Since we're still waiting for a renaissance of Italian restaurants in the Klang Valley, every new pizza-&-pasta specialist will secure a warm welcome from us. So it's nice to introduce Enorme, opening this week in Petaling Jaya's Centrestage complex.
Enorme's kitchen is helmed by Malaysian chef William Teh, whose experience over the past decade has spanned stints at Singapore's Les Amis Group. Now back home, he recently helped create the food menu at Subang's Flat White cafe, which also showcases Italian inspirations that reflect Teh's travels to that nation.
Wood-fired pizzas are the speciality at Enorme, with a twist - customers can choose between XXS-sized, five-inch servings that cost RM11-RM15 each, large ones for RM23-RM37, or XXL-sized behemoths (which explain Enorme's name - Italian for enormous) for RM43-RM65. We're not sure what the exact sizes are for the latter two.
The XXS version serves a fun purpose - we can imagine ordering several of these to share & sample a variety of pizzas. Our best bet: This one, well-topped with pancetta, sunny-side-up, mozzarella & diced tomatoes (RM14), but there are other options with Parma ham, streaky bacon or honey-baked ham (yup, Enorme is a pork-loving place).
The menu is wide; everything we tried was capably executed, from the lobster salad - comprising a fair portion of fresh-tasting crustacean flesh for RM22++ - with celery, red chillies & lemon juice ...
... to the capellini tossed with pulled duck confit, sun-dried tomatoes & parsley in a light parmesan sauce (RM32++). There's no true show-stopper here, as far as we can tell, but there are no soul-crushers either.
Truffle lovers will want to inhale deeply & savour this vegetarian lasagne with chopped black truffles, aubergines & zucchini (RM36++). Need a good reason to head to Enorme sooner rather than later? The restaurant is promising a 20 percent discount on its first 200 receipts - we can testify that we received it. Considering that Enorme only opened on Wednesday this week, the discount may still hold till this weekend.
We began with pork, let's close with it: Enorme's pork rack is a hefty 250-gram chunk of lean, mean protein (RM51++ - tip: if you like chicken breast, you'll be OK with this), accompanied by peas & orzo, the rice-shaped, short-cut pasta that's not often seen at KL's eateries.
Wine is sold at PJ-appropriate prices of RM20-RM25 per glass. Enorme's service team is encouragingly friendly & obliging.
Enorme Italian Restaurant
Ground Floor, PJ Centrestage, Jalan 13/1, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Open 10am-12am daily
This restaurant is available for bookings under TABLEAPP, which enables customers to make instant reservations at Malaysia's top restaurants, while saving time and money in the process. Reserve your table at this restaurant by clicking here.
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