Monnalisa Ristorante Italiano is something of an open secret among local foodies and expatriates here. Located at Sri Hartamas Shopping Centre, the five-year-old restaurant offers a casual and comfortable dining experience suited to private engagements as well as family dinners.
A photo of the southern city of Naples hangs proudly on one of the walls, with Mount Vesuvius of historical infamy looming in the background.
Once you sit, there’s a strong chance the amicable restaurant owner, Carmine Iavazzo, will swing by to personally chat you up and offer recommendations from the menu.
For starters, treat yourself to some bruschetta: slices of crunchy grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with fresh vegetables. The bread is light and crisp, the toppings bursting with fresh flavour that will leave you hankering for more.
Choose from topping varieties including zucchini, bell peppers with green olives, tomato, eggplant, and friarielli – a vegetable not commonly used in Malaysia, but which regularly features in Mediterranean cuisine and has a mildly bitter taste.
As wine is a mainstay on any true Italian’s dining table, ask for Monnalisa’s selection and pick a bottle out for yourself.
No visit to a “ristorante” is complete without pasta, so get yourself a serving of penne alla Genovesa, which is a traditional Neapolitan dish despite its name.
The pasta is slow-cooked with beef and onions, and the sauce is incredibly savoury and addictive, especially when combined with the penne that is littered with shredded parmesan cheese. With every bite, enjoy tender bits of beef with a delectable pasta that almost melts in the mouth.
As a bonus, there is a legend as to how this dish got its name, which Carmine will happily share with you. So ask him about it!
Fond of spaghetti? Monnalisa has just the thing for you. Its spaghetti puttanesca is a godsend for lovers of tomato-based fare.
Made with olives, capers and tomato sauce, this dish is distinct from its Bolognese counterpart thanks to the absence of meat.
A combination of savoury, sweet, spicy and bold, this spaghetti certainly packs a punch and will leave you salivating for more.
Who in their right mind would visit an Italian restaurant without trying its pizza? The pride and joy of Monnalisa is its Margherita pizza, which uses only three ingredients but is “magnifico” despite its simplicity.
According to Carmine, the pizza displays the Italian tricolour: red from the tomatoes, white from the mozzarella cheese, and green from the basil. And as any Italian would tell you, using more than these ingredients for a Margherita is tantamount to sacrilege.
With its crispy crust, creamy cheese, fragrant sauce and fresh herbs, you will never look at a pizza the same way again.
After the mains, it’s time for dessert! The pastiera, a simple tart with a sweet scent, might not look like much, but appearances can be deceiving: this pastry is soft and warm to the touch, with a delicate butter crust and a rich filling.
Made with cooked wheat, eggs and ricotta cheese, it is a treat traditionally reserved for Easter celebrations, but here, you can enjoy it all year round.
Serving simplicity
Carmine, who hails from Naples, tells FMT that Italian food is all about simplicity. “If there are more than five ingredients used, it’s no longer Italian food,” he says.
The 47-year-old arrived in Malaysia as an engineer two decades ago but always dreamed of owning his own restaurant. Monnalisa, he says, was his way of introducing true Italian food to local gourmands.
According to him, southern Italian cuisine is largely vegetable-based, with few proteins used. Hence, he is happy to welcome vegan diners to his restaurant, where a dedicated full vegan menu is available.
Carmine says he has been cooking since he was five, having been raised in his grandmother’s restaurant in Naples, which also had the name Monnalisa.
It is in his grandmother’s memory that he started this restaurant of its namesake, and her portrait still hangs on a back wall.
“Anything I do here, I first think to myself, ‘Would she be proud of this or not?’ If not, I won’t do it,” he declares.
Given the food and experience to be relished here at Monnalisa, one can say with conviction that she would be most proud of her grandson.
Check out Monnalisa Ristorante Italiano on Facebook. For deliveries, call 03-62065394.
Monnalisa Ristorante Italiano
M-1-1, Hartamas Shopping Centre
Jalan Sri Hartamas 1
Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Business hours: 4.30pm-11.30pm daily except Mondays