Eat Drink KL: Trattoria Il Porcellino @ Menara Hap Seng

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Trattoria Il Porcellino @ Menara Hap Seng

Returning to Trattoria il Porcellino. Earlier entries: Aug. 23, 2011, & Sept. 6, 2011.

Too many porky temptations to wax lyrical about here, but rest assured that Trattoria il Porcellino's fare remains supremely hearty & tasty. Try the house-made potato gnocchi, adorned with pork bacon & green peas in a creamy sauce.

Classic pork carbonara. Trattoria's kindest trait: its willingness to offer pasta in both regular & small servings; this cost RM14 before taxes for a light-eater's portion.

 Ravioli stuffed with minced pork & spinach in tomato sauce.

 Rigatoni in pork bolognese sauce.

Pappardelle with minced pork sausage & mushrooms in a cream sauce (RM15).

Spaghetti with prawns & spicy pork meatballs in tomato sauce.

 A fine roast: Roasted pork ribs with roasted potatoes.

Sauteed pork tenderloin with capsicum, cherry tomatoes & mashed carrots. Comfort food.

This might not look alluring, but it's amazing: pork belly, crispy-skinned & succulent-fleshed, with cheese-crusted scallop.

Costoletta alla Milanese (RM21), deep-fried breaded pork chop with French fries.

Trattoria's Italian-style interpretation of a pork burger, with a house-made pork patty, mozzarella, onions & mushroom in ciabatta bread, served with chunky fries (RM27).

Less satisfying: a sandwich of baguette stuffed with Parma ham & buffalo mozzarella (RM31).

So not everything here's a total hit: the spaghetti amatriciana, with bacon, tomato sauce & pecorino cheese, is OK but its rather wan flavors might pale against its peers.

Skip the knuckle, maybe; when we tried it, it bore an overly porky, off-putting stench.

Some nondescript salad to counter the sinfulness of this porky spread, though that veggie virtue itself is countered by the side serving of bread, cheese & chili, supplied for stomach-stuffing.

Trattoria sells cocktails for drink-in & takeaway. Try the South American ones, like Cuba Libres, Margaritas, Caipirinhas & so on.

Trattoria il Porcellino,
Menara Hap Seng, Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur.