Originally form Sardinia, Chef Dominico Piras brings a new dimension to this traditional Italian restaurant. Boasting 30 years of culinary experience, Chef Dominico Piras loves challenging himself in the kitchen by creating inventive dishes from available ingredients. He takes pride in his cooking and believe in slow dining so that guests can savour the flavours of his dishes and appreciate the nuances in each course along with the company of friends or family around the table.
The menu at Favola follows the Italian tradition of never only having just one plate at a meal, offering selections for antipasti, primi, pasta, secondi, and dolci. We suggest that you come in a group and order your plates to share in that order to be able to try more dishes as you go along. After all, you wouldn’t want to miss out on the intriguing variety of flavours offered in the newly curated menu.
Our meal at Favola began with the Maguro 1st Grade Tuna Tartare, the Salmon and Sea Bass Carpaccio, and the Air-dried Beef Bresaola to share. Beautifully stacked on a salad of watermelon, cantaloupe, taggiasca olives and mint leaves, the Maguro 1st Grade Tuna Tartare offered a sweet and refreshing flavour reminiscent of summer that was a perfect palate cleanser to begin the meal with, while the colourful plate of Salmon and Sea Bass Carpaccio had a nice mixture of different flavours and textures in each bite. Our favourite antipasti, however, was the Air-dried Beef Bresaola that was wrapped around a cantaloupe melon and served with a homemade figs compote and creamy burrata cheese that offered different dimensions of flavour with every bite.
After our antipasti course, we tried the chef’s personal favourite dish to prepare, the Porcini Mushroom Risotto. Just a bite of the pan-seared duck foie gras with a spoonful of risotto is enough to prove that Chef Piras has mastered this difficult dish. Traditionally a creamy dish, it was quite surprising that the chef has chosen to pair it with foie gras, but every bite of this dish will keep you scooping for more and wishing that this delectable goodness will not come to an end. The pasta dishes that we tried, the Maccheroni and the Classic Gragnano Orecchiette, were also fairly impressive. If it was a choice between the two, we would recommend the orecchiette as it offers a slightly chewier ‘homemade’ texture that you will not get in other pastas.
According to Chef Piras, if there is one dish that every diner must try when they visit Favola, it has to be the Sardinian Mixed Seafood ‘Pingiagegga’ and Fregula, which is a nod to the chef’s Sardinian roots. Fragula is a type of pasta from Sardinia that has a similar texture to Isreali couscous and its addition to this dish gives this seafood stew a nice textural balance, while not being overwhelmingly starchy. Cooked in a claypot that is not opened until the dish is served, the seafood in this stew remains fresh and succulent, the way nature intended it to be.
We ended the meal with a Tiramisu — the chef assures that we will not taste a tiramisu similar to this in all of Malaysia — that proves that looks can be deceiving. Visually, the cup of tiramisu looked really dense while the chocolate powder on top seemed slightly heavy-handed, but our minds were immediately changed when took a bite of it. The cream was surprisingly light and the slim layer of cake at the bottom of the cup was so thoroughly soaked in coffee that it permeated the cream, perfectly balancing the sweetness of the cream with the bitterness of coffee.
Speaking to Chef Piras, we could sense a great pride and joy in his Sardinian roots, which are certainly reflected in his cuisine. His vibrant and playful personality can also be seen in the many colours and unique arrangement of each dish. For a quiet evening with your closest companions over good Italian food and wine, Favola is definitely worth considering.
Favola. Level 8, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, 2 Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470, Kuala Lumpur.
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