Italiannies Italian Food @ The Gardens, Mid Valley City

Italiannies was amongst the first chain of Italian restaurant that started in Malaysia. The first branch was first opened in 1 Utama Shopping centre years ago. It was hoo-ha back then as everyone were talking about the great food being served in Italiannies.

Fast forward, Italiannies can be virtually found in almost all the major complexes in Klang Valley. During Eddie's previous holiday trip back to Kuala Lumpur, I was at the Gardens for a revisit of Italiannies food after several years of absent.

Italiannies The Gardens

I realized the ambiance was rather quiet and peaceful even though there was a sizeable crowd. Was it the Italian way of enjoying the meal?

A very retro setting

With the current economic crunch, Italiannies was no exception to introducing set meals at a very attractive price. For just RM 27.90, you get to enjoy their 2 course meal which include an appetizer and a main course on all night long.

Italiannies 2 Course Meal

Right after the attendant took your order, you will be served a complimentary plate of bread to go with the olive oil and vinegar.

Bread with Olive oil and Vinegar
The bread was really soft and good even on it's own. I find the taste was rather cute when you take the bread with olive oil and vinegar. I'd always associate vinegar to loh mee or shark's fin soup, so pardon me for feeling such. However, I find the taste acceptable though.

Lime Juice (RM 7.50)
"Limau Ais" in an Italian way.

Iced Cafe Latte (RM 7.90)
Pretty good latte with the right composition of milk and espresso coffee.

We ordered 3 sets of the 2 Course meal. This meant that we would have a total of 3 appetizers and 3 main courses.

Italian Clams Soup
A hearty soup with fresh clams and diced tomatoes.
The soup were a little diluted but came with plenty of diced tomatoes. I'm not really keen on the soup because it tasted a little fishy to me, thanks to the exorbitant amount of tomatoes. I supposed the tomatoes fans will love it.

Pizza Caprese
A thin crust pizza topped with buffalo mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, red onions and basil.
It might looked ordinary, but you will be hooked up to the crispiness and the pleasing aroma of the pizza.

Toasted Bruschetta

Homemade Tuscan bread topped with marinated tomatoes, pesto sauce and parmesan cheese.

My first bite unfold the crispiness of the Tuscan bread that were followed quickly by the juiciness of the marinated tomatoes. Parmesan cheese added some kick to it, hence making it my favourite appetizer!

Just before we could finished our appetizers, our main course were served to us.

Shrimp Linguine
Sauteed shrimp served with their in house marinara sauce.
I find the pasta were springy and it went decently with their tangy marina sauce that consisted a lot of tomato puree. The shrimp were big, succulent and juicy too. The only problem was it comes in an extremely huge portion and we had a hard time finishing them!

Romano Chicken Caesar Salad
Caesar salad that comes with roasted mushroom caps, artichoke hearts, roasted red bell peppers and topped with fried Romano Chicken.
I know it is very unusual to ask for a salad as a main course, but let's try the Italian way for at least a night. The salad might be lightly drizzled with sauce, but the combination of all the other ingredients make this salad very enjoyable. I'd particularly like the chunks of Romano Chicken and the crispy diced toasted bread that provide the extra chew and flavour to the salad.

Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Glaze
Oven-baked roasted chicken glazed with Balsamic that served with rosemary wedges and garlic butter broccoli.
The chicken meat were very rough and dry. I find the meat was very bland and not even the sweet balsamic glaze could make it taste any better. The best from this plate would be the garlic butter broccoli. Given a choice, I'd choose pasar malam roasted chicken at anytime than this.

With Eddie and Jenny for the dinner

The total bill for the above came to RM 116.30 after service and tax charges. I supposed the price was reasonable taking into the consideration of their generous portion. Not only that, the price was a huge reduction as compared to my first visit on years ago. Back then, I used to think Italiannies was a ripped off, but I have a second thought now.

Italian Clams Soup: 4.5/10

Pizza Caprese: 5/10
Toasted Bruschetta: 6.5/10
Shrimp Linguine: 5/10
Romano Chicken Caesar Salad: 6/10
Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Sauce: 3/10

Atmosphere: 7/10
Price: 6/10
Verdict: After so many years of absent, I still don't find their food impressive.

Italiannies
Lot S209, Second Floor
The Gardens, Mid Valley City
Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: 03 - 2283 3675

http://www.italiannies.com.my/location_the_gardens.html

Tony Roma's @ Sunway Pyramid

The last week of February marked with suspense amongst ACCA students who took their exam last December. Result was released on the 22nd February, and having went through it myself, I know how exactly it felt. Fortunately, most of my friends did well in that sitting and congratulations to them.

One of my happiest friend was Esther, as she did passed her final paper of the ACCA. This meant that she will be one of the many official affiliates of ACCA. Time for a celebration and, we agreed on Tony Roma's after shortlisting a few dining place.

I'd always like Tony Romas for their excellent staff service and the taste of their food. My first time patronizing here was back in year 2007 for my birthday celebration. Since then, I'd always recommend Tony Romas to my friends and families because of the excellent dining experience.

Cosy ambiance

Choosing your beverage was a headache because they have lots to offer ranging from alcoholic to non-alcoholic. It did took Esther a while before she pick her drink.

Bahama Mama Virgin (RM 7.90)
According to the attendant, this drink consisted of strawberry and banana juice. Unique enough.

Orange Juice (RM 8.90)
It is refillable and this is why I'd always stick to ordering the fruit juices whenever I'm here. I love free flow!

We were pretty hungry, and we did start off the dinner with their signature appetizer.

Onion Loaf (RM 12.90 half loaf, RM 16.90 full loaf)
Giant hand-cut Spanish onions, breaded, deep fried and served with their house BBQ dipping sauce.

Onion Loaf
Forget about being sinful for those diet watcher, because it will be more sinful not to indulge it. The bread loaf were so crispy and fluffy in the outside whilst the crunchy onion within offered the extra bite. Taste good even on itself. Need extra flavour? Just dip the loaf into their house BBQ sauce, and you will find it hard to resist the next helping.

Bread & Garlic butter
Complimentary from them as you ordered the Onion Loaf. Their bread was so soft and it went well with the Onion Loaf dipped with their special BBQ sauce.

I got creative, trying to make my own version of Onion Loaf sandwich.

My version of Onion Loaf Sandwich

Our main course was served to the table even before we finished the appetizer. This showed their kitchen staff is really working at an industrious rate. I'm a typical Asian and I'd always prefer to have some sauce for the extra dip on my main course. And for this, Tony Roma's were very generous with their offering of in house sauces.

Their in-house specialty sauce
They have Original, Red Hots, Blue Ridge Smokies and Carolina Honeys. Each of them have a special taste of their own, and you can be creative by mixing a few to form your favourite sauce.

BBQ 1/2 Chicken (RM 29.90)
A juicy, half chicken basted in Original barbecue sauce and charbroiled that served with French fries and cole slaw.
One of my favorite dish at Tony's and it doesn't fail me the each time I ordered it. It was full with flavour as a result of a good marination and perfectly charbroiled. Adding on, the chicken meat were so tender, juicy and full with sweetness. Two thumbs up!

Shrimp Scampi Pasta (RM 31.90)
A generous portion of shrimp lightly sauteed with garlic, fresh basil, tomato pesto, and a hint of chipotle. Served over linguine and topped with shaved Romano cheese.
I don't really fancied pasta but I find it hard to resist this pasta. My personal best shrimp pasta to date. Trust me, it was that good!

Congratulations to you Esther for being an affiliate of ACCA! =)

The total bill came to RM 105.25 which included 10% of service charge and 5 % governtment tax. I reckoned the price was pretty reasonable acknowledging the fact that the portion of their serving was very huge. I'd always find it difficult to finish a main course by myself. However on that day, I did finished them because I was somewhat very hungry. A very satisfying dinner in the end, and definitely I will be back here very soon!

Thank you Esther for the treat!=)

Atmosphere: 7/10

Food: 8/10
Price: 6/10
Verdict: Excellent food being served by the excellent staff!

Tony Roma's Ribs .Seafood. Steaks Restaurant
LL1.43, Lower Level One
Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall
3, Jalan PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway
46150, Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 603 - 7492 1188