Tosca
DoubleTree Kuala Lumpur
Tosca, the poolside Italian Trattoria at Doubletree Kuala Lumpur offers ‘hearty home style’ Italian cuisine and Executive Chef Eric Siew and his team were happy to veganise the menu for us so we could see what kind of experience the Italian food loving vegan traveller might be in for when they dine at Tosca.
As always on our Vegan Food Quest, we were hoping to find, eat and write about the best vegan food in the world and with Italian food being one of our favourite cuisines, we were excited to sample their vegan wares.
Views of the pool from the bright and airy Tosca
Tosca is a breezy, indoor-outdoor restaurant with an open kitchen where you can see the magic happening in front of your eyes, whilst smelling freshly cooked pizzas and breads cooking in the open flame brick oven.
We sat in one of the booths and loved the changeable mood lighting on our table; everything had a very laid back and cosy feel, just as we were appreciating our lovely surroundings, we were presented with a specially created vegan menu (we do love this when it happens) and as we glanced down the list of amazing plant-based food that was in store for us, we were already impressed.
The scene was set; we were excited… let the vegan eating commence!
The Vegan Food
A basket of ‘pizza bread’ arrived with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; soft, pillowy, deep dish triangles of pizza topped generously with garlic. This part of a meal is always a challenge, when the bread arrives and it’s this good, as you know you need to save room to eat the rest of the menu.
We couldn’t resist eating it all as it was so fresh and comforting and the flavour was heavenly.
Garlicky triangles of deep dish pizza bread; impossible to resist
The appetiser was ‘Beetroot Carpaccio with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Maltose-Sherry Gastrique, Baby Friseé and Rocket Leaves’. Vibrant colours of pink and green and vibrant flavours of toasty, nutty pumpkin seeds, earth beetroot, peppery leaves and the sweet, tart gastrique; mixed together to make a delicious light and flavoursome salad to start.
Wonderful plant-based flavours in the Tosca ‘Beetroot Carpaccio’.
The appetiser was followed by a soup that instantly won us over; ‘US Sweetcorn Velouté with Sous Vide Pumpkin Timbale, Crispy Leek and Fresh Chives’.
Imagine a bowl of smooth, velvety, creamy corn with just a subtle sweetness; add tiny pieces of diced pumpkin that were soft, but still retained a bite, had an intense savoury-sweet pumpkin flavour and a hint of herbs and then top it all with shredded leek to give a mild onion flavour to each mouthful.
This was a masterpiece in a bowl
Seriously sumptuous soup
The main course was ‘Mediterranean Eggplant Cannelloni with Wilted Spinach and Roasted Pine Nuts accompanied with Green Pea Puree, Smoked Cauliflower Florets, Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette and Basil Pesto’.
In short, we adored this dish; it was as good as it sounded, and then some.
One thing we have loved about our visits to the DoubleTree Kuala Lumpur, is the creativity of the chefs who seem to be able to produce delicious and exciting vegan food when asked, and this dish certainly followed our previous good experiences.
The eggplant cannelloni was full of hearty spinach and pinenuts, the smooth pea puree gave sweet and creamy balance to the acidic tomato; the basil pesto was rich and herbal and then there were little florets of the most deliciously smoky cauliflower to add to the delight. Smoked with tea and herbs, these little pieces of plant based heaven gave just the right of smokiness to finish off the rainbow of flavours in this vegan cannelloni.
This awesome cannelloni had all the flavours and textures you might hope for in a healthy vegan interpretation of this classic Italian dish
Dessert caused much excitement at our table on account of it being a vegan chocolate cake. Not just an ordinary chocolate cake of course but an ‘Eggless Macadamia Chocolate Cake and Soy Milk Panna Cotta served with Pop Rocks and Raspberry Sauce’.
Unless you are a master vegan baker, it can be hard to get a vegan chocolate cake right but this dessert offering from the team at Tosca was exceptional.
Moist chocolate cake and chocolate ganache layers with beautiful fruity raspberry sauce and chocolate covered popping candy made every mouthful a dream.
It was so good, we actually had seconds (believe us, you’d have done the same!).
Still dreaming about this heavenly vegan chocolate cake
The Vegan Food Quest Verdict
Make a reservation at Tosca for a laid back Italian vegan meal where every course will be a delight. You can look forward to fresh flavours, wonderful breads, hearty food with fine-dining influences and one of the most amazing chocolate cakes you might ever taste.
Be sure to give them advance notice so they can create a special vegan menu for you too!
Here you can read a review from our stay at DoubleTree Kuala Lumpur.
We were guests of Tosca but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views.
Tosca
DoubleTree Kuala Lumpur
The Intermark
Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur
Telephone: +60 3-2172 7272
Email: KULDT_FBReservations@hilton.com
Opening Hours: Daily 1000 – 2230