House Pasta

First published in Options, The Edge Malaysia, 16 July 2018

Recently-opened Grano Pasta Bar specializes in pastas, and the menu comprises a few appetisers, a variety of pasta dishes and wine.  Housed in the trendy APW complex, it occupies a narrow space with upstairs and downstairs next to Proof Pizza + Wine, (same owner) with a minimalist approach to décor. 

The pastas are produced in-house with an industrial Italian-made pasta machine.  Freshly-made pastas, produced from Italian wheat and eggs, are showcased in a display case in the kitchen, where a window allows diners to see pasta dishes being prepared.  The restaurant produces a number of regional, unusual and little-encountered pasta types.

With a square, instead of a round cross-section, Spaghetti Alla Chittara (Rm38) was saute’d in a white-wine, seafood sauce with smoked salmon, baby octopi, prawns and herbs. The freshly-made, egg pasta had a rich mouth feel, good body, and lustre, with the dish taking on a lively, wholesome personality.  The pairing was elegant, with a thick sauce coating the pasta, for an awesome seafood pasta.

Reginette (Rm34), a wavy-edged koaw-teow type pasta, was saute’d in a chicken and white wine broth, with bits of pork pancetta adding a little spice to the mix. The pasta had character, a good bite and absorbed the rich broth mixture, making for a buttery, full-flavoured blend, to showcase the qualities of the pasta.

Little-known Gnochetti Sardi originates from Sardinia and are seashell-shaped pasta, presented vegetarian style (Rm29) in a rich, thick mix of herb pesto, mushroom, capers and sun-dried tomato, and flavoured with shaved cheese and chili flakes. The seashell-pasta were little pearls, firm, precious and overflowing with flavor, a tribute to the kitchen’s creativity and pairing.  

Trendy and stylish, the pastas are interesting and excellent, and likely to spoil you the next time you step into a lesser Italian restaurant and encounter the store-purchased, dried pasta, which is vapid and dull by comparison.

Grano Pasta Bar,

Lot 29-2, APW Bangsar,

Jalan Riong, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-27883595

FB: granoapw

Business Hours:  12.15pm-2.30pm, 6pm-10.00pm daily, closed on Mondays

A Taste of Spain

First published in Options, The Edge, on Feb 6, 2016

From tapas to churros, Spanish cuisine finds a home in a Kuala Lumpur suburb

Despite being hidden in the ground floor of The Signature Suites and Studios, on a Saturday night, Marta’s Kitchen is full, with diners who have not made a reservation having to wait for a table. The space is not large, comprising an indoor dining area opening out onto a spacious and quiet terrace, but families, friends and couples occupy light aluminium chairs at simple, black-topped tables.

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.

Dining in Style

First Published in The Edge, Options, Oct 23, 2015

Style is nothing without substance, and fortunately for diners, that’s not the case here.

The all-white setting, from floors, pillars to ceiling, with the stark outlines of slim-line furniture, establish the sense of style. Long lines on either side naturally draw the eye to the open kitchen at the back. On one side, the counter displays jewel-like desserts in a multitude of colours and shapes. On the other are oysters in ice and the irregular shapes of breads. 

Not quite quiet elegance, nor gilt bling-bling, Palazzo Viva stakes a claim to clean lines, spaciousness, and long perspectives. Style is evident, orchestrated in the décor, heavy grey stone bowls for soups, thin slabs of gray stone and wood slabs for food presentation, plain white plates, to elaborate, if slightly fussy food plating.

Besides breakfast and lunch offerings, there are daily specials and the assortment of starters, soups and mains. 

Rustic Italian

First Published in The Edge Malaysia, Options, 10 January, 2015

A corner of rustic Italy thrives in the midst of high-rise KL.

The building complex of Plaza Damas 3, opposite the established Plaza Damas complex, is quiet on weekends, as it is occupied by commercial businesses, except for one corner of the building.  This small corner with an outdoor dining area squeezed into the walkway, is Icook Italian Gastronomia, the second outlet after the one in Petaling Jaya. Unlike that outlet, however, this one serves pork.

This isn’t like the usual Italian restaurant that you encounter in KL. When you enter through the glass doors, the restaurant strikes you with its homely atmosphere.  It’s small and crowded, but still accommodates a half-dozen plain pale wood tables and chairs. There’s a wine cooler backed up against the far wall, and the kitchen is just beside the door. 

A brick pizza oven occupies one far corner, enclosed within the supplementary area where fresh juices and drinks are made.   Tables are without tablecloths, menus are plain printed brown paper which double up as placemats.

The day’s specials are handwritten on red tape stuck to a glass panel, and opposite there’s a bright red wall, hand-chalked with freshly-made pasta choices.  Two hulking gentlemen in black are the chef and owner Nicola Carradori and his assistant Francesco. The two occasionally gabble on in voluble Italian between preparing the food.  The place is intimate, familiar and informal – you could easily be overdressed here, and the crowd – and there is a crowd, with reserved tables and people sitting outside – is mainly family.