Anyone who knows me well would tell you that I love Italian food. So of course I jumped at the opportunity to review one of Ampang’s most authentic Italian Spanish restaurant, Sapore.
The thing I love most about Italian cooking is the fresh and vibrant flavours that showcases the beautiful ingredients used in cooking the dish, and Chef Fabio Ruggiero does just that.
Chef Fabio is the man behind the restaurant, hailing from Italy’s Puglia region, he has worked in several 5-star hotels and some of the best restaurants worldwide before he decided to open his own restaurant here in Kuala Lumpur.
Located next door to La Risata, Sapore certainly gives the popular Italian chain a run for its money. Sapore stands out by offering tapas and sharing dishes, which I love!
I’ve always been a fan of tapas, I like trying a bit of everything, and Sapore offers some mouthwatering delights.
We started our evening with Sapore’s Antipasti Tagliere for Sharing (RM88), which was one of the BEST antipasti platters I’ve had.
It featured chorizo pork sausage, salchichon spanish sausage, parma ham, capocollo salami, porchetta pork roast, rillettes, and pickled vegetables. The standout was the porchetta pork roast and capocollo salami, both were incredible! But everything else on that platter was spot on, and I loved the pickled gherkins and green olives they paired with the meat.
The Eggplant Parmigiana Style (RM18) was another favourite. The eggplant was cooked to perfection and the layers of cheese and rich tomato sauce were to die for! It must be one of the best eggplant parmigiana dishes I’ve ever had!
I’m not a fan of tripe, so the Beef Stewed Tripes with Tomatoes (RM22) was not on the top of my list. But if you like tripe, you’d love this dish. The beautiful tomato sauce is reason enough to order this dish.
The Artichoke and Sun-dried Tomatoes (RM18) was another favourite of mine. There aren’t many places that serves up artichoke and I don’t cook with it at home, so I was so pleased with the dish.
This dish is served cold and there was a slight tanginess and freshness to this dish that cuts through the richness of all the tomato-based dishes. I’d highly recommend this lovely vegetable dish!
Another cold dish to try as an appetiser is the Anchovies Marinated in Olive Oil (RM22), which was fresh and delicious.
But one of the standout starters was the Queso Manchego cheese served with honey and nuts (RM22). Manchego is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the manchega breed.
The cheese has a slight sweet taste and is paired incredibly well with the honey and nuts, I should eat cheese this way more often! And that was just the starters.
Moving onto the mains, we tried three pasta dishes before we had to throw in the towel and surrender our bloated tummies. The Rigatoni Rosticciana Tube Pasta and Stewed Iberico Pork Ribs, Tomatoes (RM38) was my personal favourite pasta at Sapore. The pork was so soft and tender and has that incredible rich taste that iberico pork has. The tomato sauce and cheese just adds to the richness of the dish! So good!
The Spaghetti Aglio Olio Crumbs and Anchovies Pecorino and Baby Tomatoes (RM26) was my least favourite pasta out of the three we tried. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad pasta. It was cooked well and had good flavour, I am just not a fan of the fishy flavour of the anchovy. However, as an aglio olio, it was flavourful and fans of anchovies would probably love this.
Sapore serves up some authentic Spaghetti Carbonara with Egg Yolk, Guanciale Ham and Pecorino (RM28). It is rich, creamy, and just what you hope for in a carbonara!
When you think of a typical Italian dessert, the first thing that comes to mind is tiramisu! Sapore’s Tiramisu with Coffee and Kalua (RM20) was stunning! The creaminess of the mascarpone cheese and the richness of the coffee and that hit of alcohol from the Kalua is a definite winner!
The Panna Cotta (RM12) was another great dessert with a great wobble! It is smooth, velvety, with a beautiful vanilla flavour.
The Vanilla Creme Brûlée (RM16) was unfortunately disappointing for me. It may have been a bad batch, but when we had our creme brûlée, the custard seemed a bit curdled. The texture was off! But other than that, the burnt sugar top had that lovely crack and crunch, and the flavour was good.
We had the pleasure of enjoying this lovely Siderit gin with Mint Leaves and Rosemary Leaves (RM42) cocktail. I am a huge fan! I love gin, and I love that freshness you get from the herbs.
The Espresso Martini with Kailua, Frengelico, Vodka and Vanila Syrup (RM38) was another great cocktail. I loved the strong flavour of espresso, it was rich and very full-bodied.
Overall, Sapore encapsulates everything I love about Italian and Spanish food. The dishes were unique and the ingredients were fresh.
I would definitely recommend paying Sapore a visit!
Sapore
Hours: Monday-Friday: 2pm-11.30pm, Saturday-Sunday: 10am-11.30pm
Address: 18, Persiaran Ampang, Desa Pahlawan, 55000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Website: Sapore
Tel: 03-4266 6362
This article was first published on Foodie vs the World. It is republished on Discover KL with permission.
All Image Credits: Foodie vs the World
