Mercat Catalan & Portofino Italian @ Telawi & Lucky Garden, Bangsar
October 9, 2014
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European cooking is boiling over in Bangsar this month; for this entry, we return to Mercat Barcelona Gastrobar, which is now officially open, & reveal the first public peek into Portofino, a new Italian outlet that has spun off from the Porto Romano family.
Earlier preview of Mercat: September 21.
Don't skip Mercat's memorable rendition of 'patatas bravas' (RM22++) - petite pleasures that prove drop-dead delicious; these steaming-hot, bite-sized potato nuggets are melting-soft within & golden-crisp outside, luxuriously textured with layers of lightly spicy tomato sauce & Catalan-style creamy all i oli. Pop one whole into your mouth & enjoy.
Also worthwhile for whetting the appetite: Fuet (RM19++), described as pork sausages that have been cured in a pork gut. Savoury & a bit nutty, very smooth, sliced thinly & satisfyingly easy to eat.
Mercat's kitchen is all about comfort food; on a rainy evening, there's culinary consolation to be found in the ultra-addictive salmorejo (RM26++), the traditional Cordoban tomato puree topped with Spanish ham, conserved tuna & hard-boiled egg ...
... suquet pulpo (RM68++), seafood stew that's briny with octopus & mussels, richly flavoured with almonds, garlic & saffron ...
... wild mushroom rice with buttery smoked sheep's milk cheese (RM42++) ...
... & meatballs of minced Iberico pork & beef, partnered with cuttlefish & peas (RM39++), cementing Mercat's position as one of 2014's best new restaurants. Note though, prices are relatively high, so be prepared to spend north of RM100 per person.
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Mercat hasn't secured its liquor license; bring your own bottle for now (no corkage fee yet) or try the Catalan & Galician beer.
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Next up, moving on to the Lucky Garden section of Bangsar, where Portofino opened this week, helmed in a partnership that includes the folks behind the long-enduring Porto Romano group of restaurants.
Porto Romano casts a wide net across the Mediterranean for its menu, but Portofino sticks to the Italian classics; expect the likes of freshly made pappardelle with tangy-salty duck ragout (RM36+).
Portofino is blessed with a very good service team, but in terms of its food, some of the dishes might lack the nuances of truly terrific Italian cooking; the potato gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce & beef bacon (RM36++) errs on the side of uber-creaminess, making it too cloying after several bites. It's (rather one-dimensionally) tasty in flavour, but it evokes more guilt than pleasure.
Risotto with sweet curry spices, prawns, apple slices & parmesan (RM36++), also heavy-handed with the cream. Best shared.
Alcoholic affogato? Count us in; Portofino's features a kahlua kick (RM19++).
Decent wine list at Portofino; house pourings start at RM19.90+ by the glass & RM90+ by the bottle.
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Mercat Barcelona Gastrobar
51, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur.
Closed Mondays; currently open for dinner Tues-Fri, all day from lunch on weekends.
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Portofino Italian Restaurant
1 Persiaran Ara Kiri, Lucky Garden, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2094-8490. Open daily, lunch through late.
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