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Nero Vivo is one of those refurbished bungalow-cum-restaurant types, and it’s nestled away in Ceylon Hill. it’s a fairly nice area, rather peaceful with not too many cars passing by, perfect for a quiet and cosy dinner.

the atmosphere of the place is classy and very romantic, much like Ciao (on Jln Tun Razak), only not as hushed. diners here are mostly expatriates or yuppies, and couples on a date. the interior is nicely decorated with tasteful artwork and warm hues, and outside is an al fresco section, overseeing a good ol’ brick pizza oven that lends a comforting touch of homeyness to the sophisticated furnishing of the restaurant :)

i always say that you can tell the quality of an Italian restaurant either by their tiramisu or their seafood soup. so naturally, we ordered both. their seafood soup comes in a funky square bowl, serving size slightly smaller than i’d like, but was amazing all the same. flavourful, tangy and broth-like. i so LOVE it.

their Caesar salad is nothing to shout about though, but is ideal for the weight-watcher as it comes with very light dressing. though unfortunately, not quite for the Atkins dieter since the croutons came aplenty!

if you’re a fan of cream sauce, the ravioli is a must-have. the pasta comes in big pieces stuffed with beef and herb mince, and laid in a dish of THE most awesome cream sauce in the world. it’s mascarporne with a hint of white wine, not too heavy at all, with the thick delicious taste of cheese clearly present. very yummy.

their beef tenderloin is served on a bed of diced zucchini (which i love), and is juicy and succulent. quality beef i would say, but unfortunately lacked some zing. the sauce or the marinade could have been better, i dont know. i wouldnt order the steak next time i go there.

dessert’s up! we ordered 2 - the tiramisu (but of course!!) and the strawberry millefoglie. the tiramisu came served in a crispy biscuit bowl which was good even on its own! the cake itself is nice - light and sweet, totally for you if you’re not a fan of overly rich desserts. i loved the crunchy crumbly bits in the cake, they offset the sponge layers sooo well.

the strawberry millefoglie is basically lots of cream sandwiched between two large wafers, then topped with more cream and strawberry slices. the wafers are of the same batter as the tiramisu’s bowl, so that was my fav part of it. the cream however was just standard cream, though just nicely milkier than whipped cream usually is. i dont really like this dessert, it wasnt indulgent enough for me. i’m a girl of thick, rich and cloying desserts! :D

all in all, i loved this place. it gets major points for ambience, and it is exactly the sort of restaurant i love and will keep going back to. service was pleasant though not particularly expert. there’s this one slightly effeminate waiter (yes, almost compulsory now in all italian eateries) who has these shoes that are so chic, they’re almost snobbish. you so gotta look out for him! he’s not that bad a sommelier, either :)

for folks concerned about the price, NV is actually not too steep. pasta dishes come in the rm20-30 range, meat and poultry for slightly more, say rm40? wines by the glass go for less than 20, and dessert is the same. cant remember how much the pizzas and appetizers were, though i dont think they were too expensive.

oh and down the street from Nero Vivo is Changkat Bkt Bintang, so after-dinner drinks are just a stroll away! so strategic, i likey.

i totally recommend this place, be it for a romantic dinner date or for a small birthday celebration. good food, good service, good ambience. and a same-sex bathroom. what more do you want???

Nero Vivo
3A, Jalan Ceylon
50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 603-20703120

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i totally loved the novel, and i cannot wait for the release of the movie in 3 weeks’ time. many in the book-reading community are inclined towards the opinion that the novel was highly overrated, but i humbly disagree. utilization of christian controversies aside, i think not many authors can keep readers riveted in their seats the way Dan Brown has. and if you’ve read the book, you’ll know that it is one surprising revelation and one shocking turn of events after another. every page yields a new twist or a new development. his entendres are more multi-layered than a mere double. and as you follow through the plot, after a while you cant help but sit back and think, damn, this guy is so bloody SMART!

on more than one occasion, a christian has asked me why i read the Da Vinci Code with prior knowledge that it contradicts stuff written in the Bible. i get asked this appalling question so much i’m almost bored of it now, but my polite answer is always, ‘cos my faith wont be shaken by mere fiction’.

“oh but he claims it is fact! he claims it is fact!”

“no ma’am.. he doesnt. if you’ve actually read the book, you’d know.”

“I havent read it because it is a sacrilege to Christ!” and this is part where they stalk off.

i understand if christians are concerned about the contents of the DVC, seeing as the whole plot is based upon something very close to their hearts, but why is there a need to adopt such a hostile and oversensitive outlook towards it? i think it is a good thing if a contemporary novel can raise questions about God. it helps believers strengthen faith, and for non-believers to actively seek out the truth. isnt the latter what all christian evangelists want?!

i find it so strange that christians worldwide are pushing DVC away and branding it as heresy. why dont they embrace it and turn it around into something that works for everyone? and if their faith is as strong as they claim it to be, why should something as pathetic as a work of fiction have the potential to shake it? cmon, we all know it’s bible > DVC anyday. what’s the problem? why so scared? just because pastor says you shouldnt read the book, you dont? who is the pastor supposed to be in your relationship between you and God anyway? mediator ah? no such thing.

personally, after i finished the book, i wrote down on paper all the controversies and nonfacts-potentially-taken-as-facts addressed in the novel. then i sat down for a long long time to think about plausible answers to those questions, occasionally scouring the net or asking the opinions of learned people. cos in most of my circles (well obviously except for the church bunch and youth camp circles), i’m like the only christian. so i’d darn well better do my job right and be able to field the questions when they start to pour in!

and true enough ..

“wei su ann, Jesus really got married and had kids ah?!”

“mary magdalene ISNT a prostitute?!”

“is it true that sabbath sunday and christmas have pagan roots?!”

“did Constantine really wipe out books he did not want in the final compilation of the bible?!”

“Jesus’ divinity was a result of a MEETING?!”

see the thing is. if i had listened to my elders and not picked up the book, and had instead shut my friends out with “my goodness me, you shouldnt read DVC!! it’s heresy!! you’re going to hell!!”, what kind of impression would i be giving people about Christianity? oh i dont know, maybe that we’re an oversensitive bunch of people who dont know enough about our religion to defend it? or how about, that we’re cowards with brittle faith? or maybe that our mindsets should have died out with the 16th century? whichever way, we’re still not answering people’s questions, and we’re still leaving them in the dark. so perhaps the problem here isnt that Dan Brown chose to write about christian controversies, but rather that we as christians have failed monumentally to prove to the world our status as children of God, as evangelists, and as people of strong spirituality.

anyway the talk was just okay. it left out a lot of things which i felt warranted more attention than the issues addressed by the speaker, but all in all still okay. i got very annoyed when one lady went up to the mic during Q&A not with a question, but with a comment - rebuking the church for holding such a talk and giving a sacrilegous book so much publicity. she quoted bible verses and likened the talk to gossip that would ‘poison ears’, and if such talks were not held, it would call less attention to the likes of the DVC.

i’m like. hello. perhaps this whole disciplinary christian thing would have worked back in the renaissance when people pretty much ate up whatever was taught to them, but come on. things have changed since then, we’re so much more intelligent and curious and skeptical now. i wouldnt have minded at all if the lady made a personal choice to abstain from faith-shaking elements herself, but for her to believe that everyone else should make the same choice and continue living in an uneducated shadow AND not bothering to teaching nonchristians right from wrong is something that i find so incredibly selfish.

people like her are exactly the reason why sometimes i feel so uncomfortable in church. i honestly feel that you can attend church every sunday, sit down and listen to the sermons attentively, and walk out of there feeling like you’ve ‘accomplished’ something .. but at the end of the day still not be getting the whole picture. so much effort is put into upholding godly values and being strictly pious - so much so that i just feel they are completely missing out on the real message. the real awareness. the joy. i dont really know what i’m getting at.

today i saw a woman chastise her husband rather loudly for falling sleeping in church. the man looked disgruntled, as if he wished he was anywhere but there, in the church. i felt quite sad for him, and for God. if i ever started a church, i’d be more than happy to know that my churchgoers were comfortable enough in God’s presence to fall asleep without feeling like they’re violating some rule or law.

i dont really get the whole fear of God thing. never have. it’s all love. love. love. and a whole lot of gratitude and thankfulness.

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