Fuzio Bar & Ristorante, Jalan Berangan

WL & I craved for a fantastic dinner for Valentine's Day but no wanting burn a hole in the pocket. All thanks to Groupon, he bought a voucher to dine at Fuzio Bar & Ristorante at Jalan Berangan, KL. It wasn't all that pretty driving to KL especially on a rainy Friday evening because we didn't want to get caught with a busy crowd on the actual day.

The restaurant was peaceful when we arrive even though there were a few tables occupied. Me likey! As soon as we took our seats, the waitress served us focaccia & started taking our orders. A romantic dinner ain't complete without a glass of wine. So, we ordered white wine because it is less strong for a lousy drinker like me. We were really hungry & quickly asked for our soup to be served quickly.

The soup was rich in flavour & came with good amount of seafood. This delicious soup kickstarted our appetite for the night.

Our first main is linguine seafood cooked in white wine sauce. Indeed using white wine in cooking really helps to elevate the flavour, brings balance & the right amount of acidity to any dish. Particularly in this pasta dish, the white wine blocked away the "fishy" odour or taste that we would expect from sea produce. No doubt the seafood was fresh but the hint of alcohol brought about an enjoyable eating experience.

WL was raving about the chicken skewer he had at the restaurant previously & ordered for me to try. I was pleasantly surprised how juicy & tender the chicken was even after being cooked on a hot grill. It's officially my favourite dish of this restaurant.

The next main is a funghi pizza - a combination of tomato sauce, mozzarella, button mushroom & oregano. I always have a thing for Italian pizza & this dish was spot on. Crust was thin & crispy, button mushroom was succulent. A simple pizza, yet delectable.

It wasn't WL's first time dining at Fuzio & so he insisted that I should try the more expensive dish. I let him decide our last dish. Surely he has impeccable taste, for he asked for baked cod fish. One bite & all I could blurt out was the word, WOW. This masterpiece was a concoction of flavours created with teriyaki sauce, chickpea & young papaya salad. Even more surprising was the mashed chickpea being more addictive than the fish itself. Simply brilliant!

I would definitely visit Fuzio again in the future. For a normal dine-in, it is an expensive affair. For special occasions, I would highly recommend this restaurant for it's worth every dollar spent on pampering your tummy. Rating 4.7 out of 5. Just beware of jockeys who help park your cars. They stole coins from WL's car.

Address:

29, Jalan Berangan

50200 Kuala Lumpur.

Contact:

03-2110 0303

Opening Hours:

Mondays to Sundays 5:00pm - 1:00am

One year feels like eternity

Wow, I just realised that my 1 year work anniversary came about on Saturday. Working in my position felt like it's been forever. Monotonous, last minute, nonsensical, idiocy, restrained, lack of boldness, confusion...STUCK. These were the concoction of feelings that haunted me since last year until now.

It's no wonder that getting up from bed & dragging my feet to work is becoming more daunting lately. I felt demotivated as soon as I stepped into my cubicle. If only I could refused to dwell in this environment so full of stupidity that makes me dumber each day. I do not expect to downgrade myself again. Not now, not ever.

I wish I could just tender my resignation immediately. Right here, right now. And go on pursuing my dream. But the current wage pays the bills & I'm in need of a solid capital for startup. I'll be patient & start my preparation secretly. When the right time has come, I'll leave in style. Meanwhile, keep showering the good prayers for a decently smooth year ahead. Also, can someone enlighten me how to deal with the idiots plagued with an island syndrome?

Franco, 1 Utama

Some time ago, there was a restaurant called Miam Miam at 1 Utama which serves mainly western cuisine. For whatever reason it may be, it was re-branded to Franco recently. A French-Japanese fine casual-dining restaurant. Sounds fancy, isn't it?

WL & I finally stepped foot into the restaurant to give it a try after passing by the entrance several times. We weren't very hungry so we kept away from being greedy & only settled for 2 pasta mains & 2 drinks.

First off, we had one of Franco's signature dish - the pork ham with olive oil pasta. Since Franco fuses both French & Japanese style, it's not surprising to see a poached egg then drizzled with roasted sesame. Though the portion was quite small for a price of RM20+, we were quite fond of the taste & texture.

The next dish is squid ink pasta but we were disappointed by the poor food presentation. Knowingly the pasta was blackened with squid ink, it seemed to me the chef made little effort to add some contrast to the already dull-looking dish. Not that the few miserable slices of cherry tomatoes helped. True enough, visual doesn't lie. This pasta didn't fare too well on our taste buds. It smelled & tasted too fishy at first bite, as if the squid wasn't quite fresh.

The drinks we ordered were pretty good. I opted for hot green tea while WL chose a funky drink as usual - a fruity concoction. My green tea may be ordinary but I liked that it tasted real, not at all diluted nor artificial. WL's fruity concoction (I couldn't recall the exact name) was one-of-a-kind which tickled my fancy too.

My only complaint was the small portion they served for an average price of RM20+ & above. And I supposed not all of their dishes are as delicious. You just need to pick the right one & usually the chef's recommendation would be the safest. Do note that their waiting staffs are not really friendly bunch & I had a glimpse of one of them sulking when our food took too long to arrive. Not too sure if other outlets have similar predicament. Rating 3.8 out of 5.

Address:

Lot 146, G Floor (Old Wing)

1 Utama Shopping Centre

48200 Petaling Jaya

Selangor.

Contact:

03-7731 8923

Opening Hours:

Mondays to Sundays 10:00am - 10:00pm