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BIG on flavour Leonardo’s has something for everyone — from Italian classics to local hawker fare

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Caesar Salad with Dill-Cured Salmon

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’ve always loved the little block of commerce along Jalan Bangkung, tucked within Bukit Bandaraya, Kuala Lumpur. It houses a lovely collection of eateries reminiscent of those in Europe that are small in size and big in flavour.

The latest addition is Leonardo’s Dining Room & Wine Loft, named after the ultimate renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci. One assumes that with a name like that, Leonardo’s menu would be pure Italian — Florentine and Tuscan cooking perhaps.

Well, this eatery is Italian, infused with some creativity and some ideas borrowed off hawker food, served with flair, and a fine selection of wines.

The restaurant takes the first and second floors of a shoplot; its entryway — a flight of steps lit by dim brass lamps and tea lights — is welcoming indeed, prepping diners for the cosy ambience waiting atop the stairs, promising the perfect place for a romantic dinner for two, or a cosy dinner gathering of up to eight.

My favourite spot is the balcony, which is the smoking section. Because we’re smack-dab in a residential area, it’s quiet, non-smoggy, and if there’s been a bit of rain, cool even. It’s almost like sitting in your own backyard. And if you’re wondering about the view, there is one if you’re easily impressed — past the foliage and rooftops of houses, you can see the upper bits of the Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower. However, if you’re

just here for drinks, there’s a better view in the wine loft one floor above, a lounge area quite popular with the after hours crowd.

Back in the dining room, service is friendly.

Give them your reservation and they don’t even glance at the book (unless you have an unusual name of course). “Five in the smoking section right? This way ma’am,” leads one lady.

Once seated, we’re handed the menus emblazoned with Da Vinci’s Vetruvian Man on the cover, the first Da Vinci tie-in so far. There are no other Da Vinci markings, no prints of his art or sketches on the restaurant’s exposed brick walls.

However, inside the menu, Leo is everywhere.

Leo’s Salad features a specially made “Leo Dressing” and the pizzas are shaped to the Golden Ratio, otherwise known as the divine proportion, the formula Da Vinci used to sketch his Vetruvian Man. I’d like to say that there exists Da Vinci’s sense of experimentation and invention in the dishes, but the menu comprises a fair amount of fare that is available elsewhere, and that’s including Hokkien noodles and Bak Kut Teh. Not that I’m complaining. In fact, I love that hawker food is served here, and served well with generous use of fresh ingredients. A bonus to that is I can enjoy a glass of vino or two with it, accompanied by Andrea Bocelli or Laura Pausini serenading in the background — via the sound system of course.

There’s also Kentucky Fried Frog for those

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OUR MENU Appetisers Roast Pork Mixed Premium Sausages Leo’s Salad Clam Chowder Mains Caesar Salad with Dill-Cured Salmon Grilled Pork Shoulder Penne Vegetable with Pesto Pan-Seared Bay Scallops with Lychee Dressing Dessert Dark Chocolate & Walnut Brownies Grilled Mango Cheeks

HOUSE WINE LIST Whites CYT Sauvignon Blanc, Chile Sileni Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand Oxford Landing Chardonnay, Australia Villa Antinori Bianco, Italy Sparkling Tenimenti Prosecco Frizzante - Conti Neri

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looking for some “finger-sucking good” (their words) fun, and among the traditional carbonara and vongole is also Ranjit’s Pasta, with prawns, bacon, cili padi and garlic... yummy.

My party of five decided to share some starters of Roast Pork and Mixed Premium Sausages, a platter of three types of homemade sausages. The roast pork was Chinese done siew yok style, and the homemade sausages were exquisite. In fact, an easy night would be this porky duo, a bottle of pinot noir and great conversation. But we were here to go the whole hog.

So one decided to try the Clam Chowder (too thick and not flavourful enough), following that with Pan-Seared Bay Scallops with Lychee Dressing as her main (very interesting — the salty-“sea”ness of the scallops was balanced by the sweet rocket and lychees). Two decided to order some salad to share, so one went with Leo’s Salad and another went with Caesar Salad with Dill-Cured Salmon.

Leo’s dressing turned out to be a balsamic vinaigrette with a hint of mandarin and Italian herbs, pleasant on the palate but not really mind-blowing gastronomy there. The Caesar was quite enjoyable as well.

The vegetarian among us went with the Penne Vegetable with Pesto, a nice, creamy pasta with lots of veggies but little pesto. I too tried a pasta dish — Spaghetti Carbonara, a creamy bacon-rich affair showered in basil. For such a rich dish, I found the serving too big. We also tried the Pork Shoulder, which is served on a bed of walnut risotto and drizzled with a rich red wine sauce. Succulent and juicy, this is probably one of Leonardo’s speciality dishes, one I highly recommend should you want to try it out.

That night, we finished our meal with a serving of Dark Chocolate & Walnut Brownies and Grilled Mango Cheeks served with pink peppercorn, cardamom-spiced honey and vanilla ice cream. The latter was

Reds Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon, South Africa Trio Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile Oxford Landing Shiraz, Australia

*Leonardo’s also has an extensive wine list of Old and New World wines

where I finally saw some steps outside the gastronomical box, in tune with Da Vinci’s spirit of experiment and adventure.

I’ve been there a few times since that first visit, and each time the service remains consistently friendly and good (although there was one time a newcomer was struggling to open a bottle of wine). I’ve also tried the Hokkien noodles, which I have to admit are pretty good, and features generous amounts of pork, tiger prawns and crackling — not the best dish for those with high cholesterol.

All in all, Leonardo’s may not be the most innovative of kitchens, but what it does serve up is great fusion fare big on flavour. Its wow factor is in the fact that the old classics are done well and served in the kind of ambience that few places in KL provide.

LEONARDO’S DINING ROOM & WINE LOFT 61-1 Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya, KL Tel: (03) 2096 2226 Opening hours: 5pm until late (closed on Mondays) All Options food reviews are done incognito. Food reviews are subjective as they depend on the likes and dislikes of each writer.

As they say, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. It’s best that readers try out the food reviewed here for themselves.

— Editor