[ BEGIN EDIT ]
(July 2009)
Oops. Forgot to tell you:
Porto Romano has a new outlet in Mont Kiara (at the base of the Mont Kiara Banyan Condo, right next to the Wendy's). It's actually been open for about 6 months already.
The ambience is really nice - romantic and cosy - a sort of "high class living room" theme, with a couch, fake fireplace and various knick knacks decorating the upper floor.
Parking can be quite a pain though! (There're only about 15 spots in the small area outside the restaurant) I ended up parking illegally at the side of the main road when I went there. :(
Oh well. The food is still good and that's what really counts I guess. :)
Ciao,
J
[ END EDIT ]
Porto Romano is set in an unassuming corner shop lot in Taman Tun Dr Ismail.
(It's in the middle of the block of shop lots near Canadian Pizza/ behind La Manila. Need another landmark?: The Shell Station is nearby too)...
Here, the ambience is simple, comfortable and classy - basically, a nice place to have a nice dinner that's not too formal....
That day, we were having an early dinner so we skipped the starters and jumped straight to the mains... They claim to have the "best lamb shank in town" so of course being lamb lovers, we just HAD to try it out:
Overall, the Lamb Shank was good (priced at about RM28++)!
I can't confidently say that it really is the absolute best in the whole of KL (as they claim) but the meat was pretty tender and the tomato based sauce was robust and wholesome, so it's a good meal.
:)
We also sampled their special Spaghetti, the Porto Romano Spaghetti:
Basically, this is like a spicy version of a Marinara Spaghetti and I loved it!
The seafood was fresh, the spaghetti was al dente and the sauce was rich and flavourful with that extra added kick of spiciness.
(Would definately order this again!)
We capped off our dinner with a simple Gelato (Italian Ice Cream) selection. Basically, they charge about RM11 for a selection of up to 3 flavours from their Gelato list. I forgot to take a photo but if you like Rum & Raisin then do try the one here - it's really nice!
(Or maybe I'm just an alcoholic)
Overall, I enjoyed the food there and look forward to revisiting it to sample their other specialties...
PS/ Thanks for the recommendation, Boo_licious!
So, it's: Good food, comfortable ambience, friendly wait staff BUT parking in the area can be quite a pain on weekdays.
Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:
Porto Romano @ TTDI, KL
Taste: 7
Ambience : 6
Service : 7
Price** : RM50/++ per person
Parking: Weekends - OK, Weekdays: Painful.
** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-7710 0509
(Other branches:
03-2162 6799 - City Square, KL Branch
03-6207 8171 - Banyan Condo, Mont Kiara branch)
Opening Hours: 11am - late
NO PORK SERVED
TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, KL, Kuala Lumpur, TTDI, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Porto Romano, Italian, Mediterranean
Posts
There is a restaurant on the ground floor of Crown Princess Hotel (adjoining City Square) going by the same name: Porto Romano. I wonder whether they are the same establishment. I remember seeing the food you ordered in this restaurant too.
ReplyDeleteI like their pizzas as they are thin crusted and the taste is good.
This is a branch of the one in City Square. Yeah, I like the Porto Romano Spaghetti too. If you like spicy, should have "tambah" their home made chili sauce. We're eaten quite a few items here and the food is pretty good.
ReplyDeleteMet a guy who's a regular there and he was so enthusiatic and recommending me dishes.
the first two pics make it look like a nice little dinning room of a home hhehe
ReplyDeleteEverything looks good and sounds good. Going to put this on my "to try" list. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteto serendipity:
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's one of their outlets..
(I have not been there b4 though)
:)
For me, I prefer the TTDI outlet bcos it's more convenient for me...
to boo_licious:
Mmmmmm,I can't help it tho - it's so yummy!
I will make it a point to try it with the extra chili next time... so it will be lagi syiok...
:)
Thanks for the tip.
to merv:
I would love it if my dining room looked like that!
No marnee to renovate so nicely tho....
:(
to mycoffee:
Hey, no probs...
I hope you will enjoy the food there.
(If not then you can come back here give me an earful....)
:)
hey, yo, J. I found this movie that I thought you might like................ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-l93gltkCc
ReplyDeletehehehehe.
to b:
ReplyDeleteHaha...
Thanks - the video is hilarious!
:)
(Is it for real though?? Killer sheep???)
I checked it out, it is real.
ReplyDeletemovie qoute.
" There are 40 million sheep in New Zealand....and they're pissed off!"
I guess you can only rape sheep for soo long until, they start raping you back. hehehe
to B:
ReplyDelete*lol*
Well, I suppose if people have made movies about killer fish/ lizards/ ants/ etc then its TOTALLY acceptable for them to make a movie on killer sheep.
:)
Hi!My name is Mamiko,I'm Japanese.Am interested in Porto Romano.Here even if i'm alone,dont feel unconfortable to have lunch?
ReplyDeleteto mamiko:
ReplyDeleteI don't think that will be a problem...
:)
However, it all depends on you - if you feel comfortable eating alone then you can eat here or anywhere else without any problems.
Hey, love your blog. (:
ReplyDeleteIs this place good for a quiet birthday dinner with the bf on a saturday night?
to ally:
ReplyDeleteAwww.... thanks!
(Appreciate the love)
:)
Well, Porto Romano is a good affordable place to have a nice dinner but unfortunately it's not very quiet on Saturdays...
(Other nights are pretty quiet though)
If you want somewhere quieter but don't mind to pay a bit more then Cameo is nice.... Or if you don't mind to pay a lot more then Zipangu or Villa Danieli are good....
But if you're on a budget and don't mind that the food doesn't taste so great then Gobo Chit Chat is nice - but you must ask for a booth seat so it's more romantic!
:)
Of course these are just the restaurants that I've tried so far... There are probably many more nice ones out there but I hope this helps!
(And hope that you and your bf will have a lovely dinner together!)
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI work at Buona Sera Italian Restaurant, SS2.
I heard about Porto Romano from one of our customers who said it was one of the best Italian she had ever tried,hence I decided to do some research into the competition.
The aforementioned customer left Buona Sera totally satisfied with the food, and hence I am confident that you will be similarly impressed. Thus I sincerely invite you to come try out the food at Buona Sera. If you would like to call before you come, head chef and owner Enzo Dente can be contacted at 0129710628.If you prefer blind tasting, that is great too =)
The ambience of the place is minimalist, and the music and decor are currently very simple. We are in the midst of upgrading this to offer a 100% authentic Italian experience in sight, sound and taste. However, the food is and always has been al dente.
to kang:
ReplyDeleteWow. Those are big words! You have raised my expectations so high now that if your pasta and lamb shank are anywhere short of magnificent, then I will be very disappointed....
:P
Anyway, thanks for highlighting your restaurant. I love Italian food so I will try to drop by soon... but definately without calling ahead.
I'm very shy - I don't like getting special treatment (even though if it is super tempting to get free food! *sigh*)
PS/ So cute! The chef's surname is Dente! :) Means he can do no wrong because everything is always "just right"?