Going Oversized

First published in Options, The Edge, January 2, 2016

Where the largesse of life comes alive with enormous pizzas

If you don’t know that “enorme” means “enormous’ in Italian, when the pizza arrives at the table, all doubt will be dispelled. Enorme Restaurant serves the largest pizzas I’ve come across, but what is the eating like?

The restaurant has an instantly youthful vibe, with an industrial chic of bold graphics and colours, a black ceiling with big prints on the walls, red and black chairs.  That doesn’t mean it’s not warm, but with many hard surfaces and an open plan, the clamour of dining rapidly rises to a din, requiring raised voices for a normal conversation.

This is Italian food given a youthful, informal twist – brunches, pastas and plenty of pizzas. A brick pizza oven draws the eye, with a drinks counter laid out to one side, the rest of the large space being taken up by seating.   The setting is certainly more New York than Rome.

The Salads section was represented by an Insalata Caesar (Rm23 ) and an Insalata Aragosta (Rm26), which featured lobster meat pieces with apple and celery, smothered in a thick mayonnaise, on Mesclun salad leaves.  The mayo was overpowering, a criticism that could not be leveled at the Caesar salad, with its light dressing. Both salads came across as simple and honest, with little elaboration.

The Zuppa Di Mare (Rm41) was a generous portion with Tiger prawns, clams, squid and fish pieces in a herbed seafood soup, accompanied by a thick slice of grilled bread.  The soup was fresh but muted, lacking the punch of truly wholesome seafood soup.

Pizzas are offered in Small, Large and Enorme sizes, the latter being over a whopping two feet in diameter.  The pizzas, fired in the oven using a gas-wood combination to reduce smoke, looked awesome, and arrived on wooden platters.  We had the Tonna Mornay (Rm37, large size) and the Prosciutto di Parma (Rm 42, large size) from the over a dozen on offer.

The crust had the requisite amount of bite, neither too thick and bread-like, but not thin and crispy either (which I personally prefer).  The mozzarella cheese covering was not excessive or stringy, but sufficient to endow the pizzas with distinctive flavour without being overpowering.  I liked the Tonna Mornay, with generous lashings of tuna, caramelized onion and dried tomatoes making each mouthful a satisfying one.

The Prosciutto De Parma was for ham lovers, with thin slices of waxy prosciutto overlaid on a mozzarella cheese base, melted into the crust, rocket salad and shaved parmigiana cheese adding to the mix for a gustatory contrast of salty, waxy prosciutto, balanced by fresh, bitter rocket salad and pizza crust.

La Pizza Swirl (Rm38) required 20 minutes to prepare, and 6 rolls looking like Danish pastry were duly presented at our table with tomato sauce on the side.  Thick portions of honey-baked ham, fused with melted mozzarella and mushroom, made each mouthful a dense delivery of moist, saturated flavour.

We tried the Carre De Maiale (Rm57), a slab of grilled US pork rack on the bone.  It was a hefty portion, cutting cleanly to expose the white interior, and accompanied by an orzo-green pea mix, grilled tomato and a brown sauce.  Uncompromisingly lean and meaty, this was for meat lovers, but it lacked the nuanced tenderness of slightly fatty meat.

There were split opinions over the Nero De Seppia (Rm37), but not everyone likes squid ink pasta to begin with. This version used leek paste as a base, hence a strong but not disagreeable onion taste, with sautéed squid and tomatoes.  White wine and garlic further enhanced the flavour, making for a dish you either loved or disliked after a mouthful.

To finish off, we tried a few desserts. The Deconstructed Tiramisu (Rm23) was original but failed to endear itself, being four scoops of fluffy, mascarpone-cheesy cream with a thick alcoholic content, with scattered crumbs of sponge fingers and cubes of coffee jelly. 

The Limone Crostata (Rm17) fared better, being a thin wedge of rich lemon filling with coconut cream and fruit balls.  The Passion Fruit Granita (Rm19) was satisfying, being coarse grained sorbet drenched in passion fruit, enlivened by a minty lime taste and accompanied by fresh cut fruits.

The place was jumping with youthful energy by the time we left – communal style dining, fresh, tasty pizzas with a wide selection of toppings and wallet-friendly prices make this a place for celebrating life with food, drinks and good company.

Enorme Italian Restaurant,

P-G-20, Podium PJ Centrestage,

No.1, Jalan 13/1, Seksyen 13,

46200 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Tel: +60 3-7661 0651

https://www.facebook.com/enormemalaysia

Business Hours: 10am – 11pm daily