Bruno’s
PG-01A, Jaya 33, 3,
Jalan Semangat, Seksyen 13,
46200 PJ
Tel: 03–7960 2663
It formed the romantic setting of a Valentine’s dinner before becoming a firm family favourite. The setting’s unpretentious and relaxed; the prices certainly affordable at this level; and the service adequate. And as for the food…
For pork, Bruno’s Restaurant and Bar is good. Very good, in fact, if you can overcome the boasts of “Iberian black” all the way from Germany (it may be so but good meat is good meat no matter where it’s from, surely?). However, the restaurant shines in its quality away from the pork. Eggs have definitely also been placed outside the one, pot-bellied basket, with beef, seafood and pasta dishes all getting the thumbs up. And then there’s the tapas list.
It follows that, as a Spanish-inclined eatery, the selection of tapas should be topped only by its quality. But that’s not always the case. Things looked bleak initially with the waiter returning from the kitchen to explain that, according to chef, the meatballs we’d chosen “were not fresh”. Well maybe not, but just tell us—the naďve customer—that they’re unavailable. The “not fresh” warning soured the palate slightly but superbly fresh prawns and chicken kebabs before watermelon and feat cheese—a satisfying contrast, brilliant flavour—more than cleansed.
Onto the mains and further disappointment while ordering. No pork loin (which was so succulent last time) this Sunday night so we went for the Porcini mushroom pasta instead. Mistake. It’s the first weak dish I’ve had at Bruno’s and the bland sauce did nothing to make up for the abundance of fatty meat infiltrating the pasta. The Chorizo and asparagus pasta washed in a fiery sauce, however, took us back to the quality we‘d come to enjoy. A quality cemented by the final dish: Sea bass on a bed of smooth mashed potato and ribboned carrot. (The salmon too, served over similar vegetables, is a must try.)
Desserts have been a more varied affair but if proof is ever needed of the calibre here, it’s found when leaving the buzz of Bruno’s to pass the often deserted next-door Italian. IJ
