Restaurants that make their own pastas are nothing new, but few in KL, if any, claim to specialise in it. Enter Grano Pasta Bar, APW’s latest restaurant that aims to introduce KLites to a range of pasta that goes beyond the usual spag bol, aglio olio and creamy carbonara. And given that the person driving this is Meg Lee – the head chef responsible for making Proof Pizza + Wine one of our favourite joints for sourdough pizzas – there’s every reason to expect that Grano can be the city’s go-to place for pasta.
The restaurant sets a casual yet expectant mood for something different than your usual Italian fare. Designed by pow ideas – whose work includes the neighbouring Proof, Pocket Park and Kaiju Bar – Grano is a seamless part of APW’s environs, complete with light wood furniture, abstract art pieces and modern Roman archways that give a subtle nod to its Italian roots without resorting to cheesy tourist photos of Venice. Despite the limited space, the restaurant manages to squeeze in two floors that seat about 30 people, while full length mirrors on the ground floor and a connecting doorway to Proof on the upper floor makes it feel more spacious than it actually is.
The menu is compact but creative, featuring four classic and six gourmet pasta and risotto dishes. For those who crave a punchy pasta dish, opt for the creste di gallo lisce (RM37), where a short pasta shaped like a rooster's comb is coated with a sauce made from spicy Calabrian nduja pork salumi, capers, pearl onions and cherry tomatoes. While the chunky pieces of nduja are absent, its meaty and spicy flavours are unmistakably present in the sauce, and balanced out with the sweetness of the onions and tomatoes. Another heavy hitter is gnocchetti sardi carbonara (RM35), where pork pancetta, egg yolk and pecorino romano combine to create a rich, savoury carbonara without the use of cream – although we recommend adding in dash of freshly ground pepper to cut the fat.
Lighter options on the menu include the reginette (RM36), a ribbon wavy-frilled pasta served with a sauce made from braised free-range chicken, pancetta, white wine and chicken broth. The flavours aren’t as strong as the previous two, but it’s just as comforting as a bowl of chicken stew and gets tastier as you dig in. Vegetarians aren’t left out too: there’s the beetroot risotto (RM30) made with roasted beetroot, gorgonzola blue cheese, pecorino romano, herbs and white wine. Beetroot in Italian cooking might seem odd to many, but here it works to complement the rich earthiness of the cheeses, and provides structure to an otherwise simple risotto dish.
The dessert selection is limited to two choices: the Sourdoughnut (RM25) and Earl Grey lavender panna cotta (RM25). The former is a nod to Grano’s elder sibling, with sourdoughnut balls served with a lightly sweet and fully aromatic combination of rosemary custard sauce and rose flower whipped cream – a fitting end to an unconventional Italian meal.