Up for something different? Maybe Cava would be the next stop for you. Cava, located in Bangsar, one of those many classy upper class restaurant which serves delicacies in tiny portion at a price that is sufficient to make your wallet bleed in pain. Perhaps Cava isn't that bad in terms of pricing, it is just slightly higher average in terms of price with a not too bad serving.
Located in Jalan Telawi, it is on the same row as Leonardo and Opus. The downside would be the parking and when it rains, it is a disaster without shelter for parking. Been there, done that, I was literally soaked. Entering the dimly lit restaurant, you will get a sense of coziness. With empty wine bottles decorating the walls while a bar lingers on the right makes the whole atmosphere more homely. There weren't many tables, so we usually make reservations before hand.
The honeydew juice was a tad too dilute to my liking. For the price they were charging, I expected more. We had wine, but we brought it ourselves. They charged a corkage of RM 60++.
Complimentary potato wedges and baguettes were served as an appetizer as you browse through the menu. There is not much to say about the appetizer but it does well to keep your tummy occupy while waiting for the chef to cook up a storm.
Mushroom soup to begin our dinner. It is rich and creamy in texture with a rich amount of mushroom bits and olive. I'm never a fan of olive though. The warm soup was a heavy dish for one's stomach - with all the creaminess, you will be full before your main course arrives. The bread is toasted with garlic spread to perfection, dipping it in the soup and for that soft crunch - what you get is double dosage of sinful bites.
Spanish food is nothing without some tapas - basically tapas are small plates/bowls of delicacies put together, pretty much like an appetizer in this case. I am a fan of mushroom, so when you give me portobello mushroom, I've no complains. Haha. This is the portobello mushroom tapas - basically sauteed portobello with tomato, herbs and walnuts. Taste wise? Simple mushroom sauteed can't really go wrong.
The lamb bourgette tapas is actually quite delicious and to be known as one of their specialties other than their beef tapas. The lamb was so well cooked and tender that each bites oozes the juices absorbed during their time in the pot. The richness of the sauce made the lamb even more delicious and we were left wanting for more of those tapas. I would definitely recommend it as a must try.
This was my first experience having escargot. The escargot was served with a creamy sauce overloaded with cheese and the result? Blissful haven. I understand not everyone can swallow a snail, neither can I, the idea of it can be pretty disturbing. However, I'm always opened to exotic food and this is one I would never regret. The escargot was well cooked to perfection - tender and soft, it doesn't taste like a gushy mush.
The rich cheese based sauce in fact made it more delicious and bearable as you can rarely feel the escargot. A badly prepared escargot can scar you for life though. This is quite a good plate for a first timer like me and it does especially well with baguettes. The baguettes served another purpose, use it to wipe up remaining sauces - the sauce is definitely a killer.
I apologize for the badly angled picture - I felt a little rude snapping photos in a fully occupied classy restaurant. Haha. This is the Garlician Code served with sides of roasted vegetables. The cod was cooked decently, not overcooked for sure. Their sauce was a rich thick creamy sauce which I felt overpowered the cod fish. Their roasted vegetables were alright except for the presence of some nasty tasting radish, well I am not a fan of radish. I think it was radish because it looked and tasted like one.
Their Agio Olio has nothing much to rave about it. Toasted with olive oil, herbs and some seafood, it was just average tasting in my opinion. I guess the Spanish isn't very popular for their pasta either. The spaghetti was cooked al dente though. I must give credit for that. It was quite flavorful too, so if you want to avoid meat, spaghetti can be a safe bet.
I had the lamb shank as it was claimed to be one of their specialty. However, the lamb itself was quite tough and I had a hard time chewing it, even my brother gave up chewing it and swallow it. It was way too rubbery which sometimes could signify it being overcooked. It was served with radish (the purple vegetable if I am not mistaken), walnuts and a dash of herbs. The lamb shank doesn't have much sauce, except for some decorative reduction based sauce which I think was peppermint. The lamb shank was disappointing and that purple vegetable wasn't a good match at all. I dreaded it.
Chicken with tomato puree served with a sides of mashed potato with cheese. First of all, it tasted average, second of all, I don't think one should ever order this type of dish in a Spanish restaurant. The chicken was well cooked and tender, kudos to that. The tomato puree was fine but I find that tomato puree with chicken sometimes don't complement each other very well. The mashed potato with cheese was good and delicious though, apart from that, nothing really stands out from this dish.
Tada, highlight of the night. Seafood Paella. This is totally Spanish! and it doesn't disappoint at all. It is served in a pan, hot and steaming straight out from the kitchen. The heat of the pan kept the rice warm at all time. The rice was well seasoned and rich in flavor. As the longer the rice is left in the pot, the more it sticks to the base, however, that is one of the delicious part as it was a little more crunchy and stronger in flavor. I can't comment much on the seafood, they were cooked in a simple fashion to highlight the paella itself. In Asia, Paella is just exactly like the claypot rice you get in chinese shops.
But when you're in a Spanish restaurant, their paellas are definitely something to lookout for, apart from tapas.
I'm always out searching for a good chocolate lava cake and Cava's chocolate lava cake really do meet my standard. I make good chocolate lava cake, yes I am self praising but I do have people to back me up on that case. Haha. In this case, Cava's lava cake is nothing short of mine. It has rich thick gooey chocolate texture when sliced through. See the white puddle surrounding the chocolate, it is melted ice cream if I am not mistaken. So a combination of rich chocolaty cake with a spoonful of melted ice cream as companion - it is god damn sexy sin.
I was tempted by their Spanish Creme Brulee, I have creme brulee half the time, but not the Spanish version. However, I was slightly disappointed with it. As much as it is smooth, creamy and rich, I've tried better ones. This is not great, but just alright. If you are craving for some silky hot dessert to finish off your meal, this fare just nice on the list.
I might be back someday to try their other specialty. I do recommend their paella, escargot and their chocolate lava cake. Those are the few must have, unless you aren't a fan of escargot. Haha. The rest were just average tasting. The atmosphere itself is pretty good, and if you need somewhere romantic and cosy, perhaps, Cava can be a good choice.
71, Jalan Bangkung,
59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Monday - Saturday : 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm - 12:00 am
Sunday : 6:00 pm - 12:00 am
-thevanillapudding-
Time for more escargot eating =) snails can be pretty awesome haha
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