Vincenzo

you know an Italian restaurant is good when it attracts customers who drive Lambourghinis with the license plate ‘DADI’ :P

Vincenzo is a nice Italian eatery that’s situated at the end of the One Bangsar strip of restaurants. i havn’t actually heard very much about Vincenzo prior to this, but the place looked so pretty that we just had to go check it out! arriving at 8pm, we found the place already full on both floors. there aren’t many tables in the place, plus they often hold private functions, so making prior reservations would be a wise move if you plan to eat at Vincenzo. dont be like azlan and i, okay - of the 375498756 times we go out to have dinner, we probably only make reservations like once. hehe. but we’ve learnt our lesson.

Vincenzo has quiet, understated and classy ambience with just the right amount of warmth. mellow jazz music is piped throughout the place, and there’s a little patio section for you to dine in if you want a bit of sun during lunch hours or some fresh air.

for my starter, i had … hehehe seafood soup! yes, again! cos i like lah. but the soup here wasnt very good though. it was so forgettable that i couldnt even remember whether or not i liked it, and had to ask azlan to jog my memory. he says that i didnt like it. then i remembered that i thought it was too tasteless and watered down despite having a lot of seafood stuff in it.

azlan had the caesar salad which he didnt like, cos the dressing wasnt creamy enough. i quite agree, but i guess salads arent meant to be sinful :P it was a pretty huge portion though, and the cheese was of great quality.

azlan’s venison main was up next, served on a bed of asparagus shoots and potatoes. he thought it wasnt up to standard, but i felt it was okay. the marinade could be better though. probably would not order again ..

once again, my expertise at picking the better main shines through! heehee. i had the sea bass which came with a lovely lemon butter sauce. this was soooo superbly good and quite possibly the best fish i’ve had in a while. every bite was flavourful and the fish was unbelievably fresh. very yum, i totally recommend it.

the waiter recommended the tiramisu, and despite being really sick of tiramisu, we had it anyway. we didnt think it was going to be good, since every place touts their tiramisu as their bestselling dessert even when it’s not very nice anyway … but Vincenzo’s tiramisu was actually pretty yummy! it’s served in a glass, and has very dense layers of mascarporne, which is exactly how tiramisu should be. none of that light and fluffy cheese crap!! the coffee liquer taste is strong and thick too. overall, pretty boring and nothing special, but still good. a 4/5 :)

okayyyyy this is their chocolate torte, and it is TO DIE FOR. the base is this nice crunchy biscuit pastry, the filling is the most amazing bittersweet dark chocolate, and finally, a thick blueberry confit lends the dessert a slight sweet tanginess. sooooooooooo gooooooooood. it’s like forkfuls of heaven!!! this dessert totally made up for the below par seafood soup, caesar salad and venison - and it’s the only reason i would go back to Vincenzo.

if you like creme brulee, i think theirs should be pretty good cos the table behind us were raving about it. plus it was the waiter’s first recommendation of dessert. we’re not creme brulee fans though, so we didnt get it.

i quite like the service here. very professional, very warm. well-informed, too! and the price is actually really reasonable - cheaper than most italian restaurants of this standard. it’s cheaper than Cipolla, that’s for sure.

overall, Vincenzo was just alright. it’s a very nice chillout place to just kick back and have wine with one or two friends - but i wouldnt come here for anniversary dinners or birthdays or any other special occasion. it’s just not that kinda place. it’s still a delightful place though, which is more than i can say for some of the restaurants on the One Bangsar strip. next time you go there, try Vincenzo. avoid NiNe and Montien Thai at all costs -_-

Vincenzo
One Bangsar, Jalan Ara,
Bangsar Baru,
59100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel : 603-2287 1686

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hey i’m running out of italian eateries to go to. do you guys have any recommendations? i have extended my range to the Subang area since i study there now :D so if you know any good italian restaurants in Subang (or anywhere else), do tell ok! anyways here are my recommendations :

The Good
Ciao (Jln Tun Razak)
La Risata (Medan Damansara & Ampang)
Oggi (The Regent)
Opus (Bangsar)
Nero Vivo (Ceylon Hill)
Pizza Bella Italia (SS2 PJ)

Just Alright
Cipolla (Bangsar)
Prego (Westin KL)
Villa Danielli (Sheraton KL)
Vincenzo (Bangsar)
Allegro (SS15 Subang)

The Bad
Pizza Uno (Ampang & Subang)
Piccolo Mondo (Mid Valley & Lot 10)
Venezia (Tmn Segar)

oh by the way i’ve renounced my italian food strike. hehe. just couldnt stay away.

Comments July 21st, 2006