KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 — Finally, there is a new Italian restaurant in town that doesn’t bother with the fuss and pageantry that seem to come with any new Italian spot. 

These days, it seems that to succeed as an Italian restaurant in KL, you have to spend more time showcasing the chef rather than the food. Bonus points if they’re easy on the eyes.

A Tavola (Italian for at the table), now sitting where Leonardo’s Bangsar used to be on the first floor of a shophouse in Jalan Bangkung, isn’t concerned with any of that. 

It’s more of a trattoria than a ristorante, with food that’s rustic and homely, mostly free of the fancy frills that plague so many other places. 

Running the show is Michele, who also goes by Mike, a native of Milan who formerly worked at the iconic Garibaldi in Singapore, which still runs strong today. We also had a short-lived outpost of our own in Bangsar Village more than 14 years ago.

So how does the food measure up? Unlike the more refined, white-tablecloth offerings of Garibaldi, the menu here favours simple comforts like eggplant parmigiana (RM32). 

One of the daintier antipasti, involtini di bresaola (RM38), is a highlight. Soft blobs of ricotta, lightly flavoured with truffle, are wrapped in rolls of beefy air-dried bresaola, delivering a bite that is rich and creamy, sharp and salty all at once.

At this point in the meal, we watched Michele masterfully handle a rather obnoxious table, fussing over a perceived lack of who-knows-what, all while effortlessly recommending a pair of classic pastas, off-menu, for the couple at the table next to ours. 

The menu has its own selection, but you can also request classics like a carbonara or most other dishes made with their homemade spaghetti, fettuccine, pappardelle, or ravioli, which one half of the couple did. 

I opted for the spaghetti neri al guanciale (RM45), a deceptively simple plate of squid ink spaghetti in a slightly spicy aglio olio, topped with ultra-crispy slivers of guanciale. 

The whole dish is garlicky, spicy, and salty, with pasta cooked perfectly al dente, its satisfying chew contrasted by the crunchy bits of fried pork jowl.

Even better, and arguably a shoo-in for the best thing I tried all night, the risotto salsiccia e funghi (RM62) is so thick and substantial it can be served on a completely flat plate without issue. 

It is a spread of perfectly cooked rice, and I mean perfect, each grain holding its shape in your mouth instead of collapsing into sludge. 

This is not undercooked, no matter what your whiny older relatives might insist. It is studded with chunks of sausage and mushrooms, the whole thing redolent of the sharp, funky saltiness from cheese that sits right on the cusp of making your tongue feel itchy.

For the secondi, it’s hard to resist a true blue Italian classic, porchetta arrosto (RM65). The thing with porchetta is that it can be a bit like the lottery. 

If you land a piece with plenty of fat and dark meat, jackpot. Che bello. You’re in heaven, caught between luscious fat and moist, seasoned meat. 

But if you land a leaner piece that’s mostly firm, white meat, it’s still good… it’s just all a bit dull. At least the roasted vegetables were excellent.

Finally, we ended on a strong contender for some of the finest tiramisu (RM32) in town. 

Our portion was heavy on the coffee, with a velvety body of mascarpone dyed a clear yellow from the egg yolks and topped with a generous dusting of slightly bitter cocoa powder. 

All that was left to do was order an espresso as a little digestif and take in la dolce vita.

A Tavola Italian Restaurant

61-1, Jalan Bangkung, 

Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Open Monday to Thursday, 3-11pm, Friday to Sunday, 12-3pm, 5-11pm. Closed on Tuesday.

Tel: ‪017-265 0133

Instagram: @atavola_kl

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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