One of the more surprising Italian food that I have tried around Kuala Lumpur was chancing upon Osteria Gamberoni online. Located right in the heart of town, opposite famous restaurants such as Yut Kee and Pizza Dihyang, Osteria Gamberoni’s food shows that they are up to par being located right next to those giants.
Parking on the weekend is pretty relaxed with plentiful of options around. Atmosphere of the restaurant was nice and relaxed.
Being an Italian joint we were served with a Cestino di Pane per Due which was an assorted bread basket (first basket is free).
Since there were only two of us, we ordered the Polpette al Sugo (beef meatballs, tomato, garlic and rustic bread), Risotto al Nero di Seppia (Arborio rice, black squid ink, seabass flakes, prawn, squid, clam, white wine), Gnocchetti Sardi alla Campidanese (Dry Sardinian gnocchetti, tomato, garlic, onion, beef sausage) and a side of Puré di Patate all’Italiana (Whipped potato, cream, parmesan). Feels like we ordered too much at the time but everything was so good that we finished it all.
As a starter, the beef meatballs were cooked to perfection. When I took it apart, it showed a nice pinkish middle section. The meatball was both moist and packed full of flavours.
Our mains came up next, a combination of a pasta and a risotto.
The black squid ink risotto was rich, you can taste the seafood in each bite and the taste of the black squid ink was just about right. The rice was cooked perfectly, it had a nice chew to it and not at all mushy (yes, it didn’t turn to porridge). Still the serving size was a bit large for my wife so I did help her finish it.
I ordered the gnocchetti with sardines, especially for one who hates eating sardines, this was absolutely divine. I finished it all up very quickly. The pasta was cooked el dente so it had a nice bite to it and the sardines in tomato was just bursting in flavour. The flavours were quite balanced and nothing was overpowering the other.
Interestingly, one of the stars of the show was this simple whipped potato which had both cream and parmesan on it as well as some oils. Mix it all up and I wished I had hot bread that I could dip it in but by the time I was done with all the food, eating this alone was just so satisfying.
Verdict
I would definitely return here again to try out other dishes, the pizza and perhaps other pastas as well. I definitely look forward to going back to Osteria Gamberoni. Truly a hidden gem for me and I do hope that more people discover the place.
Osteria Gamberoni
17, Jalan Yap Ah Shak, Chow Kit, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
