Nero Vivo
April 25th, 2006
i am a totally nitpicky person when it comes to my fav cuisine of all time - ITALIAN! nowadays it’s so hard to find a really good italian place that has great food at the right portions and price, paired with excellent waiting staff and pleasant ambience. to be properly satisfied with the above combo, i have to keep going back to the same old places. but a girl needs a bit of change every once in a while, right?
right. that’s why i was so glad to have found Nero Vivo.
Nero Vivo is one of those refurbished bungalow-cum-restaurant types, and it’s nestled away in Ceylon Hill. it’s a fairly nice area, rather peaceful with not too many cars passing by, perfect for a quiet and cosy dinner.
the atmosphere of the place is classy and very romantic, much like Ciao (on Jln Tun Razak), only not as hushed. diners here are mostly expatriates or yuppies, and couples on a date. the interior is nicely decorated with tasteful artwork and warm hues, and outside is an al fresco section, overseeing a good ol’ brick pizza oven that lends a comforting touch of homeyness to the sophisticated furnishing of the restaurant :)
i always say that you can tell the quality of an Italian restaurant either by their tiramisu or their seafood soup. so naturally, we ordered both. their seafood soup comes in a funky square bowl, serving size slightly smaller than i’d like, but was amazing all the same. flavourful, tangy and broth-like. i so LOVE it.
their Caesar salad is nothing to shout about though, but is ideal for the weight-watcher as it comes with very light dressing. though unfortunately, not quite for the Atkins dieter since the croutons came aplenty!
if you’re a fan of cream sauce, the ravioli is a must-have. the pasta comes in big pieces stuffed with beef and herb mince, and laid in a dish of THE most awesome cream sauce in the world. it’s mascarporne with a hint of white wine, not too heavy at all, with the thick delicious taste of cheese clearly present. very yummy.
their beef tenderloin is served on a bed of diced zucchini (which i love), and is juicy and succulent. quality beef i would say, but unfortunately lacked some zing. the sauce or the marinade could have been better, i dont know. i wouldnt order the steak next time i go there.
dessert’s up! we ordered 2 - the tiramisu (but of course!!) and the strawberry millefoglie. the tiramisu came served in a crispy biscuit bowl which was good even on its own! the cake itself is nice - light and sweet, totally for you if you’re not a fan of overly rich desserts. i loved the crunchy crumbly bits in the cake, they offset the sponge layers sooo well.
the strawberry millefoglie is basically lots of cream sandwiched between two large wafers, then topped with more cream and strawberry slices. the wafers are of the same batter as the tiramisu’s bowl, so that was my fav part of it. the cream however was just standard cream, though just nicely milkier than whipped cream usually is. i dont really like this dessert, it wasnt indulgent enough for me. i’m a girl of thick, rich and cloying desserts! :D
all in all, i loved this place. it gets major points for ambience, and it is exactly the sort of restaurant i love and will keep going back to. service was pleasant though not particularly expert. there’s this one slightly effeminate waiter (yes, almost compulsory now in all italian eateries) who has these shoes that are so chic, they’re almost snobbish. you so gotta look out for him! he’s not that bad a sommelier, either :)
for folks concerned about the price, NV is actually not too steep. pasta dishes come in the rm20-30 range, meat and poultry for slightly more, say rm40? wines by the glass go for less than 20, and dessert is the same. cant remember how much the pizzas and appetizers were, though i dont think they were too expensive.
oh and down the street from Nero Vivo is Changkat Bkt Bintang, so after-dinner drinks are just a stroll away! so strategic, i likey.
i totally recommend this place, be it for a romantic dinner date or for a small birthday celebration. good food, good service, good ambience. and a same-sex bathroom. what more do you want???
Nero Vivo
3A, Jalan Ceylon
50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 603-20703120
Entry Filed under: Food
29 Comments Add your own
1. ArtificiallyVerbose | April 25th, 2006 at 6:37 am
forget mass comm. forget psychology. just get a job as a food critique now! excellent post which deserves some max brenner in return ;)
2. ria | April 25th, 2006 at 9:16 am
you know… AV is right.. you get earn bucks doing this food/resto review thing. :) why dont you give it a shot? im sure some of your papers over there would love to have you onboard as a contibutor. :D
3. Waifon | April 25th, 2006 at 11:11 am
You sure know what is good food and definitely, what’s great life all about! Now I feel like going back to be a college-less girl. Grrrr..
Yeah..I agree with AV and Ria. Go be a food critique! You totally have what it takes. Picky, have good taste, an eye for perfection and high metabolism rate:D Ohh..I saw KennySia in ur comment box.hehe.
4. expectation | April 25th, 2006 at 12:08 pm
it’s too expensive for me but I’d splurge just for the same-sex bathroom in such a lovely place!
5. spiller | April 25th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
hmm.. apart from pizzas and pastas, the rest are typical western cuisine, so its hard to define it as true Italian, besides the name.
nevertheless, bravo on the great review.
another great place for fine dining, bad news for boyfriends though :P
6. reallybites | April 25th, 2006 at 2:16 pm
a food reviewer with a phd in psychology la la la la
7. cK | April 25th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
eh….what’s so cool about the same sex bathroom? enlighten me pls
8. coco | April 25th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
I was soo about to ask su ann why she added the “same sex bathroom” part..lol
9. Lalita | April 25th, 2006 at 4:27 pm
I go along with the rest of the guys who suggested you would be a good restaurant review writer (and also a features writer lah like I always say) =)
10. FuGZ | April 25th, 2006 at 5:21 pm
EXCELLENT write up!
you could easily get a job. haha!
Anyhow, judging from the pictures, the place does look pleasant. Apart from the food, i think it is a place worth dining in, i’m guessing a chilled out ambience, somehow a warm welcoming dining. Would love to go there one day. I’m such a noob in exotic dishes and cuisines.
11. Johann | April 25th, 2006 at 9:33 pm
Where is the picture of the date darling? :p oh, and the same sex bathroom too… interesting concept in a retail environment :)
12. vvens | April 25th, 2006 at 9:47 pm
nice entry.
the food look so good and i’m feeling hungry now.
you can really take nice pictures.
13. george | April 25th, 2006 at 10:35 pm
they should pay you for this :P
14. Jay | April 25th, 2006 at 11:23 pm
What, no cannoli?
15. percy | April 26th, 2006 at 1:09 am
by the way youalso can go try eat at Jogoya Restaurant, T3 Relish floor, Starhill galery…must try the soft shell crab!!really nice..
16. crazymedicstudent | April 26th, 2006 at 1:31 am
tempted to comment again. great pics gal!! superbly taken. great for food critique/review uses. lol, yeah, u shud try getting a job as food critique while contempelating whether to take psychology o mass comm. u never noe, u might fall for it ;p
17. pinkpau | April 26th, 2006 at 11:46 am
artificially : WHEE!!!!! :D :D :D
ria : local newspapers here would NEVER pay me! haha they’ve got their resident food reviewers .. :)
waifon : let’s trade places for a bit .. haha i kinda wanna know how being in college feels like!!
expectation : but it’s cheaper than Prego!
spiller : if a place serves italian wine, pasta, pizza and tiramisu .. it’s italian cuisine to me! :) and haha YES bad news for boyfriends.
reallybites : one day i will achieve that dream .. hahaha now i’ll just be in-training first
cK & coco : haha well i dont KNOW. it just is! i went in and a couple of seconds later this guy walked in and he was like SHIT i’m so sorry!!! and i was like no no it’s a co-ed bathroom and he was like oh okay so are you here on a date and i was like yeah are you and he was like no i’m here with colleagues and he was omg so cute. hahahaa.
lalita : ooh if only .. :D
fugz : oh you should!! it’s a very nice place!
johann : i have a pic of the bathroom, actually! but i wont show you cos you’re a mean old man :D
vvens : reading your comment made me hungry, haha! and thanks! high praise coming from u, cos i think u take very nice pics!
george : or give me free food!!!
jay : no, i’ve never even had that!!! i so want it!!!
percy : ooh yea i’ve heard of jogoya :D will definitely check it out if you say so.
crazymedicstudent : thanks! hehe no la no one would hire me as a food reviewer cos i’ll write about the stuff i didnt like as well. reading food reviews nowadays, i think it’s become etiquette for the food reviewer to write only the good stuff!
18. Slinky | April 26th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Not bad at all! Having to pay that amount for such a lovely place, I guess it’s all worth it, no?
19. Johann | April 26th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
Meanie… you always bully your future husband :P
20. pinkpau | April 27th, 2006 at 2:34 am
slinky : yes! it’s not that expensive at all!
johann : *sulks* you arent very nice to your future wifey, either =(
21. steph | April 28th, 2006 at 8:59 am
awesome food entry! couldnt help salivating in eco class. which probably wasnt very good. vincenzo’s in bangsar on Jln Ara in also a pretty good place. plus they have special rooms and you can book out their balcony for private functions. =)
22. Colin Charles | April 30th, 2006 at 10:11 am
This is an excellent review! Now if I was in Malaysia I’d head there immediately.
BTW, whats a 17yo doing drinking wine? ;-)
23. pinkpau | May 1st, 2006 at 4:43 am
steph : ooh, gotta hit that place up one day! :) thanks for the recommendation!
colin : taking advantage of the fact nobody cards here in msia .. :D
24. DLT2 | May 4th, 2006 at 8:44 pm
BMW 6 Series =/
Ooooh this is making me hungry *runs off diggin for supper*
25. quaintly.net » St V&hellip | February 9th, 2007 at 6:29 am
[...] i blogged about Nero Vivo once over here, so i will cut this one short. Nero Vivo is a swanky Italian place in Ceylon Hill that is classy without being stifling, lively without being bustling. for some reason, the people who come here are really full of life - they talk loud, they laugh, they chatter away. i dont really like restaurants where everyone sits all prim and proper and are afraid to raise their voices above a whisper .. and that’s why i love Nero Vivo. easily one of the best Italian restaurants in KL - it’s right up there with Ciao. and the food here is great :) [...]
26. Sammy | July 24th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Just back from Nero Vivo, celebrated a friend’s bday there. Took ur word and tried the ravioli stuffed with wagyu beef. It was AMAZING :) But u must try their warm dark chocolate flan on white chocolate sauce next time! Since u like rich deserts.. ;)
27. WS | August 16th, 2007 at 9:43 am
argh. last time i travelled alll the way to nero vivo it was fully booked! really frustrating. and i nearly knocked over the wine glasses situated near the reception. ;D
28. guess | March 15th, 2008 at 11:01 am
I wonder if KL folks ever really understood food. NV is nothing to brag about. The food is flavorless but well packaged. The chef is a local who’s been trained and promoted and food is just ordinary Trattoria class… in a nice ambiance though…
29. j | May 31st, 2008 at 5:47 pm
du they have private rooms there?
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