It’s only 10 sleeps to Christmas now, have you planned your Christmas celebrations yet? If you have been good this year, you may reward yourself with a decadent Christmas Eve dinner at Sheraton Imperial’s Tuscany style’s Italian trattoria, Villa Danieli. Or go buffet-style at Essence, their signature restaurant.

Christmas Eve Dinner, Villa Danieli

Located on the fifth floor of the Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Villa Danieli is a lovely villa, with gorgeous pool view from the alfresco dining area, as well as a rustic interior with warm, rich colours adorned with ornaments, murals of lively dining scenes, baroque-style carpet, and patterned ceramic table tops; resembling an Italian cottage. It impresses the minute you walk in the door.

Villa Danieli offers homey specialties that toast warm companionship, hearty feasting, and the celebration of great food and superb wines. One is guaranteed to have a great dining experience and culinary journey as Chef Rajesh Kanna cooks up authentic and traditional Italian favourites perfectly. For this Christmas, he has designed a spectacular 5-course-dinner to tantalise and tease our senses.

To tempt our taste buds, we first had the Duck Foie Gras Lollipop with Crunchy Pistachios and Pineapple Sauce, a creative way of showcasing the creaminess of the liver with crispy shells and fluffy potatoes, a beautiful start to our walk through the menu.

Please note that Villa Danieli is well-known for their freshly baked bread accompanied by a piquant tomato tapenade, so be careful not to overeat so you can reserve enough space for the rest of the dishes.

Fans of pungent cheese would enjoy the Gorgonzola Cheese and Pistachios Parfait with Apple, Celeriac and Raspberry Salad served with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette and Warm Ricotta Cheese Croquette. In fact it would be a nice introduction to the uninitiated too, as this is an explosion of a hundred flavours and a clever play on texture.

The only vegetarian course comes in a form of Potato and Fontina Cheese Ravioli with Sautéed Spinach, Parmesan Cream and Fresh Thyme, yet another cheesy dish for serious cheese fans. Silky smooth ravioli smothered in rich parmesan cream, this is definitely a hearty dish and a total winner. The aromatic thyme is necessary to cut through the richness and keeps the taste buds tingling nicely.

The hightlight of the dinner would be the Beef Tenderloin with Buche de Chèvre Gratin, Pears Compote and Celeriac Mille-feuille. Cheese makes yet another appearance here, and the soft goat cheese gratin provides an element of surprise when pairing with the tender beef. Chef Rajesh showed off his skills with the delicate celeriac mille feuille.

If you prefer a lighter dish, there’s also a choice of Lemon Steamed Halibut Fillet and Panzanella in Saffron Butter Sauce.

End the meal with the exquisite White Chocolate Parfait and White Chocolate Mousse with Pistachios and Raspberry, Orange Gelatin Sheet, designed to suit the festive theme. The tartness of the raspberry made the sweet parfait extraordinary and poetic.

The exclusive 5-course dinner is only available on 24 December 2013 and is priced at RM220++ per person. Treat yourself to some fine wines paired with your dinner for an additional of RM120++ per person. For further enquiries or table reservations, please contact Villa Danieli at 03-2717 9900 or e-mail restaurants.imperial@sheraton.com to find out more.

Christmas Eve Buffet Dinner, Essence

Diners with hearty appetites may opt for the Christmas Eve buffer dinner at Sheraton Imperial’s Signature Restaurant, Essence. The modern and vibrant ambience of Essence features a stunning backdrop of bright eclectic colours ranging from flashy red and trendy black to warm orange and yellow hues, offset by a blog hand-laid mosaic wall. It’s a perfect spot for festive celebrations and enjoying the good company of friends or colleagues.

At Essence, you get to enjoy wide selection of delectable Christmas treats, both traditional and innovative. To start off, sip on the comforting Watercress and Soya Milk Soup with Sundried Tomato Nougat, a rare combination but it works brilliantly.

We also enjoyed the Wild Mushroom with Lamb, Grilled Leek and Yellow Tomato, simple cooking style which let the natural flavours of the ingredients shine through.

The Pan Seared Cod with Coconut Chili and Citrus-Cinnamon Reduction is the winner, with meltingly tender fish and intriguing flavours; Sweet, savoury, tangy and aromatic with mild heat.

Desserts on offer includes a stunning a stunning Raspberry Yule Log coated with White Chocolate. Feast your eyes (and stomach) on the Ivory Cherry Gateaux, Apricot White Chocolate Mille-feuille, Matcha Panna Cotta, Vanilla Lemon Cream Éclair and much more mouthwatering items.

Christmas Eve buffet dinner is served from 6.30pm to 10.30pm at Essence and is priced at RM118++ per person (food only) and RM158++ per person (inclusive of free flow of house wines or 3 bottles of beer). For reservations, call 03-2717 9900, email to restaurants.imperial@sheraton.com, or visit www.sheratonimperialkualalumpur.com.

Sheration Imperial KL Hotel
Jalan Sultan Ismail
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
+6 03 2717 9900

Photo credit to Sheraton Imperial except the first one. My camera still gets cranky in dim lighting.