where and what to eat lah?

Pin It Tweet

This new resto-lounge outlet at The Intermark is the recent addition to the Porto Romano family. The other outlets are in Mont Kiara and Taman Tun Dr Ismail.


This Porto Romano's latest establishment is an elegant space well-hidden in a secluded basement food court at The Intermark along Jalan Tun Razak, KL.


Porto Romano offers a wonderful fusion cuisine that is a blend of Albanian-Italian-Mediterranean styled cooking with a rich menu and a vast selection of wines making this restaurant a place to spend an unforgettable evening.


The perfect Italian starter before we got down to the heavyweights of the night, balsamic vinegar and olive oil as bread dipping. Buon appetito!



Verdure alla Griglia - Grilled Vegetables (RM 28), a colorful combination of grilled capsicums, aubergines, zucchini and topped with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. A Porto Romano's specialty.


Insalata Porto Romano - Porto Romano Salad (RM 24), a seafood mix of squids, clams, mussels and prawns marinated in herbs, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.


Bisque di Gamberi - Prawn Bisque (RM 16), a luxurious, velvety and creamy soup; with the stocks made from crustacean shells while the broth made from pureed prawns and tomatoes.


Zuppa di coda di bue - Ox-tail Soup (RM 29), a thick soup that is hearty and rustic; another Porto Romano's specialty. It was easy to get hooked to this succulent soup with each spoonful.


Zuppa alla Porto Romano - Porto Romano Seafood Soup (RM 24), using only fresh seafood, this eclectic combination brings out the essence of Porto Romano.


Spaghetti Puttanesca (RM 27), originated in the Naples area with a salty savory mix of Mediterranean anchovy fillets, capers, olives and aubergines. This dish has a powerful taste because the ingredients used are strong in flavors - my taste buds were tingling in anticipation!


Pasta Nera con Calamari - Squid Ink Pasta (RM 35), freshly made fettuccine flavored with squid ink and cooked with calamari rings. Freshly made squid ink pasta is not easy to come by, it was cooked to a perfect al dente. At Porto Romano, customers are spoilt for choice with an extensive list of 18 types of pasta to choose from.


Pizza al Pesto - Pizza Pesto and Chicken (RM 45), tomato sauce makes way for Pesto sauce in this to-die-for pizza. A definite must try here, where the standard tomato sauce base is traded in for a new inventive makeover which is not easily forgotten.

Pizza al Toro (RM 35), with toppings of beef pepperoni, beef bacon and beef pastrami. It certainly sounds bullish and we were indeed merry when we bit into this thin crust pizza!


While for pizza, there are 13 varieties ranging from the classic Pizza Magherita to the cheesy Pizza con Quattro Formaggi (Four Cheeses Pizza).


Charbroiled Chicken Leg Spanish Style (RM 32), succulent and juicy charbroiled boneless chicken leg topped with a well-balanced lemon-based sauce. It was one of our personal favorite!


Moussaka (RM 38), a Greek classic made from layers of grilled aubergine and minced lamb. We love moussaka and we tried making it once at home. The process of making moussaka can be relatively tedious.


Stinco d'Agnello - Braised Lamb Shank (RM 38), braised in over fire for hours till tender and served in its own tomato-based gravy with side salad or spaghetti. A Porto Romano signature dish.


Risotto Frutti di Mare - Seafood Risotto (RM 32), with Italian Arborio rice, assorted seafood and white wine cooked over a slow fire for at least 20 minutes. This perfectly cooked creamy risotto was well-flavored with the sweetness from the seafood and white wine. Porto Romano's mouth-watering risotto is definitely one of the dish that keep us coming back for more!




The friendly owner, Mr. Eddie Wong recommended us to pair the seafood risotto with a glass of white wine.


This attractive light yellow color Vina Canepa Classico Chardonnay, Chile (2009), it was fresh and fruity. Indeed, it was like a good marriage with the seafood risotto!


Of course, our meals weren't complete until desserts showed itself, it ended with two desserts and coffees - Caffe Latte (RM 8).

Torta di Mele - Apple Pie (RM 12), a twist to the classic apple pie served with custard sauce and vanilla ice cream. Thin layer of crispy pastry wrapped around the warm apple fillings that were strongly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and other spices.

Tiramisu (RM 15), Porto Romano's version of Tiramisu using the best coffee and almond liqueur was rich and heavy.


Affogato (RM 19), a traditional and popular Italian espresso-based treat made from a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a shot of Kahlua liqueur and an espresso over it. Even though I'm a coffee lover, one sip of coffee at this time will turn me into a night owl!

Freshly brewed coffee from Caffe Vergnano (RM 6.50). Caffe Vergnano is a coffee company with a long and prestigious history; it was founded in Italy way back in 1882! Sadly, I taste it but the smell of "a perfect espresso" was wafting through the air. I'll definitely head back to Porto Romano during the day time to discover the aroma and atmosphere of this Italian coffee.

Verdict: Porto Romano is a bit on the pricey side but some of the dishes are pretty good. Their risottos, pizzas and pastas are our favorites.


Address:
Lot G, Lower Concourse,
The Intermark,
182, Jalan Tun Razak,
50400 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2162 6799
Business Hours: Opens daily from 11am - 10pm.
Pork Free: Yes
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 3.161084, 101.720266
Map:

View Eat Lah Food Map in a larger map

Pin It Tweet

Off the beaten track, Kin No Uma Japanese Restaurant is located in the Palace of the Golden Horses. Tagged as Asia's most extraordinary hotel, Palace of the Golden Horses is a world-class award winning luxury hotel located within Mines Resort City, Seri Kembangan.


Before stepping into the restaurant, you will walk through a world of wonderment and royalty filled with mythological horse figures located in the hotel grand lobby.


This deluxe and tranquil restaurant is surrounded with traditional decor and truly exudes a warm traditional Japanese setting with light colored wood. It was a true cultural experience with private tatami rooms and waitresses clad in kimonos.


One thing about us, we love Japanese food in all its glory - the simplicity taste, the freshness and the way it is presented. It has become our weekly comfort food.


Once settled, we were introduced to Chef Khair who began his culinary career 24 years ago in Kyoto, Japan. Chef Khair's cheerful presence added a lot to our dining experience whereby he introduced every dish with a flowery turn of phrase. Without further ado, itadakimas!


Maguro Natto / Tuna with Fermented Soybean (RM 24). Few people have heard of maguro natto and for good reason, it may be the slimiest and most repulsive-looking dish in Japanese cuisine. The natto (fermented soybean) has a strong musky odor of lightly rotted nutty flavor and stringiness of sticky glue. Natto lovers praise the health benefits, subtle complexity of taste and texture while some consider it too vile for human consumption. It was an experience!


Sunomono Moriawase / Assorted Seafood, Seaweed and Cucumber in Vinegar Sauce (RM 34), a wonderful light, tangy and refreshing appetizer to start off the meal.


Gyu Tataki / Raw Beef with Ponzu sauce (RM 28), lightly seared tender beef served thinly sliced with ponzu sauce (citrus-based soy sauce) and grated daikon. The freshness of the beef was faultless when paired with the ponzu sauce and the evenly thin sliced texture gave just the right resistance.

Kuruma Ebi Motoyaki / Grilled King Prawn with Mayonnaise Sauce (RM 48), beautifully presented succulent grilled King prawn as one of our luxurious starter.


Kin No Uma Roll (RM 58), deep fried King prawn, lettuce, cucumber, avocado and cheese wrapped with seaweed, sushi rice and topped with fish roe and mayonnaise. A nicely presented signature dish made from the finest ingredients.


Uma Hooseki Tsukuri Moriawase / Deluxe Assortment of Seasonal Raw Fish (RM 165), it had 7 types of seafood with 3 slices each ranging from salmon, tuna, white tuna, red snapper, seabass, octopus to surf clams. The sashimi pieces were cut to the proper thickness which brings out the inherent taste and flavours, and needless to say, all were sparklingly fresh!


Oyster Teppanyaki (RM 46), with half dozen of fresh oyster lightly sauteed in fragrant butter garlic sauce. This well-executed dish was perfectly timed to retain the freshness taste and juiciness of the oyster.


Tanuki Udon Matawa Soba / Buckwheat or Thick Noodles in Hot Broth with Deep-Fried Tempura Fritters (RM 27.50), heart-warming bowl of udon topped with lots of crispy tempura bits. We enjoyed how the way the bits that stick out stayed crispy, while the submerged bits became almost fluffy. Overall, it gave the simple hot broth an added crunchy dimension.


The udon were slippery, with a substantial chew and definitely made for slurping - just the way we liked it to be!


Garlic Fried Rice (RM 17), this version of garlic fried rice was done very well whereby every grains were fragrant without being overly greasy. Served with deep-fried thin and crispy salmon skin, it was the perfect combination and deeply satisfying!


Maruyama Tempura / Deep-Fried Assorted Seafood and Vegetables in Batter (RM 42), it was a beautiful arrangement of lightly coated tempura that weren't too greasy and served with a dipping sauce mixed with freshly grated daikon.


Kin No Uma Bento Dinner Set (RM 89), we were never a fan of bento because we rarely get all the stuffs we like in a single "lunch" box. But this is different, it had all the firepower with any two types of sashimi, one type of sushi, sunomono (vinegared dishes), agemono (deep-fried dishes) and yakimono (grilled dishes).

Within the bento box, we had slices of raw tuna and salmon, unagi sushi, marinated baby octopus and crab meat in vinegar, soft shell crab and vegetables tempura, grilled salmon and scallops in teriyaki sauce. This set also includes a bowl of rice, miso soup, chawan mushi, pickles and fruits.


Sashimi To Tempura Lunch Set (RM 60), with assorted raw fish, deep-fried seafood and vegetables with tempura batter and accompanied with a bowl of rice, salad, chawan mushi, miso soup, pickles and fruits.


This bento set certainly brings the smile for those who preferred their bento less complicating and focused only on the two things, sashimi and tempura.


There are also a wide selection of premium temaki (hand rolls) sushi such as Spider Temaki, California Temaki, Ebi Temaki, Maguro Temaki, Shake Temaki and Unagi Temaki with prices ranging from RM 16 - RM 28 each.


For desserts, we had the Abekawa Mochi / Soft Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Mixed Peanuts (RM 21.50), it tasted similar to our Chinese mua chee except for the price tag! Nevertheless, it was soft and nicely coated with fine grounded peanut powder.


Matcha Aisu Kurimu / Green Tea Ice Cream (RM 17), served with azuki (red beans) to perfectly balance between the subtle bitterness of green tea and the gentle sweetness of sweet red bean paste. We love green tea ice cream, the more bitter, the better it is!


Needless to say, we were all satisfied by the end of the night.

Verdict: As is often the case, the best comes at a premium. The price is generally more expensive than other Japanese restaurants, but for the freshness and grade you received, it is definitely worth trying.


Address:
Palace of the Golden Horses,
Lobby Level,
Jalan Kuda Emas,
Mines Resort City,
43300 Seri Kembangan,
Selangor
Tel: 03-8946 4888
Business Hours: Opens daily from 12pm - 2.30pm and 6.30pm - 10.30pm
Pork Free: Yes
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 3.046411, 101.709280
Map:

View Eat Lah Food Map in a larger map