An Italian Experience with Michelin-Starred Chef Marcello Fabbri

[Event]

Now I’ve attended quite a number of special dinners and reviews at Villa Danieli at the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur however I eagerly anticipated this one because the restaurant brought in guest chef Chef Gaetano Di Stefano to take over the restaurant’s kitchen for a week!

Marcello Fabbri was born in 1970 in Rimini which is a province in the north of Italy. At the age of nine (9), he started working in the kitchen of his Aunt Maria’s hotel in Rimini, and was fascinated with food when he helped his aunt in the kitchen of her small hotel. The Italian quickly acquired a taste for the culinary arts and at the tender age of 13, resolved to make a career out of his passion for cooking and began training at Rimini’s state catering school. Following his passion, Marcello enrolled the cooking school and graduated at the top of his class.

After his day classes, Marcello would work at Rimini’s finest restaurant – the “Caffè delle Rose” under Chef Gino Angelini, today well-known as the best Italian chef in Los Angeles. Marcello also worked in Milan under Chef Gualtiero Marchesi, in Sardinia, and in Munich under Chef Mario Gamba, who was in the process of opening two first-class Italian restaurants.

From the Bavarian capital, Marcello moved to Weimar’s historic Hotel Elephant in October 1993. In his capacity as chef at the Anna Amalia Restaurant, he soon made a name for himself in gourmet cuisine circles with the Anna Amalia establishing itself as the top gourmet restaurant in the eastern part of the enlarged German Federation. “Der Feinschmecker” magazine included the Amalia on its list of ten best foreign restaurants in Germany (FFFF), the “Gault Millau” gourmet guide gave Marcello’s cuisine an outstanding 16 points while the Michelin Guide awarded Marcello Fabbri and his team one of its coveted Michelin stars. In 2007, he was awarded as one of the “Star Chefs” by Lufthansa and he exclusively created menus for Lufthansa First Class passengers.

During his years at Anna Amalia Restaurant, Marcello served many prominent guests, including German Chancellor Schroder, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, the Belgian and Luxembourg royal couple, former President of Italy Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, and American singer Jennifer Lopez.

Here’s a look at the delicious food that was served to us.

Salmon done two (2) ways. A little taste of what’s to come.

Appetizer

Porcini Mousse filled Beef Carpaccio on Arugula salad and Black Truffle

Paired with Frescobaldi Remole Toscana, IGT, Cabernet Sangiovese.

The stuffed beef carpaccio was a like a little party in my mouth. Creamy, and savoury at the same time with the slight hint of black truffle which gave this dish multiple dimensions in terms of flavours and textures. What an amazing appetizer! Went well with the red wine too which (of course) was from Italy.

Soup

Consommé of Red Mullet, Garlic Crostini, wild herbs

Bolla Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie IGT, Veneto

Very flavourful clear consomme with two (2) pieces of red mullet. Wished there was more garlic crostini though as I devoured the whole piece in one (1) bite, enjoying the lovely garlic flavours mixed with the wild herbs. As this was a rather delicate dish, it was paired with a pinot grigio which was dry with hints of sweetness.

Pasta

Handmade Pumpkins Tortelloni with sundried Cherry tomato and Shrimps

Bolla Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie IGT, Veneto

Now I’ve never had pumpkin tortelloni (or tortellini) before so this was a first for me. Tortelloni is a bigger version of tortellini and this one came stuffed with pumpkin and cheese! The cherry tomatoes added some acidity to balance out the rich flavours while the beautifully cooked shrimps were simply delightful to partake!

Main Course

Gratinated Australian grain fed lamb rack

With Mediterranean Vegetable Thyme natural Jus

Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Brunello Di Montalcino

Oh yeah! Red meat!!! Beautifully cooked and really tender with a pink centre (yes please don’t overcook lamb!) and a nice crispy crust on top. Every mouthful was so lovely to savour and the red wine went tremendously well with it. A truly inspired dish!

Dessert

Mascarpone Cream, Espresso and Anise

Castello Banfi Grappa Di Brunello Or Limoncello Villa Massa

Chocolate, coffee and a rich scoop of mascarpone cream. Definitely my kind of dessert! A nice and sweet end to one really memorable meal! This dish is paired with either the grappa or limoncello but being the greedy person I am I had both!

What a meal! The mix of tastes and textures utilising quality ingredients and masterful skill and technique to cook resulted in a meal that I will not soon forget!

Chef Marcello Fabbri will be in the Villa Danieli kitchen from 20 to 26 January 2016.

For further inquiries on “An Italian Experience with Michelin-Starred Chef Marcello Fabbri” at Villa Danieli, contact the restaurant at:

Telephone: 03-27179900

Email: restaurants.imperial@sheraton.com

Website: http://www.spgrestaurantsandbars.com/malaysia/kuala-lumpur/villa-danieli

Villa Danieli is located at

Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Sultan Ismail,

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia.

Opening Hours:

Lunch from 12.00 noon to 2.30pm from Mondays to Fridays