CELEBRITY chef, TV host and cookbook author David Rocco took time off from his hectic schedule shooting his Dolce Southeast Asia series to spend an intimate evening with diners at Samplings On The 14th in Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
Rocco was bursting with enthusiasm about what he called an “amazing journey and experiences” travelling the length of the peninsula. “I feel such a deep connection with the people in Malaysia,” he declared.
All through dinner, Rocco visited each and every table to mingle with the diners and to answer all queries on the menu that he curated together with the Samplings kitchen team. As Rocco is Canadian-Italian, the menu is Italian-inspired, paired with wines from the same country.
The one-night only Gastronomic Journey With David Rocco started with canapes and cocktails (or fruit juices). Diners nibbled on tomato mushroom, creamy chicken and smoked duck as they mingled with Rocco who was most obliging to pose for selfies with a huge smile.
Samplings on the 14th offers a panoramic view of the city though customers can turn their sights on chefs at work in the glass panelled kitchen instead.
Dinner proper started with an Orange Fennel Salad punctuated with pomegranate seeds, paired with a crisp white Tedeshi – Soave DOC Veneto. The fennel, sliced and sautéed, was crunchy in texture and had an anise seed flavour. The slices of orange added a zesty, citrusy edge that toned down the otherwise harshness of the fennel.
Next on the menu was Lemon Basil Oil Risotto with Seared Tuna, paired with Castello Banfi, a lovely Pinot Grigio from Tuscany. Its light yet full bodied flavours were intensified by the aroma of the lemon basil oil. The soft risotto offered great contrast with the tender yet firm texture of the lightly seared tuna.
The palate refresher, Minted Lemon Tea with Cardamom Sorbet, was followed by a Grilled Lamb Rack with Pistachio Pesto. Here, timing was of the essence and the chefs had got it right, leaving the meat with a blushing pink centre. It came with sidekicks of Mashed Gorgonzola Potato, asparagus tips, sweet potato chips, sautéed zucchini on more pistachio pesto and minted jelly. The mashed potato with gorgonzola was cleverly sandwiched with slivers of panfried potato to provide more textural levels while the strong cheese was able to stand its ground against the flavour of lamb.
This main dish was paired with a plummy, full-bodied Pio Cesare – Barbera d’Alb DOC, from the Piedmont region in north-western Italy. It had complex flavours of tobacco, spice and ripe fruit.
For dessert, we were served Mango, Pomegranate Pana Cotta. The pana cotta was smooth, with strong flavours of mango but I’d have much preferred it without the tangy interference of pomegranate. On the side was a stick of chocolate with blackberry, blueberry and strawberry. With this, we sipped on a floral-fragranced red Tedeshi Capitel San Rocco.
