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Trattoria Cucina Italiana

by Michelle Whytcross 1 Sep 2011

In 2002 two friends, Edoardo Guerrini and Olivari Vanni created their first restaurant together in Bali. Nine years later and there are Trattoria’s all across Asia, with KL soon to enjoy its second.

The truly amazing thing about this is that the ‘original’ outlet in KL is so humble, so authentic and so individual that you would never know there are others like it elsewhere. That is down to the intelligence and sound management of the team, led by Edoardo’s brother Leanardo.

The restaurant may well be familiar to expatriates as it is at ground level of several oil and gas offices right in the city centre of KL. They offer excellent lunch deals and popular post-work time happy hours with ‘buy one free one’ from 4-7pm, so trade is loyal and regular. Hence why they have been able to expand to the new premises in Menara Hap Seng (itself an exciting, expanding development to keep an eye on). The new outlet will be non-halal to reach, and surely satisfy, a whole new clientel.

Trattoria Cucina Italiana do nothing more (and nothing more difficult to succeed at) than produce good quality food like grandmama used to make—assuming your grandmama was a superb Italian chef.

They do a quite excellent range of homemade pasta. Ravioli, tortellini and parpardelli are all outstanding and a match for pretty much anything you can find in the city. The pizza is also very strong, while equally popular with diners—many of whom have propelled the restaurant to exceptionally good reviews on Trip Advisor—is the mixed seafood spaghetti. And take note of their ‘real’ sea bass and mouth-meltingly divine eggs Benedict if you’re in the area for breakfast or brunch.

The consistency coming from the kitchen is impressive, too. And their coffee is wonderful. You haven’t dined there unless you’ve rounded it off with a cup of their Segafredo blend.

Price-wise, the food is very good value, especially when you look at that area of town and see a string of outlets that serve mediocre fare for extravagant money. However, the pleasure at Cucina is more than just the price tag. It is the fresh food, sourced from the right places (Exhibit A: the fresh buffalo mozzarella imported from Italy) and prepared impeccably, that makes it such a recommendable place.