Beneath the Mont Kiara Banyan Condominium, one can easily overlook PORTO ROMANO being tucked away in a secluded corner, especially when their neighbour WENDY fast food often took over the spot light.
But it is this quiet area which is not over commercialized that first appealed to me, and i knew that i MUST give it a try. First impressions counts, and this mediterranean-italian-albanian restaurant certainly has scored high in this aspect. Its relax atmosphere with sexy jazz tunes, dim lights, and pretty x'mas decorations makes it seem almost romantic. I was ready to swoon and oohh ahhh at the fireplace situated at second floor of the restaurant. (i know right, fireplace in Malaysia? rare sight) Naturally i had to sit on the second floor. There is also an outdoor terrace that is the perfect place for lunch overlooking the elite neighbourhood of Mont Kiara.
Parking is really rare and I was lucky enough to find a parking spot directly outside the restaurant, but Abby ended up parking down the street near SOLARIS which was quite a walk away.
The walls along the stairways is decorated with images of old films
The menu is not extensive, if you are expecting fancy italian food, this will not be the place for you. Instead Porto Romano serve authentic unpretentious italian food, with wide variety of spaghetti and pizzas, and a small selection of desserts.
Please excuse the photo quality of the food, i must confess that i was terribly hungry so it was "snap snap kthxbye" without adjusting on camera settings.
We ordered appetizers for sharing. Albanian Village Salad (RM17). Balkan infused flavour consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onions, feta cheese drizzle in olive oil. A refreshing starter which taste fresh and crisp that is served in large portion.
Abby's Spaghetti Alle Cozze- i.e. Spaghetti with fresh scallop (RM34) was flavourful with mix of tomatoes, brocolli, and scallop in a garlicky sauce. Abby commented that there is hints of mediterranean feel to this dish. She gave her thumbs up on this one.
Spaghetti Al Funghi (RM27) was thick with creamy sauce and fresh button mushrooms.
This is a perfect comfort food for me after a whole week overdosed with seafood from Hokkaido, im ready to go for something simple.
Cheese to camera (:
Despite us being extremely full and satisfied with our dishes so far, we decided that dessert is definitely a must.
The tiramisu was served a bit sloppy but then again this is an unpretentious restaurant right? Dont expect good food presentation but definitely hearty portion with reasonable price.
Their cappucino has overbeaten milk froth with diluted coffee.
Although the desserts and hot drinks did not wow us in the end, we were two girlies satisfied with the overall experience and will definitely be back for more.
Our bill came up to RM149 between two.
Ratings:
Food: 6.5/10
(simple comfort food. will try the pizza next time)
Service: 5/10
(Friendly waiters, but not that efficient. I had to waved like hyena just to get some attention)
Ambience: 8/10
(hmm sexy & romantic. what's not to like about this place?)
Presentation of food: 5/10
Overall: 6/10
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Porto Romano
K-1,Mont' Kiara Banyan, 28, Jalan Kiara, Mont' Kiara, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603- 6207 817
