Eighteen

Update: This business has ceased its operations.

Eighteen (XVIII) is a Western casual-dining restaurant in Krystal Point, somewhere near the 7-Eleven outlet. It has been open for several years already, so I dropped by to have a try.

There is a set dinner menu, so this is the starting point for my choice of food. There are around 10 different dishes available on the menu, ranging from fish-and-chips to burgers, and baked cheese rice to lasagna. The set meal includes soup and bread, the entrée, and dessert.

The owner is present at the restaurant and serves as my waiter tonight. Since I am his first customer tonight, he graciously offered me a complimentary serving of Fish Cakes (RM8.00).

The two Fish Cakes are served with mayonnaise and cherry tomatoes, then garnished with a parsley leaf. The dish is also sprinkled with some parsley butter sauce to give added freshness.

The Fish Cakes are exquisite indeed. It is a pity that the portions are quite small. Anyway, it is complimentary. Beggars can't be choosers, right?

For soup, I am served with the Spicy Seafood Tomato Soup. The soup is slightly spicy and has the pleasant effect of opening my appetite for more food to come. It contains some seafood ingredients such as squids, clams and prawns.

A piece of Garlic Bread is also provided to enjoy with the soup. The taste of garlic is very strong, unlike the watered down versions served at Pizza Hut.

For the entrée, my choice for tonight is the Linguine Aglio-Olio With Prawns (RM23.80). The choice of pasta is up to the customer. The owner patiently introduced the different types of pasta in Italian restaurants. In fact, he has several jars of raw pasta on display on the shelf. After some deliberation, I selected the linguine, to which the owner commended is a good choice. I have never heard any server saying otherwise. Strange? I think not!

Linguine is a type of pasta similar to spaghetti, but flatter and wider. It is made of wheat flour and has a mild yellowish hue.

The Italian words "aglio" and "olio" mean "garlic" and "oil" respectively. This name is fitting for this dish because garlic and olive oil are the key ingredients to prepare this dish. First, garlic is sautéed with olive oil and red chili flakes, then tossed with the pasta. After sprinkling some pepper, parsley is then added as garnish. The server asked whether I like some grated cheese, which I politely declined.

The prawns used in this dish are quite large and fresh. I just love the taste of fresh prawns with olive oil. Overall, the pasta is smooth and appetizing. It feels like the linguine slithers down my throat like a smooth piece of silk.

For desserts, Ice Cream is self-served and available free-flow. I took several large scoops of different flavors, added a generous amount of chocolate syrup and caramel, then sprinkled some chocolate toppings. It is a nice and delightful creation of my own.

Overall, Eighteen is quite a nice restaurant to dine in, especially when your inner child craves for Italian food. And lots of ice cream!