Your Friendly Neighbourhood Italian Restaurant - Fantastico LA RISATA
Italian cuisine - the exquisite thought of having pastas and pizzas makes me hungry. Italy is said to be home to some of the grandest food in the world and the good news is one does not need to travel all the way to Italy to enjoy such delicacies anymore.
"Good food is good mood" and that is exactly what LA RISATA, Italian for the laughter is all about. Established in 1996, Italian food connoisseurs are able to experience a variety of authentic Italian dishes ranging from traditional wood-fired oven thin & crispy pizzas to pastas, meat and seafood dishes that exudes the very essence of Italian dining.
LA RISATA is a labour of love by duo Lisa Yeoh and Yuen Yin Szeto. This partnership allowed Yuen to fully focus on the financial aspects of the company while Lisa looks into the operational side whilst working closely with the chefs on the menu. This really was the catalyst to their success and fast forward to present, we have a modern Italian restaurant that represents perfection at its finest.
The restaurant itself has soothing dim lit lightings with elegant interiors. This provide a cosy ambience, but it also forms the perfect essence of a warm and relaxing dining place. Solid wooden chairs and spacious tables come together in a seamlessly classy fashion providing that homely feel.
The Menu At La Risata
Shared here are some dishes that were personally recommended to us. As simple as it may seem, every ingredient used has its purpose, and were carefully selected to cater to customers taste buds.
While we were going through the menu for the very first time, we noticed that the main ingredients were displayed except the cooking methods or any sub-ingredients. That is where the fun is ain't it as it creates that mysterious feel as to what one might get - something similar to fusion cuisines where you let the chef surprise you. I personally enjoyed the fact that it creates an element of surprise.
Once we received the dish, Selena Mak, Senior Sales & Marketing Manager patiently took her time to explain each dish in detail to us. Portion here are great for sharing and that would give better opportunity for trying the different items from the menu.
Tortellini D'Anatra E Porcini, RM37
Gnocchi Ai Gamberi, RM24
The Gnocchi Ai Gamberi clearly demonstrates the chef's passion for flavour. The simple looking dish is eschewed with generous amount of potato dumplings and prawns coated with sweet aromas from the herb and butter. In the mouth, the dumplings and prawns were chewy and juicy, screaming freshness in every bite. Overall, a very tasty appetiser I may say to kick off your main course.
Tortellini D'Anatra E Porcini, RM37
The smoked duck meat stuffing within the well-pressed "dumplings" is seasoned delicately with porcini, button mushrooms as well as tomatoes. It is definitely enriching without masking the smoked duck's natural flavours. One of the most pleasing aspects of this dish is definitely the sauce which complemented the varying textures of the smoked duck. The result left us incomplete awe. Think of it like a "custom made suit" for the smoked duck if you get what I mean satisfaction wise of course.
Pizza Carbonara (Top half), RM29
Pizza Pera E Gorgonzola (Bottom half), RM33
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| Top half - Pizza Carbonara & Bottom half - Pizza Pera E Gorgonzola |
This was a mixture of two different pizzas served together on one single plate to prevent wastage. Starting off with the carbonara, imagine having carbonara on your pizza instead of the usual spaghetti. Now let that sink in and that was exactly what we had. While any carbonara recipe is traditionally made with pancetta, that delectable Italian taste can be hard to master but it turned out great!
One of the things that I love about this pizza is the crispy yet thin crust, unlike traditional pizzas out there, it definitely packs a punch and when it crumbles in your mouth - CRISPY! And then we got the aforementioned parmesan and mozzarella cheese - giving the pizza an extra texture of silky strands of melted cheese feel to it, and then, of course - all the beef bacon.
For those of you who prefer your pizza with a more toned down flavour, the Pera E Gorgonzola is the perfect pizza for you. It was love at first bite for us as theafter taste is one that will only get better in time. Believe us when we say the more you chew the stronger the taste produced from the combination of gorgonzola, mozzarella and walnut all of which are the catalyst to what is already an exquisite pizza. Not to mention the addition of the rocket leaves really does balance the "jelak" feeling one get after they have had one too many cheese. This is certainly one of those meals that one can consume for any time of the day.
Tomini Alla Griglia Con Peperoni Arrostiti, RM40
Of special mention is the Tomini Alla Griglia which consist of a perfectly grilled meat enriched with a layer of soft fresh cheese that is made from cow's milk. The grilled meat is juicy in the centre but crispy on the outside. Imagine that with a layer of cheese accompanied with the right amount of roasted pepper, tomato and rocket leaves on a crusty ciabatta bread. What a cheesy way to start your meal eh.
Spaghetti Alla Risata, RM39
Inspired by an Italian cooking television show, the spaghetti Alla Risata is one of their specialty. The diversity and complexity of this hearty meal along with the likes of prawns, mussels, squid and clams is simply amazing. They are extremely generous with their portion as you can see however sharing is not caring when it comes to this picture because this spaghetti is so darn good.
Costata Di Manzo Alla Griglia, RM76
Personally, this was one of my favourite main course meal on the menu. Albeit a medium rare fan, I found a new liking towards the medium well doneness in which its tenderness befitted me with greed in my heart. Accompanying the grilled Australian chilled grain-fed rib was a selection of sauces; the creamy mushroom, gorgonzola cheese and brown sauce. Truth be told, all three sauces gel pretty well with the grilled meat. The myriad of flavors literally exploded on my tongue, shimming through my mouth, slapping my taste buds, and I love it!
Chocolate Bombe, RM25
I still crave this bomb. The fusion of dark and white chocolate semifreddo with wild berries was simply delightful. The level of sweetness to it is just perfect thanks to the dark chocolate. The combination of dark and white chocolate together makes it an excellent choice for chocolate lovers. My favourite dessert, personally!
Sfogliatelle, RM18
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| Sometimes Italian food can be a bit heavy, hence this simple yet delicate pastry was the perfect compliment. |
The second dessert we had was the Sfogliatelle which I know looks like curry puffs. The ricotta or chocolate were folded seamlessly into the crispy shell-shaped pastry, which added a symphony of flavours and texture in this dessert.
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| Food aside, their coffee is equally as good too. Their coffee art is simply amazing! |
We had the privilege to meet the restaurant manager as well as the chef whose greeting was as warm as the ambience of the restaurant. There we enquired further into their secrets from top down ranging from day-to-day operations and the secret behind their success. Indeed this was the highlight of that sunny afternoon.
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| From left - Nurul Shima, Manager of La Risata (Damansara), Selena Mak, Senior Sales & Marketing Manager, and Kumar, Head Chef of La Risata Damansara. |
La Risata is a labour of of passion, and it shows in every step of your dining experience right from that very moment you walk through the door. Shima, Selena and Chef Kumar have put a lot of heart and soul into this friendly neighbourhood restaurant, and it really has paid off. Currently open for dinners, La Risata is the perfect choice for any occasions - a great place to bring your loved ones or even a simple catch up with friends.
We were invited to the La Risata Damansara branch, while their original branch is in Ampang. For more information on both the La Risata and contact information, do visit their website.
Restaurant Information
128, Jalan Kasah,
Medan Damansara,
50490 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-20959572
Email: info@la-risata.com
Operating Hours: Daily - Lunch (12:00PM - 3:00PM) & Dinner (6:00PM - 11:00PM)
Warmest Regards,
Nigel Chong
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