The Dinner
This time, we ventured to a (relatively) new Italian restaurant in the One Bangsar area called Vincenzo Ristorante Italiano. I must say though, it is really unnerving when you are in a romantic restaurant with dim lighting and modern furnishing when there is upbeat Spanish/ Mexican music playing in the background.
(Music that, I might add, is usually played in any given Nando's outlet in Malaysia)
(It's not a MAJOR flaw but it definately spoils the ambience somewhat)
Anyway, we started off with the Grilled Mushrooms and the Grilled Eggplant:
The Mushrooms were nice - lightly grilled with herbs. The Eggplant on the other hand was only ok - tender and juicy but just a tad too oily, cooked in a rich tomato based sauce.
Next up for the mains we had the Chicken Kiev/ Pollo Al Funghi, Grilled Cod and Spaghetti with Scallops and Prawns:
I was very disappointed with the Chicken - dry and generally quite tasteless - it reminded me of a chicken breast from KFC with some turkey ham, mushrooms and cheese rolled inside.
The fish was pretty good though - tender and delicately flavoured - it is supposed to be one of Vincenzo's specialties.
My favourite of the 3 was definately the pasta - both the scallops and prawns were cooked juuuuust right and were bursting with flavour. I find that Vincenzo's does pastas very well. You usually can't go wrong choosing any one of them.
(I've tried the Pasta with Artichoke and Prawns on a prior occasion and remember liking that too)
Lastly, for dessert we had the Panna Cotta and the Chocolate Pie:
I haven't tried many Panna Cottas before so I don't really have a good point of reference but in any case: I didn't like it - the texture was moist but strangely bouncey (for lack of a better word), with a vanilla flavour.
(Definately not ordering this again)
The Chocolate Pie was quite nice though - sinfully rich and satisfyingly chocolatey.
(My only complaint is that it costs more than RM20)
Overall, it was an enjoyable dinner (I wouldn't mind going back there sometime) - I really liked the pastas but will definately make it a point to be more careful when choosing any of the meat dishes (seeing as the chicken I had was a waste of money).
So it's: Nice romantic ambience, attentive waiters, nice pasta BUT strangely out of place music and hits & misses on the menu.
Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:
Vincenzo Ristorante Italiano @ One Bangsar
Taste: 7
Ambience : 7
Service : 7
Price** : RM75/++ per person
Parking: OK
** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-2287 1686
Opening Hours: 11am - late
NO PORK SERVED
TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Bangsar, One Bangsar, Telawi Street, Vincenzo, Vincenzo's, Vincenzo Ristorante Italiano, Italian, Romantic
Posts
omg, da grilled mushrooms making me hungry now!!!! *saliva dripping* gosh...
ReplyDeleteI found their food extremely mediocre, can definately cook better at home..
ReplyDeleteThe ambience was lovely tho.
to meiyen:
ReplyDeleteHaha....
Me too.
:)
(I love grilled mushrooms!)
to shaolintiger:
Yeah, it's a pity: some of the food there's not good (eg. the chicken I ate - YUCK) but the pastas are generally quite nice...
It's still a nice place for a romantic date though, right?
;)
NO PORK...somehow..it's not so enticing ..hahah...italian cuisine has good pork dishes, its just too bad it's a halal joint
ReplyDeletehmmm... just fell short of a "ma ma mia" rating, huh?
ReplyDeletei love italian food so if i do go it'd be for the pasta and not so much the meat dishes.
ambience looks great from the photo though, but i'm more intrigued with the upbeat music - is it the kind that you can dance to? perhaps should bring my dancing shoes along :)
spanish/mexican music in a italian restaurant?
ReplyDeletewhoops! haha
i like the decor, the garden. the food was bleargh.
ReplyDeleteto tihtahpah:
ReplyDeleteHalal = everyone (except herbivores) can eat so mah so Msian restaurants tend to prefer to do that.
:)
If you want UN-halal, affordable Italian food then you can try Coconut House in KL.
(I'm not sure about the pastas but the meats and pizza there are worth a try)
to laksa:
Yeah - definately can bring your dancing shoes!
*lol*
They did slow it down to some chill music though.... but only just in time for dessert.
to merv:
Hey, maybe it's a new type of fusion dining?
Haha.
to suanie:
Oh you poor thing.
What did you try when you went there?
(Do tell us so that we can all avoid ordering it)
Orrr maaaaan! I can't believe you have so many culinary options in Malaysia? Apart from the fance-wah restaurants, you've even got Nandos and KFC!!! (don't much like either of 'em but I'd still love to have the choice)!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I need a bit of time-out in KL ... everything here, regardless of the origins of the dish, tastes like curry, and my last attempt at a gustatory holiday ended in tatters in Singapore (see http://thisdonkey.blogspot.com/2006/07/donkey-and-running-ass.html if you're interested in an awful sob-story).
Thanks for the r/v.
to donkeyblog:
ReplyDeleteMalaysia is a total gastronomic delight - wide range of cuisine: Chinese, French, Malay, Fusion, etc, and great variety within each cuisine: food at road side stalls, posh restaurants, fast food, etc.
Do come for a visit, but remember to bring loose clothing.
Haha.
:)
Thought the service was good (allowed us to make a lot of noise!), the ambience nice, and the dishes we ordered ... excellent. Espesh the wagyu platter and the pastas :-) SLURRRRP!
ReplyDeletehttp://juliansi.blogspot.com/2008/03/vincenzo-ristorante-italiano-one.html
to julian si:
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear that you had a fun and delicious time there.
:)