Italian restaurants in the Klang Valley are aplenty, but there are only a few good joints that serve pork and have successfully built themselves a household name. Neroteca is one of those old timers that have been around for years. The cosy non-halal restaurant that specialises in rustic style Italian fare with has had a sole branch at Bukit Ceylon before opening up a new place at Plaza Damansara in December 2014.
Offering wholesome food cooked with meats and cheeses that are imported from Italy every week, word has it that Neroteca serves one of the best and cheapest cold cuts in town. Aside from that, some of the restaurant’s best-selling dishes include the homemade pastas, ocean trout carpaccio, Iberico pig ribs, suckling pig, lamb rack, and fresh stone oven pizzas.
Just recently in September, Neroteca Plaza Damansara started hosting weekend brunch buffets every Saturdays and Sundays from 11am till 3pm. Without beverage, the brunch costs RM88 nett per pax and with a free flow of Prosecco, red wine and white wine, the brunch costs RM188 nett per pax.
With a specially curated menu that changes every week depending on the chef, customers who go to Neroteca for the weekend brunch buffet can enjoy a variation of mixed salads, assorted premium meat cuts, cheese cuts, pizzas, a soup, mains like meats, pastas, vegetables and seafood, as well as assorted desserts.
To begin, there was a good selection of premium cold cuts and fine Italian cheeses. With excellent salami, ham and pancetta thrown into the mix, I kept going back for more and the saltiness of the cold cuts went well with my Prosecco. Bread was also served upon request and I thoroughly enjoyed nibbling on the cheeses with the cold cuts. I also ordered a freshly made waffle, which was gloriously filled with peanut butter.
As for antipasto, there was a good variation offered including a French bean salad, a simple tomato salad with onions, a seafood salad with mussels, squid and prawns, grilled courgettes, a pepper salad and a lentil soup. I tried a bit of everything and really liked the seafood salad. The lentil soup doesn’t look as appetising, but it is worth trying. To my surprise, it is comforting and most importantly tasty.
For the mains, there were ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach topped with an Italiano sauce, an aglio olio pasta with pork meatballs, a pork stew in red wine sauce, sauteed vegetables, roasted lamb ribs and the pizzas. The ravioli tasted way better than the aglio olio pasta with meatballs as the latter was bland and uninteresting. The vegetables were cooked through, but still had a nice crunch to them. My favourite was the pork stew with carrots, which was hearty, extremely flavourful and delicious. Although the lamb ribs were tender, I didn’t really fancy the Asian style flavours from the marinade the chef used. Last but not least, the delightful pizzas were generously loaded with toppings.
Now, the desserts were spectacular in our books. Besides fresh fruits, we had the panna cotta, lemon creme brulee and chocolate creme brulee, which were delectable. Not sickly sweet, the panna cotta had a fresh vanilla flavour and was topped with a blueberry compote. The lemon creme brulee was slightly tangy, and the chocolate creme brulee was enjoyably rich.
I get irked easily when there are live acoustic singers at restaurants, but I was pleasantly entertained by the live performances at NeroTeca during my visit for the weekend brunch buffet. It wasn’t obnoxiously loud and I still was able to chat with my friend in peace without feeling like I was disturbed.
There were definitely some hits and misses when it comes to the food selection offered, but I really have to commend the quick-thinking staff who were helpful, and the cosy, relaxing environment, which is exactly what I would have wanted on a lazy Sunday morning. It is the perfect place to sit back, let loose, and experience a boozy brunch without chattering crowd. I, for one, definitely had one too many glasses of Prosecco, but it helped balance out my palate and kept me eating for even longer.
Once again, Neroteca‘s weekend brunch buffet (11am till 3pm) at Plaza Damansara is priced at RM88 nett with no beverage, and RM188 nett with a free flow of Prosecco, red wine and white wine. You could literally refill your glass for over three hours, so I believe that the price of RM188 nett is sure worth every penny.
17 & 15, Plaza Damansara,
Medan Setia 1, Bukit Damansara,
50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri – 9am to 12.00am, Sat – Sun – 9am to 12.45am
Tel: +603-2011 5725
Fax: +603-2011 8725
Email: enquiry@neroteca.net
