Poached Jumbo Tiger Prawns with Cherry Tomatoes, wild rocket salad with grapefruit dressing... an absolutely delicious pairing.
By Eu Hooi Khaw
JAN 30 — I have had the best ravioli here, the smooth filling of cep mushrooms and creamy potato scented with thyme, spurting into my mouth with one light bite. The skin was so thin, the texture perfect, and these heart-shaped ravioli tinged pink with beetroot juice might be just the thing to celebrate Valentine’s Day with at Sassorosso, an Italian restaurant housed in a bungalow in Kuala Lumpur.
The Ceps ‘n’ Potato Ravioli with lentil herb sauce is an entrée in the menu for V Day dinner, to be held earlier, on Feb 11. Otherwise the romance of the occasion will be drowned in the rousing Chinese New Year celebrations.
Chef Giovanni Koromilas launched into the intricacies of making this ravioli – the sautéeing, chopping, boiling , blending… no wonder they were so good. He’s a chef of the old school, passionate about his craft. “You feel the food,” he said.
I had already felt it in the antipasti: Poached Jumbo Tiger Prawns with cherry tomatoes, wild rocket salad with grapefruit dressing in this “Love Menu.” And the Tempura Batter NZ Oysters with fennel, tomato confit with grain mustard dressing. Sweet prawns went well with the grapefruit dressing and wild rocket, both with a slight bitter edge.
empura Batter NZ Oysters are so good, you can still taste the freshness of the oysters.
The oysters were so skilfully deep-fried that the batter was just like a thin second skin, with their natural texture and juices intact. I liked the fennel salad with grain mustard dressing paired with them and the tomato confit was lovely, finished in tomato water, olive oil, garlic slices, fresh basil and thyme.
There is a choice of three main courses for this Feb 11 dinner — beef, lamb or cod. The Grilled Beef Tenderloin with glazed potatoes and caramelised shallots served with a 15-year-old balsamic reduction tasted like char siu (though no pork is served here). It had been set on a charcoal grill which imparted a delicious smokiness and crisp edges to the meat. Add to that the thicker, sweeter balsamic reduction and the meat melts in the mouth.
The Baked Lamb Rack with Vegetables Caponata and Kalimata Olive Sauce is a wonderful combination of a strong meat with an intense, nutty sauce with chopped zucchini and eggplant, and tomato concasse. Again the lamb had a welcome smokiness from the charcoal grilling and tasted so good with the olives in the lamb jus reduction. I just had to pick up the bone and tear at the meat on it.
The Panfried Cod Fillet with Butter Herb Crust and sautéed beetroot in light garlic sauce is a fine marriage of fish with a delicately flavoured crust of bread, butter, cheese and garlic, and hints of parsley, basil and thyme. The smooth, soft beetroot was a nice touch and added streaks of dark pink to the garlic sauce. “There’s no recipe to this; just my eye,” said the chef of the perfectly balanced flavours and texture of the cod.
The Varona Chocolate Flan with caramelized fresh strawberries and honey ice-cream ends this romantic dinner. Young diners may still feel a thrill at seeing melted chocolate flowing at the touch of the dessert fork, but I would have liked a more exciting dessert.
The dinner costs RM388++ with a bottle of Prosecco (Italian champagne). Without the champagne it’s RM338++. There is a retail wine shop within if you wish to choose your own wine. It has a wide range of 35 grappas as well.
Sassorosso has the right ambience for a celebratory evening like this. It can be as formal or informal as you wish, and there is music from a Korean cellist and a Russian violinist to enjoy and dance to.
You can dine inside or alfresco within a matured garden. Even within the private room that seats up to 35 people and faces the garden, there is a mango tree that’s still sprouting leaves. Sassorosso means red stone, the name inspired by a painting of volcanic landscape hanging in this room
Brunch is served every Sunday from 12pm to 3pm. There is a set lunch at RM28 for a variety of antipasti, and RM46 for antipasti, main course, dessert and coffee.
Sassorosso is located at 9 Lorong Yap Kwan Seng, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2144 6428.
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