Sassorosso Italian Restaurant & Wine Retailer

Sassorosso, KL.

When it comes to my choice of a nice birthday dinner, it has to be Italian. I just love the typical cozy setting, white table cloth and a guaranteed array of fine wines and good food. So this year, for my very belated birthday treat, we went downtown to the heart of KL city to check out Sassorosso. Tucked away at a quiet corner, Sassorosso (Red Stone in Italian language) is housed in a nice white bungalow, a stone throw away from the likes of Passion Road and Market Place Restaurant & Lounge. Parking is a bit of a problem there. You probably have to park along the road and pay a private car park attendant RM4 to ‘look after’ your vehicle. Nevertheless, this place is really nice and from the front entrance, you get a magnificent night view of the Petronas Twin Tower as the backdrop.

The Drinks

We started going through the wine list and was recommended a 2008 Negresco Garda (Red wine) at RM198 a bottle.

For a start, to quench our thirst, we ordered a bottle of aqua frizzante or sparkling water (RM15). While we waited for our food, they served us a basket of pastry with olive oil / balsamic vinegar dip. Apart from the fine wines and liquor, they serve a good range of grappa and prosecco as well. This I think would be a nice place to come for their weekend lunch buffet and sip prosecco and grappa all day long!

The Food

For antipasti, we ordered the traditional Lentil soup (RM18) and one of the day’s special, which is the Salmon & Butter Fish Carpaccio with pine nuts, rocket salad and shallots vinaigrette (RM32).



Traditional Lentil Soup

The lentil soup was nice and full of ‘warmth’. It tasted a bit bland at the beginning, but towards the end, the flavours started to blossom, probably due to nice wine we were sipping.



Salmon & Butter Fish Carpaccio



The Salmon & Butter Fish Carpaccio was very interesting. The butter fish has got a nice soft, yet firm texture and the red peppercorn really accentuates the flavour of the fish. And I must say the shallots vinaigrette add a nice crunchy side to the dish and was really refreshing.

For the Primi, we had the Squid Ink Tagliatelle with fresh scallops and broccoli (RM42). The squid ink pasta is nicely al dente but the taste of the squid ink is not so obvious. The scallops were quite fresh but not very well infuse with flavours. Overall, it is nice.

Squid Ink Taliatelle with Scallops & Broccoli



For Secondi, we ordered the Braised Rabbit & Shallots in Red Wine Sauce served with Mashed Potato (RM48). Not many Italian restaurants does rabbits and we were surprised to find it on the ‘tonight’s special’ menu. The last time we had it was at Al Baretto Trattoria in Recco, Italy. So we asked for it without having second thoughts. It was not disappointing at all. Really tasty and full of that gamy flavours. And the wine that was recommended was spot on, full bodied with a fruity finish. Perfect match for our food, in particular, the rabbit dish. Hitz the Spot!

Braised Rabbit & Shallots in Red Wine Sauce

As always, we must never skip the Dolce in an Italian restaurant. We went for the Pannacotta and fresh plum poached in caramelized red wine (RM20). Not the usual caramelized version, but this was nice with a good firm texture and the sweetness of the plum plus the sour tinge from the red wine really compliments the pannacotta. Nice.

Pannacotta with fresh plum

Ambience

Verdict
Overall, Sassorosso is a nice Italian restaurant with a cozy ambience, nice settings and serves good straight forward Italian cuisine from pastas to oven baked pizzas to meats and a good range of drinks to go with your meal. A good indulgence for special occasion, this is a nice place to take your date.

Location
Address:
Sassorosso
9, Lorong Yap Kwan Seng
50450, Kuala Lumpur


Tel: 03-21666428
Fax: 03-21666429

Website: http://www.sassorosso.com.my/

Map:
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Ming Kee Restaurant at Seapark a.k.a Basement

Basement, Seapark PJ

This place has been around in Seapark for the longest time. Not sure when, but it existed way before I shifted to Seapark in 1995. Even then, it has established itself as one of the favourite dinner joint for the residents there. The stall is called ‘Ming Kee’ but amongst my friends, we called it ‘Basement’. Why? Simply because it is located slightly lower than the main road and to access the restaurant, you have to take a few steps down. During the day, there are a few food stalls operating with the anchor tenant selling drinks and ‘Mixed Rice’. Infact this mixed rice stall has quite a few variety of dishes of which I patronize quite a fair bit. The ‘Basement’ stall only operates in the evening and by as early as 5pm, they will start taking orders.

They don’t have a menu. It is a ‘no frills’ place and the food there are simple stuff. Although some of their dishes are quite elaborated, in general they do everything from poultry to seafood to noodles. I have tried every single dish from this restaurant as it was my daily fix during my 8 years as a resident there. It got to the point where I didn’t have to order my food; they will just decide my dishes for me and surprise me with the day’s special. Now it has become one of our traditions to meet up once in a blue moon there. The blue moon appeared recently and we (the basement gang) met up for a simple dinner of home cook style dishes and beers.

 

Will.i.am, Sylvia & Kirk (One big happy family)





Suresh & his bottle


























The Food

Butter Pork Ribs (Nai Yao Pai Guat)

This is one of the specialty there...a definite must have. Everyone who tried it loved it to the bones! Imaging pork ribs done in butter prawns style. The crispy and fatty feel of the pork ribs and the deep fried curry leaves, eggs and a bit of chili padi just accentuates the flavours of the pork. Lovely, this one. I have not come across this style in other restaurants. Hitz the Spot time and time again!

Deep Fried Tilapia wrapped in aluminium foil

This is another interesting dish. You can choose to have a Siakap fish or in this case, a simple Tilapia. This fish is first deep fried and then wrapped in alumimium foil with a sauce mixture (probably worcester sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce mix) and onions and then steamed to get the sauce and all the flavours absorbed into the fish. A nice alternative to deep fried fish.

Ginger paste steamed chicken

Drenched with ginger paste (young ginger, spring onions, garlic, soysauce etc), at times, the ginger paste could be over-powering and packed with heat. A bit inconsistent for this dish. Sometimes they get it right. When they do, it is quite a nice variation to have with the other stuff as it breaks the monotony of the salty, spicy taste from the other dishes.



Sizzling Plate Tofu



This dish needs no introduction. Tofu (Beancurd) with shrimps, button mushroom, peas, lean pork served on a sizzling iron plate. Well, the excitement lasted as long as the sizzle. After that, it is just plain beancurd dish. Nothing special.



Stir Fried Vege with garlic



Shanghai Noodle (Cha Cheong Noodle)

Another specialty here is their popular Cha Cheong Noodle. They use the same thick fat noodle normally used in cooking their Hokkien noodle. The base sauce for this noodle is their favourite worcester sauce. The cook here seems to be a big fan of it. This noodle dish comes with freshly julienne cucumber, onions, minced pork, fresh chilli, garlic and beaten eggs. The ingredrients come together like a perfect match, complimenting the otherwise tatseless nature of the noodles.The freshness of the julienne cucumber is interesting and the big surprise is the beaten eggs, stir fried lightly and simmer into the sauce. The texture of the eggs fit in nicely. This Cha Cheong noodle really hitz the spot!



Cantonese Style Fried Yee Mee



Simple and nice, this is their version of the ever popular cantonese style fried yee mee. Stir fried with seafood and egg based sauce, it is simply tasty.

Ambience

Simple coffee shop style. If you are particular about cleanliness, then you better skip this place. Its nothing fancy but you can relax and go with your pyjamas without the patrons there giving you a second stare. Prices are reasonable. You can even bring your own fish from your fishing trip over the weekend to cook at the restaurant. They will just charge you for the preparation. Service is prompt but be warn, you might have to wait for quite a while if you get there during the peak hours. Personally, I have experienced a 1 hour wait for food. So do bring along your newspaper and a deck of cards to fill up your waiting time.

Verdict
I am very bias when it comes to Basement. Don't know why. Maybe it has a nostalgic feel for me and the fact that it fed me well for many years when i was staying nearby. Nevertheless, i still recommend it to my friends and i still crave for that butter pork ribs and the Cha Cheong noodle every now and then.

Location
Opposite the Seapark KFC. You won't miss it.
Address: Jalan 21/19 Petaling Jaya.