There’s just something about Italian food and people in general, in which they take the dining experience very seriously and hardly give themselves any room for error.
Italian eateries are aplenty in Malaysia, but Via Pre breaks tradition by being situated in the quiet neighbourhood of Lorong Setiabistari, KL.
Even though Via Pre is only 4 months old in KL, they marked their opening in Penang way back in 2012, when brothers Maurizio and Massimiliano Ranauro moved from Biella, Italy to call Malaysia their home.
There were no Italian restaurants on the island at the time and the brothers found it apt to rent a quaint spot to house the Italian classic recipes that they’ve inherited from the women in the Ranauro family.
Maurizio, fondly known as Maury, is the manager of Via Pre and he shared how Via Pre is a street in Genova and it overlooks the harbour. The Penang outlet originally got its name as it overlooks the harbour as well, and it reminded the brothers of a familiar place, close to home.
Fast forward to 2016, Via Pre has opened their second outlet in Kuala Lumpur and where the Penang outlet offers more of a fine dining experience, the KL branch provides a chilled out and casual vibe that we were to keen to check out.
The Discover KL team recently enjoyed a 6-course dining experience at Via Pre Kul and to kick things off, we were served a bread basket featuring slices of bread which appeared to be freshly out of the oven.
They weren’t dry nor were they hard. In fact, it was the perfect base to dip into the extra virgin olive oil sauce, and the balsamic vinegar it came with also gave it a nice kick.
For our first course starter, we had the bresaola (RM29), which consists of air dried beef loin slices on fresh mozzarella, coupled with mushroom pickles, extra virgin olive oil and fine balsamic sauce.
When the dish was placed on the table, it was immediately ravished and for a pretty valid reason. The thin slices of beef loin was further complimented by the mozzarella and it wasn’t too savoury either. The rockets also gave it a hint of bitterness and crunch.
The vitello tonnatto (RM26) is a classic Piemontese antipasto covered roasted veal in tuna and capers mayo. What we loved about this dish was the fact that it had a chewy texture from the veal but the tuna gives it a velvety melt-in-your-mouth texture. The capers, though tiny in size, gave the dish a nice punch of flavour too.
Next was the cozze della casa (RM56) which is New Zealand fresh mussels in spicy tomato broth, condiment “marinaro” and schiacciata. Sure, this dish might sound like a mouthful, but taking a mouthful of this, we were instantly silenced.
It was fresh seafood at its best and we loved how the tangy tomatoes complimented it so well. Not only so, the dish also comes with roti, which you can dip into the sauce to savour every last drop of the condiment which although is labelled spicy, is only mildly so by Malaysian standards.
After our appetisers, we were treated to our second course of soups which further whet our appetite for the dishes to come. The pumpkin soup (RM21) comprised of carrots, orange and pumpkin soup topped with half dry tomatoes, pecorino and pesto.
It was a rich broth and the carrot and orange taste is not very strong though the pumpkin flavour is certainly the prominent note in this soup. It has to be said though that the pecorino cheese has a strong distinct taste which might be slightly overwhelming to non-cheese lovers.
Fret not though, for the pecorino flakes are merely the topping for this dish and it does not overpower the flavour of the pumpkin. Cheese lovers though would be able to appreciate Via Pre’s inclusion of cheese into this dish because it makes it more wholesome and filling at the same time.
The la zuppa di funghi (RM22) is a light leek and mushroom cream with chunky mushroom and parmesan rosemary crackers. This soup was a clear winner at our table. For those who prefer their soup to be less creamy, so that it doesn’t interfere with the mushroomy taste, then this soup delivers just that.
The attentive waiters cleared our dishes as next came our third course. We welcomed our pasta dishes with grumbling tummies and was instantly smitten with the gamberi and pesto dish (RM36).
It is linguine, Genovese basil pesto, sea-catch prawns and brandy’s flambéed. The smell itself was divine and we were delighted to find that the pasta was nicely al dente too. The prawns were big and juicy. Plus despite how pestos tend to be oily, this dish was surprisingly not so.
The aglio olio with broccoli and sausages (RM32) featured wholewheat pasta, broccoli, duck sausages, garlic and chilli. Being a big fan of aglio olio myself, I enjoyed how the dish was not too oily and tasted strongly of garlic, which to me, is a good thing as I fancied the flavours. The duck was tender and had a peppery taste to it and it complimented the pasta perfectly.
The ragu vitello (RM32) features pappardelle pasta with veal tomato ragu, porcini mushroom and grana padano cheese in extra virgin olive oil. What’s surprising about this dish is how wholesome it is. It reminds one of going home to have a homecooked meal specially prepared by our mother.
Unsurprisingly, Maury shared how most of Via Pre’s recipes are curated from home itself, with his mother and grandmother’s recipes being cleverly sneaked into the menu. Massimiliano, who plays the role of executive chef is also responsible for some of the recipes seen on the Via Pre menu. Hence, it’s safe to say that their meal ideas are all within the family.
The ragu vitello was creamy and the veal tomato tastes almost like minced meat. It has a soft texture layered with flavours of tomato. The ragu vitello on the other hand, was a great choice of pasta for this particular dish as it has a larger surface area and wraps nicely around the veal, much like another Malaysian dish known as pan mee.
As the waiters cleared our soup bowls away, we cleansed our palates with some drinks. We were served some alcoholic spritz (RM27) which is a Prosecco (Italian white wine) with Aperol (Italian soda), soda and an orange slice. This drink had a slightly bitter taste to it, but the citrus flavour compliments it well. As our dishes were slightly on the savoury end, the drink enhanced our taste buds for the meals to come.
We also had a chance to sample the Campari grapefruit which is in fact Via Pre’s own aperitivo with a squeeze of grapefruit and prosecco. Now this drink was an acquired taste. Also contains alcohol, by the way.
While some of us would have preferred the drink to be slightly sweeter, I enjoyed how the taste of the grapefruit stood out. As grapefruits are naturally on the bitter-sour end, it tasted authentic and refreshing to me.
Finally, our fourth course of pizzas arrived fresh and warm from the oven. We first tried the buffalina (RM36) which is buffalo mozzarella, pizza sauce, cecina beef prosciutto, rocket salad, parmigiana and extra virgin olive oil.
The beef was cut into thin slices and it was a rich dish when coupled with the buffalo mozzarella. It certainly reminded us of our earlier starter which was the bresaola. This time though, the beef prosciutto was slightly richer and rightfully so as the pizza has cheese in it and the cheese should not be overpowering the beef, which is the star of the dish.
The salsiccia and funghi (RM36) is a pizza with duck sausages, mushroom, tomato, mozzarella and pizza sauce. The duck sausages was something unique and not many of us has had duck served this way before. It certainly gave the pizza a tender piece of protein that left us wanting for more.
Our third pizza was my personal favourite and I had to restrain myself from going for thirds and fourths. It is the pizza vegetarian which is a pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella and mix vegetable toppings. What vegetable toppings you might ask? It is an assortment of bell peppers and olives. It added a little crunch to the dish and was a colourful sight indeed.
Despite being a vegetarian pizza which some may deem boring, it was certainly not so as it gained nods of approval from around the table as we devoured it with resounding “Mmmm’s”.
We were nearing the end of our gastronomical adventure and we have yet to even sample our fifth course which consisted of roasted fish (RM56) and Australian lamb rack (RM79).
Maury was kind enough to explain to us that the fish is in fact a King Fish imported from New Zealand, as many other ingredients in Via Pre are too imported from across the globe, be it Australia or Italy.
The fresh fish was pan roasted with broccoli, potatoes, olives and tomatoes. The vegetables had a buttery taste to it and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it even melts in my mouth like cream.
The fish itself was slightly harder than most of the other fish dishes that Malaysians may be used to, but that is not a bad thing. One would find that it has a nice chewy texture to it and best of all, you’d be able to taste just how fresh it is, with each bite.
The Australian lamb rack is one of Maury’s personal favourite and it is on his recommendation list when paying Via Pre a visit. The meat was done medium, and it’s surprisingly tender. It was incredibly juicy and is topped with a layer of cheese and eggplant. It tastes great when coupled with the sauce which was slightly spicy. Maury shared that this specific dish is a notable recipe from his own grandmother, back in Biella, Italy.
We also had a surprise dish which was the Canadian Live lobster with spaghetti pasta in brandy tomato sauce and chilli. The lobster was meaty and it’s nice to finally be able to sample lobsters which are fleshy because not many restaurants serve lobsters which have a proper amount of meat.
It was a treat to be able to eat the Canadian lobsters which has been imported and kept in ice to maintain its freshness until cooking time.
Finally, our sixth and final course was served and what else would it be but desserts? Certainly the group of us saved a little space in our already full tummies for the 4 desserts we were about to have.
First was the il tiramisu (RM22) which is a classic espresso and marsala creamy mascarpone. The dish was rich and the coffee taste was not overpowering. The sponge layer added some texture to the dish and it was soft and tasted like clouds, which was apt as it took us to cloud 9 for sure.
The frutti di bosco and mascarpone (RM25) was my personal favourite for a very valid reason. I do not like my desserts to be extremely sweet, and most Malaysian desserts are as such, but this Italian one was more on the sour, tangy end. The berries are the ingredients that helped to add the tanginess to the dessert and when coupled with the creamy mascarpone and the bittersweet grappa infused savoiardi, was a delight.
Our crème brulee (RM19) was made with sour lime and the vanilla was covered with caramelised brown sugar. We could also choose to have it alcohol flambéed or otherwise. We chose to have it without the alcohol flambée and the best part was the fact that it was not too sweet at all due to the tinge of sourness from the lime. It definitely is not your conventional crème brulee, that’s for sure!
Last, but definitely not least was the panna cotta frutta (RM21) which comes with balsamic berries and a low sugar and cream panna cota with real Madagascar vanilla. It has such a smooth texture that melts in the mouth and the berries cut through the sweetness of the panna cotta nicely, giving it a tangy, soft jelly texture.
Completing our six-course meal, we were left feeling full but satisfied and perhaps it was due to the fact that Via Pre prides itself on serving only the best of ingredients. In fact, their principal ingredients are imported straight from Italy.
Interestingly, a principle that Via Pre goes by is to maintain their standard of quality at all cost. Maury noted, “When I notice that some ingredients are finished, I would prefer to tell the customers that the particular dish which utilises that ingredient is not available. Perhaps the customer has travelled all the way just to sample the dish and I would rather say that it is not available than to switch the ingredients out with something of lesser quality.”
He continued: “When I go to a place, I expect the dish to be exactly the same every single time. In Kuala Lumpur, there are so many Italian restaurants, so we have to make sure that the way we cook our dishes, and the way we serve our customers is of top notch. It’s very easy to lose customers due to a small mistake so we try out best to not make the mistake.”
Where there are plenty of Italian restaurants in the area, there aren’t many that places as much emphasis on meals like how the Ranauro brothers do.
It’s clear to see that whether they are back home in Biella or right here in KL, they know that Malaysians, like their Italian counterparts, take their food very seriously and they really aren’t messing around with Via Pre’s offerings.
Via Pre’s set lunch deal is from Tuesday-Friday, 12pm-3pm, except public holidays. For RM28 nett, you can choose 1 main, 1 side dish and 1 drink. As for their happy hour deals from Tuesday-Sunday, 5.30pm-7.30pm, you can get one 2+1 deal on Carlsberg draft and house pouring Italian red and white wine by glass. Via Pre’s Christmas deal includes the antipasto (RM88+ for 2 pax, RM128+ for 4 pax), entrees (RM42-RM48+), main courses (RM98 and above) and desserts (RM16-RM22+).
