When it comes to Bangsar or any mention of this bustling area, the Telawi streets undoubtedly comes into mind. It is indeed home to ever-growing cafes, restaurants and bars. We can confidently say you’ll be able to spend the entire day and night just venturing into different eateries and stores in this area alone. Perhaps, it’s time look elsewhere in Bangsar — somewhere quieter like Lorong Kurau.
Lorong Kurau is home to many prominent eateries such as Ganga Cafe, Bakar by Big and Baba Low. Now, modern Italian restaurant Mangiiare Dine & Bar makes its home on the small stretch of shops too.
The name Mangiiare means ‘to eat’ in Italian, but the owners decided to add an extra ‘i’ in its name. It’s a name befitting to the eatery, we say, as Mangiiare Dine & Bar aims to be the go-to place whenever one craves for delicious modern Italian cuisine.
Diving Into The Menu
Just by taking a quick glance at the menu, you’ll immediately notice a string of Italian favourites: mushroom risotto, Fettucine Carbonara, Margherita, and Frutti Di Mare, to name a few. However, we plunged into the more adventurous selections courtesy of Chef Nizam who has 20 years of experience in the industry. Alongside the Italian classics, he’s also introduced modern and local twists into the menu — Tandoori Chicken Pizza, anyone?
We started off with the appetizers. Chicken Liver Salad is one of the newest additions to the menu. This shallow-fried breaded chicken liver braised with balsamic brown sauce surprisingly had zero taste of gaminess, and almost tasted like regular fried chicken tenders. If you’re not normally a fan of liver, you’ll be able to enjoy this dish. Next up, piping-hot Spicy Seafood Soup filled with only the freshest from the ocean: black mussels, squid, tiger prawn and sea perch soaked in all its tomato and lime broth glory. It’s the perfect balance of tanginess and spice, which won’t overwhelm your palate for the rest of the meal.
As for the mains, we had a couple of classics and also fusion dishes — but our favourites were definitely the latter. The Salted Egg Linguine with Fried Tempura Crab tops the list, followed by the Tandoori Chicken Pizza. Pasta servings were generous and evenly coated with salted egg sauce. Topping off the pasta is a whole fried tempura crab placed. The Tandoori Chicken Pizza, a fusion of Italian and Indian cuisine had tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, tandoori chicken, mint yoghurt, mint leaf, coriander leaf topped with cucumber and onion raita. It may sound bizarre, but the cucumber and onion raita with mint yoghurt proves to be quite the refreshing bite. Other worthy mentions include the Squid Ink Risotto and Herbs Crusted Rack of Lamb.
Of course, no Italian meal would be complete without tiramisu. The Mangiiare Tiramisu is the restaurant’s signature desserts. You might imagine that it’s served in a regular deep pan or bowl, but the eatery took the layers of mascarpone cream and espresso-soaked sponge fingers and placed them into a tuile cup. As tiramisu is generally a soft, creamy dessert, the crunch from the handmade waffle cone contrasted extremely well with its texture. While desserts are usually shared, we’re pretty confident that you’ll be able to finish this one on your own.
Verdict
Mangiiare Dine & Bar‘s concept is relatively simple: you come in, take a seat, enjoy a good, hearty Italian or fusion meal and wind down with a glass of wine (there are over 43 labels available). Dishes listed on the menu are easy to understand, with a good mixture of both the classics and fusions. Everything is just simple — no fancy or confusing Italian names or labels that need googling in the midst of your order. Casual and friendly atmosphere just radiates from the eatery, while its location in a quiet neighbourhood makes the dining experience a far more comfortable one.
Photos: Mangiiare Dine & Bar
Jolin Lee
Contributor
Unlike most modern-day millennials, Jolin does not need caffeine or alcohol to power through the day (and night). Her eye for beauty is as sharp as her eyeliner flick, and she can spot your unblended eye makeup from a mile away.
