Eight 8 at Lido Hill Johor Bahru JB Wines and Fine Dining JK1412

When I am asked to suggest a place in Johor Bahru for fine food and wine with a nice ambiance, Eight at Lido Hill or simply 8 Lido is always among the top of my mind.



8 Lido has a fine collection of wines and spirits we can enjoy in a very fine bar.



For beer lovers, there are 8 beers on tap at the beer garden.



For this evening, we started off with Farmers Salad.



Simple salad of locally grown organic micro cress, crunchy beetroot slices, arugula (rocket) and sorrel greens lightly dusted with a sprinkle of salt, tossed in sizzling olive oil and then dressed with shredded Gruyere cheese.

It's tasty and good for making me hungry.



Saint Jacques.



Thick Hokkaido scallops pan seared and set on sweet cauliflower purée. The ocean savoury sweetness in the juicy scallop was paired perfectly with the smooth sweet creamy cauliflower puree.



Beef tagliata (Italian sliced steak) with arugula (rocket), thyme, Gruyere cheese and triple cooked potatoes.



The strips of sirloin were done medium rare with a nice light sear on the outside. Tender and full of juicy sweet subtly beefy goodness.

The Idaho potato wedges were boiled, baked and flash fried with skin on. Savoury sweet, tender soft with a slight crisp outside and delicious.



Poulet or simply chicken :-D



Cubed chicken breast smoked with wood chips and dressed with raspberry yogurt swirls.



Delicious gentle savoury sweetness in the tender cubes of moist chicken infused with distinctive accents of smokey wood flavour and aroma.

So many words just to say, yum!



I have eaten a few Tiramisu before, conventional and deconstructed, but 8 Lido's elegant rendition still blew my mind and taste buds.



Enjoyed every bit of this sweet obsession, scrapping up the very last bit with my spoon. (Hope I didn't make that awful scrapping noise ;-p )

For such a well executed meal in such a lovely ambiance, we should reasonably expect to pay a premium for it. As it turned out, we found that 8 Lido's prices are very competitive for this level of fine dining:

• Farmers Salad RM32++
• Saint Jacques (scallops) RM30++
• Beef Tagliata (sliced steak) RM100++
• Poulet (chicken) RM22++
• Tiramisu RM24++

Our meal was paired with a bottle of Rose Aurore Sud de France. The pale salmon coloured wine smells of cherry and strawberry like soft candied fruit. The wine tastes of ripe red fruits and has well-balanced acidity (means not too sour nor too siap lah ;-D ).

I was smiling from ear to ear and enjoyed my meal from start to finish.

After the scrumptious meal, I treated myself to a leisurely tour of the grounds walk in the park.



There are nice, air conditioned spaces inside the well appointed interior. But, many people enjoy the open spaces outside at the patio.



Dining in the garden, in the cool of the evening as the sea breeze from the Johor Straits blow in is part of the charming 8 Lido experience.



8 Lido's outdoor bar and beer garden is a popular watering hole.

The indoor bar for liquor, wine and higher spirits.



There is a stage for live performances starting at 9:00pm (on Fridays).



Eight Lido has lots of elements all in place but most of all it's got it's own spirit, style and character. To me, Eight Lido is more like a person than a eating or drinking place.



The man behind the gorgeous food, wines, spirits and the whole Eight Lido experience is Chef Sommelier and Maître d Maison Dinesh Kumar.

The Johor boy made his mark in Raffles Hotel Singapore, the Les Amis Group of restaurants, Maze restaurant by Gordon Ramsay, and Relais & Chateaux properties amassing a wealth of higher level expertise and deep insights.

But, the Johor boy will always be a Johor boy at heart (and there are others like Dinesh) - he is now back to embrace the renaissance that is taking his hometown's F & B scene to the next level.

And, this could would be disruptive. Many Johor boys and gals have built up a solid reserve of know how from their global experience and are now in or returning to Johor.

I will not be surprised at all, when the next big thing in regional F & B, is going to be in Johor Bahru.

->> Bottom line is, if you are looking for a good restaurant for that special day or when you want a special day, Eight Lido is the place. 

Disclosure: Please note that this is an invited tasting.



Restaurant name: Eight at Lido Hill
Address: 8 Jalan Skudai, Straits View, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1.462736, 103.731956  /  1°27'45.9"N 103°43'55.0"E
Hours: Brunch 9:00am to 3:00pm (Sat & Sun) / 6:00pm to 12:00 midnight (daily) / Drinks 3:00pm to 1:00am (daily)

No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 25 Feb 2016

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