Sassorosso, Kuala Lumpur

 “Ranks among the best Italian restaurants anywhere”

Sassorosso is an excellent, intimate restaurant with great emphasis on food. Located within walking distance of the world famous Petronas Towers, this restaurant is not flashy. This is an intimate, down-to-earth restaurant with the focus rightly centred on excellent cuisine.

Beef carpaccio served with rocket salad, artichokes heart, celery, parmesan flakes and citronette dressing and olive oil from Crete RM$36.

OMG! The tenderloin just melted in my mouth. In other restaurants, carpaccio is a little black because they cut it and then put it in the fridge. Here, carpaccio is a light dish and the carpaccio is red. The dish is an excellent balance between the meaty saltiness of the beef, the bitterness of the artichoke heart and the refreshing snap of the celery.

 

Duck Ravioli—- fresh homemade pasta served with mushroom sauce and sliced duck breast RM$48.

All the fat is taken out of the duck meat and used to make the mousse, which is then used to fill the pasta. The bones of the duck are used to make a brown sauce. At Sassorosso, they make all the sauces themselves.

 

Pheasant Fagiano Aisalmy

The pheasant is marinated for 48 hours in vegetables, herbs and red wine. Then it is cooked slowly for 3 to 3.5 hours to break the meat and nerve tendons. With the wild gamey flavour preserved, the bird is served on a bed of mash potato and onions.

I ended my meal with Warm Double Chocolate Flan, served with frozen wild berries RM$22.

I also had the chance to taste a Grappa. I tried the Vespaiolo grappa 2006 from Veneto RM$32.  Served in an elegant high-neck crystal glass, it is very smooth with an aftertaste of sweetness. The grapes were left 3 weeks longer than ordinary grapes for the grape to be sweeter. In that way, because they were left longer in the sun, they were already semi-dried by the sun. The grappa contains no added sugar. It has the light sweet scent of grapes but it is not heavy. It does not make you lethargic.

This is a very sensible restaurant with the focus correctly on the cuisine. No fancy decor, just white table cloths and simple black chairs. The restaurant’s decor was designed by the owner himself. In other words, less overheads and they can provide better value for money in term of what matters most—-the cuisine.

Some famous people who dined at Sassorosso include Michel Platini, the President of FIFA, the Queen of Saudi Arabia and bike champion Valentino Rossi.

Despite its simple décor, this Italian restaurant ranks as among the best anywhere, London, Vegas, New York, Italy. It is definitely worth making the trip here.