The location of the one-of-a-kind dining experience Michelangelo, Raphael, da Vinci, Donatello, Giugiaro, Pininfarina, Bertone, Zagato and Morricone; all these legendary names have one thing in common – they are all Italians. Italy has a long history of producing some of the greatest artists in history, be it in art, music or design. So, it comes as no surprise that Italy's rich artistic heritage can also be found in its cuisine – which brings us to Marini's On 57.
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| A magnificent view of the Petronas Twin Towers from Marini's On 57 | The restaurant section of Marini's On 57 |
Towering above all other restaurants in KL, Marini’s On 57 is formed by a trinity of bar, lounge and restaurant with each component serving its own dedicated menu. For the MIGF Menu Preview, the focus was on the restaurant where the evening's guests were treated to Chef Federico Michieletto’s exquisitely prepared Italian cuisine.
From L-R: Viscount Henri de Chezelles, Viscountess May Lin de Chezelles, Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Naquiah Tuanku Ja'afar, Tunku Naquiyuddin Ibni Tuanku Ja'afar & Alois Hofbauer.
Arriving guests were directed to the lounge area of Marini's for pre-dinner drinks of Italian Prosecco. Distinguished guests included MIGF Royal Patron, Tunku Naquiyuddin Ibni Tuanku Ja’afar; President of the Melium Group, Dato’ Farah Khan and his son, Karim Khan; Director of Syarikat Pesaka Antah Sdn Bhd, Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Naquiah Tuanku Ja’afar and Tunku Kecil Besar Tunku Datuk Mudzaffar Tunku Mustapha and Vice President of Marketing of Zurich Insurance Malaysia Bhd, Arne Becker and wife, Dr. Kristina Lasotta.
From L-R: Tunku Kecil Besar Tunku Datuk Mudzaffar, Dato' Simon Foong, Datuk Dr. Victor Wee & Datin Mina Cheah-Foong
While the group was happily mingling with one another, owners of Marini's On 57, Modesto Marini and wife, Elizabeth Hew entered the lounge to meet and greet guests. Shortly after, MIGF Organizing Chairman, Dato' Steve Day formally welcomed everyone and introducedCool Chef of the evening, Chef Federico Mechieletto. The confident chef told guests that tonight's 10-course dinner will be an absolutely unforgettable dining experience - a promise that was more than fulfilled. The group applauded with anticipation and were then ushered to the restaurant section of Marini's.
As diners took their respective seats, Chef Federico announced the first course of the evening; Raviolo Invertito, reversed smoked cream of fish volute, lobster bisque, vodka shoot and caviar, was ready to be served.
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| Ravilio Invertito | Autunno 2013 |
When Marini's service team marched out with the first dish, diners were taken aback by the gorgeous presentation, and this was only the beginning... each subsequent course produced audible "oohs" and "aahs" as the gourmands took in the dish. Due to the highly artistic and unusual presentations, Chef Federico was on hand to brief and show diners the best way to enjoy each dish. It was like an adventure into the unknown with a beacon overhead guiding the way. Next came the second course, Autunno 2013; edible autumn's soil, dried leaves salads, perfumes and dressing.
Chef Federico guiding diners through a dish
This was followed by the Uova d'Anatra; squid ink poached duck eggs, ashes and smoked potatoes. A note about this third course; the duck eggs are air-flown exclusively from Italy. Next came the Aragosta e Burrata; Normandy blue lobster, burrata cheese and lobster emulsion. The, the fifth course; M57 Carbonara; Uova di Parisi, pasta Monteverde carbonara and 32-month aged parmiggiano.
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| Uova d'Anatra | Aragosta e Burrata |
M57 Carbonara
The sixth course is the Gnudi Toscani; ricotta cheese and spinach gnudi, fresh butter sage and black truffle. The seventh course the Coniglio; rabbit saddle, mushrooms, fava bean, pink garlic form and black garlic. The eight course the Anatra Muta; female barbary, muscovy duck rossini style, treviso radicchio, apples, goose liver and truffles.
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| Gnudi Toscani | Coniglio |
Anatra Muta
By the ninth course, the group was asked to gather around a display trolley with several types of cheeses: Barolo cheese, young Pecorino cheese, Auricchio cheese and Bagòss cheese served with pan brioche and compote. The cheeses were freshly sliced in front of diners.
A wheel of cheese is prepped for service
Next came the tenth and final course, a dessert called Sicilia la Terra Degli Agrumi e Mandorle; a traditional Sicilian dessert of almond milk, orange sorbet and lemon tart. This dessert is presented in the most unique way imaginable; the almond milk served in individual baby milk bottles, the orange sorbet in a wobbling candy floss-liked shape, and together with the lemon tarts, accompanying ingredients and garnishes, all are spread over the diners' tables! What a one-of-a-kind experience!
A Sicily Tradition -Almond Milk, Orange Sorbet and Lemon Tart
As the dinner came to an end, Dato' Steve called out Chef Federico and his kitchen and service teams and expressed his amazement at how the dinner unravelled, thanking the team for a fantastic job. All the diners echoed Dato' Steve's sentiment with a round of applause.
Then, owner Modesto brought in former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, Max Biaggi (in town for the Sepang MotoGP) to meet the guests. What a great way to end a truly eccentric evening!
From L-R: Tunku Naquiyuddin Ibni Tuanku Ja'afar, Max Biaggi & Modesto Marini
Speaking to us after the dinner, VP of Marketing for Zurich Insurance Malaysia, Arne Becker, was full of praise, “It was a lovely experience, I was really impressed. I've had long course dinners in the past but this is really different; I've rarely seen something like this, and the ideas Chef Federico implements in his dishes are just amazing,” he said. Bec was particularly impressed with the second course, the Autunno 2013. “This dish came with a small concealed container with perfume inside it. When you open the container, the perfume comes out, and then Chef Federico comes and tell you that the perfume has to go with the taste of the food for you to enjoy it. That is something I've never seen before!” he said.
From L-R: Arne Becker & Dr. Kristina Lasotta
The Managing Director of Nestlé Products, Alois Hofbauer also gave high praises for the evening's dinner. “This was a fantastic evening. It was one of the most creative presentations I have seen in a very long time. Chef Federico really went out to the max with this; every dish was a beautiful work of art, very creative, very innovative. And I believe anyone who's been to this 'food show' tonight will go home thinking what a tremendous experience”.
Alois Hofbauer & Datuk Dr. Victor Wee sharing a laugh about the baby milk bottle
Modesto Marini was very pleased with how the evening went. “It was a great evening; great company, great atmosphere,” he said, “we have the best ingredients at all times and we always do our best to surprise our guests, that is what Marini's is all about.”
When asked about joining MIGF, Modesto replied, “This is our first time in MIGF, I'm very pleased to be part of it because I think it has done much for the local premium dining scene. It has enabled Malaysians to know more about fine cuisines, and I think this is very important”.
For a gastronomic journey like no other, call Marini's On 57 now and make your reservations. (There are a maximum of 10 Festival Menus available each day during the Festival Month). The Full Festival Menu is priced at RM1,057++ without wine. Please take note that the Festival dining experience will last up to 3 hours.
Also during the Festival Month, Marini's is offering a slew of events such as mixology classes every Wednesday from 5-6pm or the special wine tasting appreciation session, “Oyster of the World” on 29 October. For more details on Festival Offers, visit
www.migf.com/2013/restaurant/marinis-57.
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