Porto Romano @ Mon't Kiara

Judging from my recent posts, it has been a while since I have eaten at a place that lifted my spirits. Porto Romano recently did. I’ve been meaning to pay the restaurant a visit, but never got to it until last week. The two-storey outlet in Mon’t Kiara is located in front of the Mon’t Kiara Banyan condominium -- I was half prepared to pay through my nose. The ambiance is swanky yet inviting, and the brick walls and wooden flooring gives the place a rustic charm. Porto Romano has the kind of menu that makes me wish for a cow’s stomach, so I could order everything on the menu and segregate it. We got the ball rolling with the spaghetti pesto (RM36), braised lamb shank (Stinco d’Agnello - RM38) and devil’s pizza (RM27). Pesto is made by grinding pine nuts, garlic and basil into a paste, which is then enriched with olive oil and Parmesan. The pasta was very fragrant, smooth and green. And it unleashed a suppressed lust in pesto, which I didn't think I had. The pesto sauce packed a wallop of flavours, and had just the right amount of olive oil, for the ingredients to whirl and emulsify. Simple, yet deliciously addictive. Devil’s Pizza is Porto Romano’s version of pepperoni pizza and it sounded promising. The pizza had a very thin, crisp crust, where it remained crusty and chewy at the border without being doughy. There was sufficient topping -- fresh mozzarella cheese and spicy pepperoni, so the bottom of the pizza is entirely cooked through, and crisp rather than soggy. The only thing missing was the scent of wood smoke, usually present when a wood oven is used. The Braised Lamb Shank (RM38) in chunky tomato sauce was terrific, with meat falling off the bone. Evidently braised for hours, the shank was tender and fragrant, making the dish hearty and complete. The rich flavour of the lamb was offset by the tangy, slightly spicy tomato sauce, while the accompanying pasta aglio olio was aromatic and flavourful.

I liked their chilli sauce. It was wickedly spicy! This added plenty of punch to the pizza – not that that it needed any. It tasted similar to the super hot peri-peri sauce in Nandos, only nicer. The dessert list was skimpy. We shared the tiramisù -- the layers of sponge fingers drenched in coffee, with sweet cream filling had a perfect balance of sweet and bitter. The sponge fingers were soaked just enough to make the layers come together into a moist, creamy dessert. I was disappointed to find little or no alcohol in it. But to be fair, this was a rather good non-alcoholic tiramisu.We really enjoyed the food and prices were reasonable despite its upscale location and decor. Service was alright, albeit slightly inconsistent -- my request for a dish recommendation was replied with, “Errr...everything is nice”. Despite that minor problem, I’m determined to return and try more things on the menu.

Ambiance: 7/10
Price: 6/10
Lamb Shank: 7.5/10
Spaghetti Pesto: 7/10
Pizza: 6.5/10
Tiramisu: 7/10
Verdict: Scrumptious food, decent portions and fair pricing. It was hard to fault the dishes I ordered, except the tiramisu which could do with a lot more alcohol.

PORK-FREE

Ristorante Porto Romano
No. 28, Jalan Kiara
Banyan, Mon't Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
603 6207 8171

Radish Cake @ Jonker Street

Fried radish cake (chai tau kuey) is a common dish available in dim sum restaurants and hawkers stalls. I’ve tried many versions from Ipoh, Penang, Malacca, Singapore and most dim sum restaurants I patronise.
The Malacca version remains one of my favourites. rif loves eating this, and he only eats the radish cake cooked by this uncle. He used to man his stall at Jalan Tengkera, but recently relocated to Jonker Street (along the sidewalk).Malacca’s chai tau kueh (RM5 - large) has no bean sprouts, uses plenty of sweet dark sauce and is crispier. The soft and lightly savoury radish cake got its spicy undertone from the famous Malacca chilli. It was not overly spicy; just enough to tickle your taste buds and leaves you wanting more. The distinct wok hei imparted a nice smoky flavour to the slightly crisp radish cake.

rif and I always have a large plate each, as it is too good to be shared! Simple yet satisfying, go try this when you're in Malacca.

Ambiance: 4/10
Price: 6/10
Food: 7.5/10 (pork-free)
Verdict: Lovely wok hei, crisp edges and firm on the inside -- I wouldn’t mind eating this everyday!

Nadeje Patisserie @ Plaza Mahkota, Malacca

Nadeje Patisserie, at G-23 & 25, Jln PM4, Plaza Mahkota, is a cosy cafe that occupies two shop lots in Malacca. It specializes in mille crêpe, a French cake made of many crêpe layers. "Mille" means "a thousand" in French, implying the many layers of crêpe used. But don’t go into Nadeje, expecting to see a 1000-layer cake. You won’t find any.Here's what to expect -- about twenty lacy crêpes layered with fresh cream and custard. The top crepe is usually sprinkled with sugar and flambéed until the surface caramelises. Between the original, cheese and tiramisu flavour, I liked the original best.
The cream was delicate yet firm enough, and the cake didn't collapse at the plunge of a fork. The crepes were thin and crisp at the sides, and digging into the cake was like shovelling through snow. Light and luscious, each bite yielded a smoky sugar coat with refined layers of crepe and cream. The cheesecake didn’t wow at first bite, but it grew on me after the second and third. With only a slight hint of cheese flavour, this was elegant and not cloyingly sweet. Next to the original mille crepe, the tiramisu version wasn’t as impressive. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either, as the tiramisu flavour was outshone by the cream and cocoa powder.

I wouldn’t recommend driving all the way to Malacca for this, unless you have time and money to spend on petrol and toll. You can get a decent version from Food Foundry. However, if you happen to be around, go check the place out.

Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 6/10
Original mille crêpe: 7/10
Cheese mille crêpe: 6/10
Tiramisu mille crêpe: 6/10
Verdict: If you happen to be in Malacca, drop by for a slice!

Nadeje Patisserie
G-23 & 25, Jln PM4,
Plaza Mahkota,
75000 Melaka.
06 283 8750