TOKLFDA2018 Shortlist: Best Italian

A trattoria is the Italian version of casual dining and Tosca, located in downtown KL, lives up to this definition with its menu of hearty home-style cooking, and both indoor and outdoor seating. With its brick pizza oven and open kitchen, diners are treated to a good selection of authentic Italian dishes including classic antipasti, pizza, freshly made pasta, risotto and mains where the oven-baked sea bass comes recommended.

A stalwart of the city’s Italian dining scene, La Risata’s staying power has everything to do with the fact that they prepare and serve popular Italian dishes well. With red brick walls and a rustic ambience, diners come for the wood-fired pizzas of both the bianco (white) and rosso (red) varieties with generous toppings. Must-try pasta dishes include the house specialties of freshly made Ravioli di Pesci and the appetising mixed seafood spaghetti baked in foil.

The décor of Favola gives you a hint as to where in Italy the culinary inspiration comes from – carnival masks, a rustic yet classy dining room, and a menu highlighting seafood. Specialties like Risotto Nero (squid ink risotto with sautéed lobster) and the baked seafood pasta keep diners returning. For something a little more decadent, you can’t go wrong with the porcini risotto topped with seared foie gras, and the Cassata ice cream cake is the ideal end to a Favola meal.

The Italian player of the Troika Sky Dining group, Strato melds delectable home cooking with a contemporary twist, accompanied with Italian wines. Pizza and homemade pasta dishes are the stars of the menu, such as the beef cheek tortellini with sage butter and the Margherita pizza with buffalo mozzarella. Don’t miss the moreish Milanese risotto with bone marrow and the vegetarian-friendly eggplant Parmigiana. And if you must, the polenta chips with mascarpone cream aren’t bad either!

Mention Prego and their famed Sunday brunch comes to mind. Expect a lively open kitchen concept and a substantial menu of authentic Italian food. Wood-fired pizzas and pasta form the mainstay of the specialties, and popular mains include the Bistecca alla Fiorentina (a whopping one kilo of prime T-bone), salt-crusted sea bass with lemon butter sauce and the signature truffle roast chicken. There are GF and vegetarian options; and wholemeal, gluten- and egg-free pasta is available on request.