BIRTHDAY DINNER IN CANTALOUPE, TROIKA.

This post was written on the 8th of August

Hello hello! Just in case you didn't know, I've officially turned 20 yesterday!!

Yes, T-W-E-N-T-Y. Time flies, unbelievably. I used to think 20 is far, far away from me when I was 18. But in a blink of an eye, the lonely candle standing on my birthday cake isn't lonely anymore for the first time in 9 years. I don't know what to feel about stepping into my early twenties, but I see it as a brand new chapter of my life. And I should live every single day as much as I can with a purpose, seize every opportunity to learn as much as life has to offer.

I had a blessed birthday. It just feels like every possible void in my heart has been poured full by tremendous streams of bliss and gratefulness. I really couldn't ask for more from my friends, family, boyfie and my readers/followers!! I've never expected to have received so many wishes from you guys on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I've spent my morning replying every birthday wish from the social media networks because I feel like it's a must to thank everyone for taking a segment of their time to wish me. I mean, they are totally not obliged to wish me. Wishes conveyed are (or at least should be) purely out of kindness and courtesy, and that's exactly why I really appreciate every single birthday wish I received. They each mean a lot to me. It is all because of y'all that I am who I am today. So, thank you. Thank you for all the love. ♥

Also, thank you Teddy for putting so much effort in planning an exclusive birthday dinner for me. He brought me to Cantaloupe in Troika for dinner. He knew that I have never tried fine dining, so he thought it would be a great and memorable experience for me to have it on my birthday. How thoughtful and sweet of him!! :')

Before my birthday, he told me that he has planned for our dinner but he kept the venue as confidential as can be. On my birthday, he came to pick me up and I really had no idea where we were heading, until we were around the KLCC area. And I was like, hey, this place is really familiar! Only then I knew that he was going to bring me to Troika Sky Dining.

Selfie while on the way to our dinner place! 

In the lift, heading to the 23rd floor, which is the highest floor of the building. *excited*

Teddy booked a table at 6pm, and we reached there on time. However, the sun was still glaring at our seats at that time, and we were advised to remain indoors, where we can spend some time on the menu. So we were ushered to a lounge to wait to be seated. While waiting, we were provided with complimentary chips to nibble on, which I think was very thoughtful of them!

Just in case you are interested to know about the pricing and the dishes they serve, here are some pictures of their menu. We opted for the 5 courses meal, which costs RM250/person. 

Per person, the meal comes with three plates of small bites (which are pre-selected by the chef), 5 main courses (which you will choose from this list) and a sorbet. So we were allowed to choose a total of 10 courses for the both of us.

I really had a hard time deciding what to eat as my eyes darted from the top to the bottom, and the bottom to the top again. Each and everyone of them sounds so appealing to me! x) 

The boyfie x 

Teddy booked a table by the balcony for us so that we get to enjoy a perfect view of the KL towers while having our meal. How luxurious!

After our order has been taken, some complimentary breads were served. The breads were fluffy and lovable for the teeth, and I especially enjoyed the butter!!

Since we are both not a fan of alcohol...some Acqua Panna(aka mineral water) will do. HAHAHA. 

Here comes the starter: Avocado and a-clam-cooked-with-some-kind-of-whitish-sauce (I'm sorry I really tried to remember what they are actually named after) which blew my tongue (mind) away. The avocado was wrapped inside a crispy crust along with some unknown spices and it was easily the BEST avocado I've ever laid on my tongue.

Not forgetting to mention, the clam served really well as an appetising bite for me!

No idea what this foam is made of, but it had a spot in almost every dish we had that evening lolol. It tasted salty, and quickly wasn't exciting anymore after seeing it on the third dish served.

It felt nothing less than amazing to dine amidst such a wonderful atmosphere, at the company of the one you love.

The second bite was a grilled shrimp. Teddy is allergic to seafood, so I got to have two of these hehe!! Wasn't as big as I wished for it to be, but it tasted really yummy!!

Next, we had mushroom foetus(?!!), which was crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Not that it didn't taste good, but this dish just didn't really impress me enough for my thumbs to rise for its name.

*when asked to repeat, we both heard the waiter murmur Mushroom Foetus so please correct us if you know what this dish is actually named HAHHAHA*

Moving on to our main courses, the first dish that was served was Herring and Beetroot. Fresh and not fishy at all. Awesome. 

Oyster risotto. The oyster totally sent me to the high heavens; it was huge, and absolutely fresh. Supporting the oyster's buttock was the risotto, which tasted fantastic with the creamy gravy, which wasn't too strongly seasoned nor bland - just right on point. This is indeed one of my favourite dishes among all! 

A spectacular scenery with the beautiful sunset.

Lobster bisque. Oh boy, the lobster was such a bomb. It's the kind of dishes that puts you in the love-drunk state whereby you'd almost shamelessly ask...*Can I have more???*

Mushroom custard. Another impressive dish to top the rest off. Literally every single edible thing sitting in this bowl tasted surprisingly good. The soup, the squid, the mushroom. Urgh, perfection!

House cured smoked salmon. Well to be fair, it wasn't the largest slice but hey, look how FREAKING THICK the salmon was. The texture was so good that it is highly suspected to be enchanted by black magic, and the smoke seems to be breathing itself within the juicy myotomes. My boyfriend - who usually doesn't take salmon at all - liked this dish too! 

Scallop smoked eel burger. The smallest burger I've ever had, literally haha! Whoever thought that whatever is little can't be good: this dish lives to testify otherwise. Creatively matched, both the scallop and eel complemented each other very well, and its taste was simply difficult to forget.

Simply difficult.
*Good job, Jessica.*

 Next, the sorbet was served to seduce our palates and have them excited for more dishes to come. To be honest, I actually already felt kinda full at that point lolol. We were so glad we went for the the 5-course-set instead of the 8-course-set! 

Next, we had black olive crusted cod, served along a couple of mini hash browns. 

Juicy, fresh and firm. Tummy Chaw was elated to have this dish over for a visit! Definitely a dish to recommend. 

Beef cheek lasagna. Sadly, this dish didn't manage to win my heart because I didn't really like the beef cheek. The boyfie thought that the beef cheek tasted bland too, but he enjoyed the lasagna bit of the dish hahahah!

Duck confit. A little too salty for my taste, but not too bad. The crispy texture was pleasing enough to save the day. Sauce was (as you can see) generally provided, but it would have been perfect if they carried a little more taste.

Wagyu beef cooked in medium rare with roselle glaze, hash brown and spiced salt. 

Best. Beef. I've. Ever. Had.
Holy moly wagyu beef!! Not only was it so lusciously fragrant, each block of the wagyu beef was so succulent that the juice within the muscle strands would explode beneath the pressure of your fangs. There is no way you can point out anything negative in this one. It was flawless. Boyfie almost died in ecstasy.

Thank you Teddy for the Hello Kitty cupcakes!!! 

As a first timer in fine dining, this was truly an one-of-a-kind dining experience. Cantaloupe was definitely worth a visit as it did impress us with plenty of creative, unique and scrumptious dishes. The unbeatable panoramic view of the Twin Towers and the KL Tower can definitely earn Cantaloupe some brownie points from suckers of sceneries - like me! Although the dishes seemed very small in portion, it did fill up my tummy pretty well!!