Wei Chuen didn't make any advance plans for our Valentine's Day this year, and in fact, he told me that since it coincides with the Chinese New Year as well, we would only be celebrating the latter.

But on that day itself, he told me to get ready for a late lunch, and brought me to a surprise location, which turned out to be Bella Italia in Jesselton Hotel!

There was nobody there when we arrived; understandable since lunch hour is over. But that is actually a good thing; the chefs can concentrate solely on our food, and we can eat our meal in peace, instead of being surrounded by other patrons!

Wei Chuen ordered a 3-course meal, which costs RM55. It consists of:

Starter: Blue Marlin & Yellowfin Tuna (Carpaccio topped with lemon zest, mix peppercorn, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil)

This is an excellent choice for a starter; the sourness of the lemon zest and juice really brings out the hunger in you! Haha.. But I think we'd prefer our tuna to be at room temperature instead of cold the next time we order.

Main Course: Medaglioni di Manzo (Beef grilled tenderloin medallion served with a soft green peppercorn, market vegetables & potatoes of the day)

Wei Chuen asked for his meat to be medium rare, and it was done just nice, too; tender and juicy. Overall, he said it was very good.

And for Dessert: Fantasia Di Maria, of course!! You have to have this chocolate gooey pudding whenever you come to Bella Italia! If you're not a chocolate lover, you will become one after you try this! Trust me! ;)

As for my meal, I ordered my all-time favourite dish whenever I come to Jesselton Hotel:

Hainanese Steamed Chicken Rice! [Price: RM21) (Tip: Order drumstick everytime; it's a better choice!)

My dad used to bring the family to eat here back in the days, and all 6 of us would order this Chicken Rice. And ordering it this time didn't disappoint me still; the rice was as fragrant as I remembered it, and the chicken tender and juicy. MUST.HAVE.THIS.AGAIN.SOON...

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Bella Italia @ Jesselton Hotel
69, Jalan Gaya, Kota Kinabalu
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This year, for the first time ever, my fiance WC and I had our first candlelight dinner. 'Twas very memorable: beautiful setting, nice food, friendly staff, the only thing missing was wine (we had to settle for sparkling juice). But let's not get into personal stuff on this blog and go on with talking about the food, shall we?

This is the Warm Grilled Garlic Prawn with Rocket Salad and Balsamic Vinegar Dressing. Both WC and I liked it; the prawn were very soft and easy to eat. I just wished there were more dressing on the salad but hey, that's just me.

For the soup, we had Double Boiled Essence of Chicken with Wanton Dumpling In Coconut. Also served at the same time were some breadsticks and buns, with butter on the side. I loved the wanton, the soup, not so much. This is the only thing I didn't really like out of the whole dinner.

WC's main course, the Grilled Medallion of Beef Tenderloin served with Sweet Potato Timbale, accompanied with Sauteed Spinach, Glazed Carrots and Cream Herb Gravy. The beef was very rare but VERY red and tender inside! I LOVED it!

This is my main course, the Oven Roasted Stuffed Chicken Roulade in Green Apple-Pumpkin Puree, Served with Sabah Vegetable and Red Pepper Cream Sauce. I thought mine was delicious, although I had to ask for more sauce for mine as it weren't enough.

And for dessert, we both had the Chocolate Truffle served with Strawberry Coulis, together with Chocolate Pralines on the side. I loved this dessert, and I'm sure those chocolate lovers would think the same! It's sweet and yet tastes light enough to eat 'til it's gone!

[Coffee or Tea was also served during dessert time]

WC's dessert, the same but with different design

Overall, this Valentine Set Dinner cost us RM75 nett for 2 pax (excluding the sparkling juice). VERY affordable if you ask me, considering the very nice ambience, excellent service of staff, and good food!

I'll definitely consider coming here again for my next Valentine dinner.

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The Roof Restaurant
11th Floor, Imperial International Hotel
Warisan Square
For Reservation: +6088-522 888
Operations Hours: Bfast:6.30-10.30am, Lunch:11.00am-2.30pm, Dinner:6.30pm-10.30pm
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