NICE Bistronome, Petaling Jaya

With inspirations that stretch from Nice to Naples, Section 17’s new NICE Bistronome brings together the repertoires of a brasserie and ristorante, with French escargots and Italian arancini sharing a single menu.

Chef Andy Choy’s command of the captivating open kitchen marks NICE Bistronome as the latest spin-off of the Chateau Dionne commonwealth, located below its sister cafe Doux Doux.

Start with NICE’s specialities of Nice - Niçoise salad, with an addictively rich anchovy dressing, and a thick, tender and tasty ratatouille of Mediterranean-inflected vegetables that Gusteau would be proud to serve.

All-day dining begins bright and relatively early at 11am. Carnivorous main-course musts include braised beef cheeks with balsamic and red wine jus and a reinterpretation of saltimbocca, swapping out veal cutlets for chicken roulade, draped in duck prosciutto instead of dry-cured pork ham - exemplary showcases of the NICE brigade’s expertise.

Make an entire meal of Italian classics - fresh chitarra pasta is a pleasure with plump tiger prawns in briny-sweet crustacean sauce, while risotto is simple but sumptuous, saturated with saffron in every bite. Kick off with fine focaccia, finish with tantalising tiramisu.