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.

antipasti buffet

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

till I saw this…

Favola antipasti6

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.

Favola antipasti9

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.

Favola antipasti8

The Carpaccio of angus beef, marinated with pistachio (that was what Chef Amir said), frozen & sliced just prior to serving was nicely presented on the buffet spread with pine nuts, pesto & figs. I enjoyed it very much & the same goes for Bresaola, the shaved dried beef.

Favola antipasti4

Then there was this intriguing jelly-like thing. The first thing that crossed my mind was it could be a terrine of some sort. Upon tasting its frutti essences (& being the pleb that I am), I couldn’t place nor identify what it was till Chef Amir explained that it was FIG JELLY! And why is the jelly presented with the raw meats?

Favola antipasti5

Done with the cold cuts, I moved on to these little cute fellas, where the one on the left below is self explanatory, followed by the interesting crab mousse with tomato & pesto and then the colourful (both visually & tastewise) red, yellow & green capsicum puree.
Seriously, isn’t this buffet such an interesting feast for both the eyes & tummy???

Favola antipasti

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.

Favola antipasti2

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.

Favola antipasti1

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 😉

Favola antipasti3

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.

Favola antipasti7

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!

Favola antipasti10

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

asparagus

So there you have it, what I ate for my Favola Antipasti noon buffet.

And below is the Favola DESSERT noon buffet.

dessert buffet

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!

parmesan jar

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/

This Post Has 33 Comments

  1. Life for Beginners

    Everyone's talking about Favola! Am I the only one in KL belum pegi? 😛

  2. Tummythoz

    Kira saya dua pun belum pergi.

    Oh my, do u really eat like this yet still look like u do??!!! I so hate u.

    Here's a to a Happier New Year!

  3. Bangsar-bAbE

    I must go!! I think the antipasti looks more interesting than the desserts. =P

  4. Yin

    LFB – I haven't gone there either so we can go together-gether 😀

  5. minchow

    This is one crazy awesome deal!! I'm not crazy about an entirely cold meal, but this one has to be an exception!

  6. ai wei

    omg! at this cheap???
    happy new year!

  7. Tummy Rumble

    Can u get 50% off with the starwood card? hahaha…

  8. Sean

    that's an amazing spread for that price! how to even imagine ordering a main course after sampling all that! but shhhhh, we probably shouldn't keep remarking that the price is so incredibly low; otherwise, they might naik harga, heheh!
    i bet the tomatoes are imported 😀

  9. Chong

    Hhmm.. Recommended?

    Was it packed when you were there?

  10. CUMI & CIKI

    i like this place!

  11. ~Christine~Leng

    Happy New Year gal!
    I haven't been to Favola too 🙁 mustgo!!

  12. Simon Seow

    Wow, RM 35 ++ really value for money.

  13. Allie

    That Parmesan cheese jar is so special leh! And all those breads are so inviting!!! RM 35++ is worth it!

  14. thenomadGourmand

    lfb: I'm sure u r not la ;p

    tummythoz: aiyo! a hate comment ;(
    Hehe.. I exercise mahh

    bangsar-babe: Tht's why i went straight for antipasti! ;p

    yin: go go! the more the merrier!

    minchow: yeah, i stuffed myself w loads of the warm bread, then went for the others!

    aiwei: yea man..thts why must quickly go!

    tummyrumble: Some of my friends asked too! Let me try ask the Dir of Comm 😉

    sean: Hahah.. Cheryl did say there MIGHT be a price increase ;(

    chong: Yes, recommended 😉
    Nope, I almost had the whole buffet to myself!

    c&c: I'm sure u guys do!

    Christine: Happy New Year babe! Aiyo, so many places hor? Pressroom, Malones, Albion..my list gettin longer too!

    Simon: Go makan then!

    allie: Imagine for cheese lovers, sure faint of euphoria! lol

  15. thule a.k.a leo

    eh.. ask if the starwood card is accepted for the buffet or not???
    by the way.. SUN to MON??? 2 days only?? what about Tuesday to Friday???

  16. cariso

    No refill – I will 'downgrade' it loh. 🙂

  17. burpandslurp

    lol, I can imagine your excitement to see all that gorgeous bread! But all the other food looks freeeeaaaaking good!

    How is beef marinated in pistachio? Sounds fab. What's the secret, I wonder?

    p.s. I can't comment with my domain name…can you add a name/url option to your comment box?

  18. Lyrical Lemongrass

    Wow, that's quite a feast for a reasonable price. Must go there for lunch since my office is so near. 🙂

  19. thenomadGourmand

    Leo: I'm not sure abt the Starwood card..
    Eiks! I meant Sun to Fri..amended! Hehe

    cariso: Well, there wasnt much diners so if they refill, it would be wasted so I rather prefer less waste than more food

    burpandslurp: Yea, I hv no idea hw one marinate meat with pistachio, wish the chef wasnt so busy so I could ask more!
    yes yes, I almost choked shovin dwn all that bread down my throat ;p
    What? u cant comment?? Hw do u add that option to the comment box? Eikss..

    LL: Oh u must try! Ya lor hor..yr office so near somemore!

  20. vialentino

    no doubt very nice place to have food here….when working in plaza sentral, many vendor treat me at this restaurant…nice food i would say…best thing is i dun have to pay for it…kekeke

  21. Shell (貝殼)

    only rm35++!! Reasonable price and will go try soon

  22. Download Movies

    Helo
    awesome post – i’m creating video about it and i will post it to youtube !
    if you wana to help or just need a link send me email !

  23. Anjeer

    Outstanding taste – for anyone who loves ginger, this taste is devine

  24. Anna Ng lee wie

    Eh, thanks for this!was googleing on Favola & I didn’t read about this one. you’re the only one that covers this. Keep developing your site!

  25. Gina Lim

    I wish there open on Suns! Could bring my whole family! Can’t take long breaks on weekdays & Sats are packed with the kids’ activities..

  26. Amy Tan

    Like I have always said, I go by your recommendations! 😉

    I like it! Good spread for the price. And yea, the desserts were not as worthy as the antipasti one!

  27. Zeeko Mah

    First time I see something affordable in Le Meridien to us mere middle class working midgets! Thks for the heads up!

    Zeekkkk

  28. JinLeeHui

    Thanks for your post and that wonderful blog you are running!

  29. Exactly where did you actually obtain the techniques to write ““Favola, Le Meridien – Antipasti Buffet at RM35++!
    ! | thenomadGourmand”? Thanks for your time -Caitlin

  30. What truly motivated u to post “Favola, Le Meridien – Antipasti Buffet at RM35++!
    ! | thenomadGourmand”? I personallycertainly appreciated it!

    Thank you ,Jeffery

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