Remember Andrea Zanella? The temperamental but terrific Italian chef who founded Chiaroscuro & later took charge at il Lido is back in action, now commanding the kitchen at the freshly unveiled Zenzero.
This understated, unfussy outlet seems set to nurture a placid presence at St Mary Residences; it's casually elegant, maintaining the spotlight on enjoyable food served by a hardworking team.
With a chef like Zanella, everything's worth eating, but our top pick's the Ancona-style brodetto, a seafood soup that brims with fresher-than-expected octopus, mussels, clams, fish & shrimp. Beautifully satisfying.
At RM22+, it's the ideal illustration of how Zenzero's prices might be the fairest of them all.
Baked spinach & gorgonzola cheese pie (RM24+). Crispy-creamy textures, mild-&-light flavours. Another pleasant starter that two can share.
Hearty, house-made fettuccine with a thick truffle sauce (RM38+). Pasta that provides pure pleasure & compelling comfort.
Baked gnocchi sorrentina (RM42+), carbs made cheesy with mozzarella, tangy with tomato sauce & buoyant with basil leaves.
Ravioli filled with Piedmontese beef (RM28+), robustly savoury.
Warm apple phyllo strudels with a stuffing of pine nuts, a thin coat of grappa sauce & a cool companion of raisin ice cream. RM18+.
Sicily's sweet pride, ricotta-choked cannoli fried pastries, to wrap up this feel-good lunch.
Carte Rouge Bordeaux, Calvet (RM78+ by the bottle). Zenzero's cheapest wine is a well-chosen, earthy one.
All in all, Zenzero's another fine F&B find at St Mary Residences; will we hear more about this outlet in 2014? Count on it.
Zenzero Restaurant & Wine Bar
A-0-9, St Mary Place, Jalan Tengah, Kuala Lumpur. Beside Delicious.
Currently open for lunch & dinner, Tuesdays through Sundays. Tel: 03-2022-3883
The latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now available online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. The eBook can be read & downloaded for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones.
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