuala Lumpur). Did I mention "food?"


Cipolla (The Onion)

By Allan Yap & Nigel A. Skelchy

We were walking around Bangsar Baru trying to decide what to eat, when I get a missed call from a good friend, who's one of Kuala Lumpur's well known restauranteurs. All curious as to why he should call out of the blue, I call him back and Rudy picks up "eh, you walk right past me and don't even say hello." Think Italian lilt and twinkle in the eye. He tells us where he is and after going to Maybank to pull out some cash, we duck under some shades round the corner and bump into him sitting in the front of Cipolla, grinning at us.

"Hey guys, how you? What are you doing here? No weddings?"

Rudy is also the owner of Ciao's and Ciccio. And we work with him at Ciao's now and again creating dream weddings for people.

His food has always been straightforward Italian, unpretentious and it doesn't try to be something other than what it is.

IMG_3276.JPG
Rudy - He's the cutie in the middle
IMG_3278.JPG
Lovely, crusty bread with balsamic vinegar and Olive oil
IMG_3275.JPG

In the course of conversation, Rudy says "so what are you doing walking around here?" "Well" I hesitate "Allan and I are sort of..." "What?" says Rudy.

"Well, Allan and I are celebrating our 7th anniversary this year and we were looking for a place to have dinner." I blurt out, rather abashedly. "And we've found the perfect place to have dinner, since we've never had the opportunity to have dinner here." Rudy, being the sweet guy he is goes "hey guys, no need to feel obligated ya. But if you do decide to have dinner here, I'll give you a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate." We demured and offered to pay but he wasn't having any of it.

IMG_3279.JPG
We started with Fresh Mozarella on top of ripe tomatoes drizzled lightly with Olive oil and herbs. Fresh, lively, cool, Rudy is someone who believes in allowing good ingredients to show off. You could taste the tomatoes, the briney-ness of the mozarella, and the bright herbs shine through. It's truly a dish to whet your appetite.

IMG_3280.JPG
Caprese salad. Tuna chunks, avocado, crunchy green leafy vegetables. Light, fresh, sweet and salty tuna and the salt of the grated cheese combined to make a satisfying salad. Fibre never tasted this good.
IMG_3283.JPG
Rich, meaty, lamb, with a side of surprise. Couscous with mint folded in. The earthiness of the lamb contrasted gorgeously with a slightly tangy but rich sauce. And as a side dish, the couscous was a revelation. Nutty couscous combined with cool mint to give a twist to the Mint with Lamb idea.
IMG_3284.JPG
Beef Tenderloin with a balsamic reduction. There are 4 flavours and some say a fifth. Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and the fifth being umami. The bitterness of rucola, the rich sweetness of the beef combined with the tangy sweet balsamic reduction, made for heaven on a plate. Loved this at Medium rare. Shavings of parmesan punctuated the entire dish with bites of nutty, earthy salt.
IMG_3285.JPG
And to finish, orange vanilla creme brulee. Creamy, rich, yet ethereal. Cold creamy custard with the warm crusty crackle of sugar and just the right balance of sweetness. WITHOUT being too sweet. And yes, they do a range of great pizzas as well.

A Fantastic prelude to Hairspray, which by the way, is totally recommended as well!

Cippola Ristorante and Pizzeria
No. 4 Jalan Telawi 2, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
03-22872628

17 Comments

congrats! wow what a long time..and what a nice place to celebrate it @..nowadays u r just spoilt for choice rite?

yeah Joe, no kidding. And if you haven't, go see Hairspray! SOOOOO FUN! You'll leave with a big grin on your face.

congratulations alan & nigel!

Congratulations Allan & Nigel on your anniversary! Cheers and wishing you more to come!

babe :-) thanks so much

Emily ;-) thanks to you too and yes, looking fwd to more years to come :-)

Wat do you mean "cutie" in the middle? I see 3 cuties leh 0_o

Hi5 firehorse! I see 3 cuties too. Nigel & Allan, congrats! 7 years? Must have started in yort teen years.

firehorse; thanks babe :-)

tummy; waaaahhhh ok lah buy you dinner already ah. BOTH of you!

Anniversary and Hairspray. Sounds just about perfect!

Congrats again...Muacks! Hee hee...

Happy 7th! Yum, lovely post and definitely 3 cuties in your picture! xxx

Congrads and happy 7th anniversary!

savante; it was fantastic. :-)

wmw; thanks again dear :-)

msiagirl; aiyo thank you lah. ;-)

teckiee; thanks much dear :-)

Congrats to you guys! 7 years... that's a long journey :)

jason; thanks very much :-)

yeah congrats! definitely no 7year itch eh ;)

Post a Comment