Friday, August 21, 2009

Better with Age, La Risata, Medan Damansara

I remember my last meal at La Risata like it was yesterday, even though it must have been a good 6 or 7 years ago, when I could still touch my toes with my fingers standing straight. Aging can be such a pain in the ass.

But it is also aging 's derivate and friendlier concept of birthdays that provides us reason for us to pay La Risata a visit on the occasion of Hui's birthday, a day after her ceremonious touch-down from her soul-searching sojourn in India.

La Risata remains as humble and as laid back as ever, though I don't remember the neighbourhood being this lively. Birthday girl far right and Yolande rocks the straight hair.


While the early participants wait for Hui and the rest of the party, we gorge on warm crusty bread served with a zesty olive tapenade...

...and opened the first bottle of the gorgeous Borgo Tesis Pinot Grigio, highly recommended by the affable waitress Edna, who remained very accommodating throughout the evening.

The salads are a treat here. Niz & Fiz get their green fix with the Insalata Risata, starring ham, egg and black olives.

Birthday girl & Riz shares Insalata Di Rucola E Zucca, featuring roasted pumpkin & ricotta. Both give it the thumbs up.

La Parmigiana E Melanzane, cheesy baked aubergine concoction also gets the nod.

Fiza has the Brodetto Di Cozze E Vongole, clam and mussel tomato soup. She proclaims it Good. I press her for more adjectives and she says Very Good. I press some more and Niz cuts in with F***ing Good. Age has obviously not done wonders for HIS language. Nuff said.

Their Pizza Romano arrives early. Minimal toppings done good. Mozza, parmesan & anchovies never struck harmony like this.

Benji has the Fettucine Mare E Monti, scallop & mushrooms in cream sauce. He downs it quick, so it must have been agreeable. But he might also have been just really hungry from the run prior to dinner.

I have the Arragosta and ask to substitute Spaghetti with Penne. The lobster, garlic & chilli medley is delightful, at just the right notch of spice. The serving is huge and I am happy.

Mei Shean's Capellini Al Nero Con Frutti Di Mare, angel hair with plump prawns & squid and pasta al dente dressed with squid ink, steals the show.

Yolande's Pollo Farcito, however doesn't fare so well. The chicken breast is tough, the accompanying brown sauce is too salty, and the ricotta and spinach stuffing doesn't live up to its promise.

Late arrival Kat goes for the Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake with ice-cream. Not quite what it could've been.

After an extended farewell, a few of us proceed to Solace a few doors away for a nightcap. It's a perfectly serviceable pub and features a porky menu, which we will return to sample.

South Australian Oxford Landing's Sauvignon Blanc. Not quite as pleasant as the Pinot Grigio at La Risata, but the mood is set sensibly to merry so no one complains.

We kick back and smoke some Beedhis, Hui's little indigenous souvenir from India, along with some hilarious accounts of Delhi cab drivers and late-night narcotic mayhem. The pub starts closing a little before midnight, on account of the neighbourhood, and we make it home to bed at a decent hour, reinforcing the learning that moderation really is the key to happiness!

Welcome back Hui! May this be the start of another year of discoveries only possible with Age!

18 comments:

Big boys Oven said...

wow just a superb place to celebrate! wine looks awesome too! :) **wink***

Unknown said...

Ah... I would like to try the Capellini Al Nero Con Frutti Di Mare. Looks yummy!

J said...

Hmmmm... the last 2 times I went there the service was horrible. :(
(Waited very long for food, missed orders, etc)

Maybe I'm just unlucky?

allie said...

I want the cheesy baked aubergine !

ck lam said...

You have just added another restaurant to my KL makan list :)

Kenny Mah said...

I wanna smoke me some Beedhis too! :D

UnkaLeong said...

Thanks for jogging up my memory banks! Have not been there in ages ;)

Sean said...

i'd go just for the pumpkin salad! didn't realize that was on la risata's menu. it's been years for me too! even on that row, they tend to get overshadowed by vintry et al...

paramjot said...

Greetings,

I would like to introduce myself as Paramjot Singh Khalsa. I am a Marketing Manager at Chayo Café, a Vegetarian café and a Yoga studio located at 50-1 Kelana Mall Jalan SS6/14 Kelana Jaya, Selangor Malaysia.

I have been reading your article on your blog for a while and found that your article is really helpful for public to know what is going in the city and keeping them aware of the trends. I would like to humbly invite you to come and try our meal and experience our friendly and cozy environment in which we offer a nice and healthy herbal tea which is imported from USA and Netherland. We also serve an organic Coffee such as Chayo Spice, Chayo Thai (a wonderful combination of Coffee with coconut flavor). Apart from those drinks, we also have nice smoothies, shakers and not to forget our lovely snacks.

We have a variety of nice Northern Indian Lunch and dinner set and healthy western menu.



Please feel free to come and experience our hospitality,

You are reach me at 0196886559 or 03 7806 2675



Look forward hearing from you soon



Best Regards

Paramjot singh

Selba said...

Whoaaaa.. everything looks so good!

cariso said...

I was attracted by that angel hair pasta! It looks good!

Rebecca Saw said...

Me want tht Angel hair. No desserts here?

minchow said...

BBO, yes the wine was beautiful! Wouldn't mind a glass right now!

Food Paradise, the whole table was quite taken when the dish arrived! Everyone stared enviously... :-P

J, we were luckier I guess.. the place was packed to the brim on a Tue night and yet the service was really efficient!

Allie, hehe.. I actually thought the photo I took didn't do the dish enough justice. It's prettier in real life!

CK Lam, yes I've so many more places to explore, both in KL and in Penang!! So much to eat, so little time and space!

LFB, they are quite delightful!! Very very mild and none of that nasty manufactured aftertaste of tobacco! :-P

Unka, you're welcome! Took me a while to remember this too!

Sean, I was initially gunning for Vintry but had to consider some folks who don't do pork. It's been too long since Vintry too!

minchow said...

Paramjot, thanks for dropping by! Yr cafe sounds lovely! Will make it a point to visit! :-)

Selba, it was, it was! I think everyone was generally pleased with the meal, save for the chicken dish.

Cariso, Nomad Gourmand, I have a wee problem with angel hair though... too little bite to it! If I go back for this dish, I'm substituting the pasta with something chunkier! The only dessert order was the flourless choc cake, which wasn't all that great.

backStreetGluttons said...

happy hui must be quite satisfied with the f-good mix of fab f&b man & some ageing ( not aged :-), it can only get better ) women .

European cuisine has the ultimate saving grace of fine music and great liquids on hand, if by then they have still not risen to the occassion , so that is f-fail proof for a night to celebrate

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

i thought the food was ok..must b the spoilt taste buds from drinking then..haha

Julian Si said...

Hmmm... wonder if that imported "spiff" aka puff / smokes ... from India is LEGAL :-)

Kidding!

Great post ... I remember going there for lunch once, and I have an etched memory of the food being served on FOIL! :-) Cool!

Cheers from Abu Dhabi...

Jason Wong said...

I and Gill have been there twice and on both occasions we went off with a big smile on our face.