Bald Eagle and I were whizzing up Jalan Semantan towards Damansara Heights at about 11.30 this morning where the plan was to enjoy some nice sausages from Jarrod & Rawlins, when suddenly we spotted the relatively new building complex, 10 Semantan, on our left.

“Heylet’sgothere.”

“Yahorwehaven’tbeento10Semantanbefore,ok.”

“Youknowwhat’sgoodthere?”

“Yupquickturn!!”

The entire conversation happened in a span of 5 seconds.

With my quick reflexes, I deftly maneuvered my little car into the sharp turning on the left, with barely inches to spare (Bald Eagle may have a different story to tell, but this isn’t his blog, is it? *wink*).

Bald Eagle was in the mood for Cameo, a French and Italian fine dining restaurant, and since he was buying, who was I to question him?

As we stepped into the restaurant, I immediately fell in love with the decor, vintage with dark wood and wallpapered walls that matched the comfortable black and white chairs. There was nothing pretentious about this place. The waiters were pleasant and affable (maybe because we were the first customers on a beautiful Sunday morning?) and they even endured my nonsensical chatter.

We shared a starter, baked escargots with a garlic herb sauce (RM23++). The escargots were cooked without the shell in a tasty sauce which we mopped up with some lovely olive bread shaped like muffins.

Our mains were from the Special Menu. I had a Grilled Butterfish (RM38++). I’ve always been a fan of this oily, fatty fish and this dish didn’t dissapoint. Served with asparagus, grilled eggplant (my favourite!), sliced potatoes sprinkled with rosemary, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes, the tomato based sauce with its slightly sour taste went wonderfully with the butterfish.

To tell you the truth, when my eyes settled on the words butterfish and eggplant on the menu, signals were instantly sent to my brain to order this dish. BUT if I had looked further down on the menu, like Bald Eagle did, I might have changed my mind. He ordered the Pan-fried Salmon Fillet (RM42++) which was served with boiled potatoes, sauteed spinach, asparagus and salmon roe in a mascarpone cream sauce that is to die for. The flavour was just amazing and the salmon fillet was cooked to perfection – lightly seared on both sides and the flesh moist and firm.

We shared a tiramisu (RM18++), which came, interestingly enough, in a spoon rest. Served with strawberries and chocolate shavings and the obligatory cocoa powder dusted over it, I could taste a hint of alcohol in the dessert. It was nice, but I’m not sure if I’d order it again, having tasted better tiramisu at say, Neroteca. Next time, I’m going to try the Creme Brulee as recommended by Memoirs of a Chocoholic.

Bald Eagle had a pint of Guinness as he was feeling melancholic about our recent holidays and wanted a taste of nostalgia, but he claimed that it wasn’t the real stuff. Something about water not coming from the River Liffey. Poppycock, I say.

The entire bill came up to RM163, but upon enquiring, we were told that they were giving a 20% discount if we paid with a HSBC credit card. I had one, and it saved us a bit. Bald Eagle and I left the premises thanking each other for a wonderful lunch. “Thank you.” “No, thank YOU.” “No, THANK YOU.” Fockit. I shouldn’t have offered to pay with MY card.

Cameo
B-0-3, No.10, Jalan Semantan,
Damansara Heights,
50490 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2096 1999

Opening hours: 12.00 noon to 3.00pm, 6.00pm till late. Mondays to Sundays.

The good people of Abu Dhabi may click HERE to view the pictures.