Favola, Le Meridien – Antipasti Buffet at RM35++!!

My previous visit to Favola for dinner was barely a week ago.

And I’m back this week for their antipasti lunch buffet, which says a lot about what I feel in regards to the quality, portioning, taste & value of the food here.

The assortment of antipasti was richly varied, and a main might not even be necessary if you are opting for a light lunch.

But for a heavy LUNCH eater like me, I thought an additional pasta or pizza might have to do …

till I saw this…

Oh baby!! All that for me???

LOL. No, of course it’s not only for me. But it could have been; for there were only a number of tables occupied throughout the lunch hours of 12 to 2pm, & most diners opted for ala-carte.

So I had serious fun at the buffet, literally polishing some serving bowls clean; like for example the WONDERFUL seafood salad below, with its springy prawns, bouncy squids & meaty scallops (that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like prawns under normal circumstances) .

The mushrooms tossed in olive oil topped with parmesan shavings & rocket were superb! So marvelously juicy & sweet! Even the grilled vegetables; (zuchini, capsicums, chilli & carrots) were nicely charred & drizzled with gourmet olive oil.

And I learned that these little cut (triangular or rectangular) sandwiches are called tramezzini in Italy. For lack of a better description, they are crustless tea sandwiches. Except, Italians do not have them with tea, but with wine.

Lastly, in the collage below, is the stuffed loaf. It looked wonderful, packed full of ingredients but was actually just tomatoes, capsicums & a load of other vegetables which was nice, but do skip if you are hard up for precious stomach space.

My favourites are of course, the BREADS. If you are a bread lover like me, it is a futile attempt to try stopping at one slice.
Each loaf is remarkably fragrant with its crusty outer layer & soft chewy centres. There is an assortment of dips & spreads for you to flavour your breads if you so wish.

Italians are so healthy. I mean, other than the cheese, cheese & more cheese and yeah, wines, they do eat a lot of vegetables. (Anyone been to Italy? Do they eat like this everyday??)

I do not know where Favola got their supplies of tomatoes, which is so freaking JUICY it makes me almost comtemplating asking the Chef for the supplier’s name.
The feta cheese stuffed tomatoes (I thought it was blue cheese at first) was very pungent, so be warned.
Melanzane alla Parmigiana; baked layered eggplant, zucchini & parmesan cheese with tomato sauce & basil is worth at least a bite for taste.

I love quiches & this was one of the first few appetisers I grabbed off the spread.
Turned out it is an Yorkshire-pudding inspired creation, stuffed with potatoes, eggplant, onions, grapes & GREEN APPLES.
Some onions inside lends a hint of pungency while the sweet tartness of the apple makes this an interesting mouthful. I truly like this.

This innovation fat bag of a ravioli was sitting pretty in its little pool of tangy bleeding-with – absolute-flavour sauce.
I slashed open the bag, to find a TOO THICK skin encasing some delicious innards. Needless to say, I didn’t quite fancy the skin but I did suck the insides dry

And then we have these jars & jars of pickles.
Clockwise from top left; we’ve got sun dried tomatoes, pearl barley (big shallot), mixed olives,
gherkins, garlic, & shallots.
No comment on these since pickles ain’t my thing & I didn’t try them.

All of the above is a lot for RM40.25 right?

BUT there’s more below!

The octopus, crunchy to the bite & chewy for the finish. Very nice!
Feta in oil.
Mozzarella buffalo cheese balls bathed in olive oil & capsicums. It was bland, milky, & provided a very firm meaty bite.
Capsicum & olive oil Salad.
Fresh vegetables with dressing.
Light potato salad.
Chestnut & Artichoke salad. Oh my! All that artichokes!

Ok, this is just a picture I accidentally left out from the collage

Not as much choices but I have heard good reviews about Favola’s desserts so maybe I will give it a try one day.

ps: They got this huge jar of parmesan cheese!

Note:
Favola’s Antipasti buffet @RM35++ is only available NOON, 12-2pm SUN to FRI.
On Saturdays, Favola is open for dinner only.
Dessert buffet : Likewise as above.

Based on the selections available, this is value for money! Food is fresh, ingredients are of top quality & each dish is skillfully prepared.

I was there from 1230pm to 2, & noted that there were no refills of the antipasti if it was finished. I’m inclined to think that was because there wasn’t much diners for the buffet spread & hence there wasn’t a need for a refill.

The array of antipasti was supposed to be both Hot & Cold (according to one of the waitress) but even at 1230pm, every dish was cold.
However, they all tasted fine to me.

Favola, Le Meridien (8th floor)

2 Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Malaysia

Contact: + 603 – 2263 7888

http://www.lemeridiendining.com.my/

hotel, italian, Le Meridien Hotel, Restaurant