After a great review session at Le Midi, I didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation for another session at the more casual Midi 57 at Jalan Bangkung. Also headed by very talented Chef Alimenti, the menu here is completely different as to cater for the drinking crowd. The ambience here is very relaxed with warm yellow and red hues and interestingly, the dining tables are all outside while inside of the restaurant are filled with high tables and bar stools beside a very large bar.

As you can imagine, the menu here is less “refined” if you will, but still thoughtfully created; including Deep Fried Tapas (read: beer food), Pizzas, Homemade Pastas as well as a new category making use of the wood-fired oven: Pot Plates. Pork is featured prominently here too, another difference from the sister restaurant.

It is therefore appropriate to start the review session with some cocktails, and I got a frozen margarita which is rather strong. I switched to the my usual poison (Savignon Blanc) for the rest of the night though.

The skewers of Mussels and Prawns in Beer Batter appeared first on our side of the long table. While I think it’s hard to screw up deep fried food, seafood is another story. The skewer I took had a juicy mussel but slightly overcooked prawn. I would also prefer the batter to be lighter. And since we are at a restaurant that serves pork, perhaps wrapping the prawns in bacon might prevent it being overcooked? Anyway, we moved on to other dishes.

The Chicken fingers fared a little better as it’s tender with a slight hint of rosemary, and the Potato & Ham Croquette has a pretty crumbly crust owing to the walnut, it has a surprisingly dense centre but tasty in its own right.

Of all the tapas, I liked the Deep Fried Polenta the most with the soft and oozy centre. It also falls apart pretty easily, but not a complaint at all. I wouldn’t mind having more of these.

But what really got my attention was this dish with delightful pieces of cured pork. I will admit I took a few pieces more than necessary. The salad was very welcomed too for my green intake, and I loved those baby Mozzarella.

And then the carb options arrrived. This crispy foccacia is simply flavoured with garlic, rosemary and olive oil and it’s just what it is: fresh and aromatic thin crust. A good filler if you have a hearty appetite.

The Porchetta Pizza is much more exciting with its toppings of Roasted herb pork, sundried tomato, rocket salad. Pork based pizzas are rare in KL and this one definitely hits the spot with its perfect pizza crust and umami toppings.

Of course, we had to try the Carbonara with real bacon and here it’s made unapologetically rich with a base of cream, egg yolk, bacon fat and wine. I enjoyed fishing for the bacon bits and fear that I would not be able to actually finish a full portion because of its cloying richness. But if someone orders this, I probably can’t resist a couple of mouthfuls. The Lasagna is made with handmade lasagna sheets and filled with pork ragout. Very tasty stuff, but also quite rich due to the thick layer of cheese. I noticed an Aglio Olio with Pork Belly on the menu and I think that would be slightly easier to finish.

The burger here is made with Slow Cooked Minced Pork, tomato, lettuce, red onion, swiss cheese and served in homemade toasted bun and fries. The bread is sufficiently fluffy and has a very fresh taste with a hint of sweetness, good to transport all that flavours of the fillings. I think the patty could be juicier and there should be some kind of sauce to bind everything together, as it’s just a bit on the dry side for me.

The Pot Plates are cooked in the wood-fired oven for hours, resulting in tender meat with flavours fully infused from the cooking process. This one is more favourable for me as I’m a lover of rosemary and chicken combination. It’s so comforting and I would happily devour the whole plate if I didn’t have all that food beforehand. Delicious. It was starting to rain pretty heavily at the point so this was a great dish for me.

Some of the guests prefered the lamb (I suspect it has something to do with the bold guinness sauce) though I found it a little too heavy. I guess it’s really difficult to get me to enjoy lamb nowadays anyway.

Do not miss Chef Alimenti’s desserts and I can tell you that he really loves pairing chocolate with fruits. Aren’t these glittery balls pretty? Cutting into the ‘ball’ reveals a filling of semifreddo. Love the surprise element. Though the dessert that got the thumbs up from everyone is the one below:

Who would have thought that chocolate and ginger taste so good together? It’s rich and creamy while the note of ginger comes through strongly, the texture is like a firm mousse with a lovely mouth feel. Only problem is that this is a little too heaty for me so I could only try a small bite. Chocolate lovers take note!

The dining experience at Midi 57 is entirely different from Le Midi, which is more my cup of tea. But I wouldn’t mind coming back for those Pot Plates when the temperature dips.