PR Managers have the most fun in their jobs, or so I thought. They get to party while they work. But Eric begs to differ. He is a PR Manager in a marketing communications firm in Malaysia. He hardly enjoys himself at events, as he has to make sure everything runs smoothly. I find him more fun when he’s not working.
Complimentary bread basketWe catch up every now and then, over food and drinks of course. Since Bangsar is both our turf, Vineria at Bangsar Shopping Centre was an ideal choice. When I dine out, I try not to kick up a fuss about service, especially when I’m catching up with friends. But as much as I tried that night, the service was abysmal. ABYSMAL. 
The staff were ignorant, poorly trained and some could hardly speak English. We asked for a wine recommendation, but our waiter didn’t quite understand English, so we stuck to the Pinot Grigio (RM26) and Pinot Noir (RM36). The Spanish ham on stewed Toscana beans (RM26 – large) was quite good. It was a simple dish with robust flavours — lovely when eaten with bread. 
Gnocchi (RM24) was decent. It wasn’t stodgy, but it wasn’t as light or fluffy as I expected it to be. The tomato-based sauce could have been better. It lacked zest and tanginess.
Pizza Buffalina (RM32) fared better. It comprised warm crust, subtle tomato sauce, olive oil, buffalo mozzarella, pomodoro and Nocina ham. The crust was thin and light with a faint smoky taste. The buffalo mozzarella tasted mild, but it had a full, creamy texture. I enjoyed this. 
Desserts were not bad, but they were not worth shouting about. I wanted the Grappa gelato (RM8), which wasn’t available so I tried the Bourbon vanilla. It was quite good, but I found it a tad too sweet. 
I’ve seen chefs make this poached pear dessert on Asian Food Channel, but I’ve never tried it let alone attempt to make it. The vanilla gelato added richness to the brandy poached pear, by giving it a creamier taste and texture. I’m a cake person, so this was just alright for me.
Overall, I didn’t find the food all that great but I enjoyed the company. Would I come back again? Maybe, but only for the ambiance.
Ambiance: 7/10
Price: 5/10
Food: 5/10 (pork-free)
Verdict: Average food, poor service.
G-133, Ground Floor
Bangsar Shopping Centre
285, Jalan Maarof
Kuala Lumpur
03 2287 7889
14 comments
well u can always refuse to pay the service charge esp if they cant justify the service they gave you.
The ambience does look cozy and impressive, but the service definitely turns one off.. How could they even have waiters who can't speak proper English?
Nice env, and the foods looks good too :)
Absolutely impossible! It almost feels like the level of service here is regressing! The other day, I was at a wine place which could not even tell the difference between red and white wine! I was flipping mad!
for this kind of place, it's normal that you expect good service..
luckily the food lived up to expectations :)
still a very long way to go in malaysian service industry -__-
Haha.. save $. No nd to go there di aft reading yr review.
halo, 你好！首次登访！哦……你这里好多东西看呢！！好多美食介绍呢！！
first time come 2 ur blog here…nice blog…food post nice…delicious…
me from 《爱上熟女》, welcome u to my blog….
DREAMARTZ STUDIOS – Thanks!
nomad – Yeah….no need to hurry there.
KY – VERY long way!
leo – Food was ok only…didn't justify the price tag. >.<
minchow – Restaurant owners should train their staff properly!!
uLi – Environment was nice. Food, not quite.
iamthewitch – Cheaper labour?
Jow – I can??
My friends and I had dinner at Vineria.IT last night (this was my second visit) and safe to say that we are never going back there! Most of the food was satisfactory even though they screwed up a simple Aglio Olio (we specifically requested not spicy but when it arrived the first time, it was spicy and had to be returned).
We also had to wait 40 mins to get 2 ginger ales which we ordered when we first arrived which I found utterly ridiculous. I don’t understand why wait-staff refuse to write orders down when they can’t seem to remember them.
Service was sub-standard throughout the night and we were always hunting for someone to take our order. The fact that I had to get up and walk to the front of the restaurant 3 times just to get the waiter shows you how inattentive they were!
If it was just a case of ignorance, perhaps I could be more forgiving but I just could not tolerate the skinny Italian guy’s (manager?) rude and pompous attitude. When we tried to ask for additional spoons while he was looking in the wine chiller which was near our table, without even bothering to look up, he just put his hand up and told us to wait. Maybe that’s his way of talking but it sounded really rude from where I was sitting. Seriously, I have never been treated like this in any fine dining establishment in KL or anywhere else.
After waiting almost half an hour for our coffee and gelato to arrive, we had to leave and decided to cancel the orders and settle the bill. I won’t even go into the details of the fiasco with the bill but suffice to say that the so-called Italian manager is in desperate need of a few lessons in manners (and also math ’cause he can’t do simple arithmetic even with a calculator it seems) and if he’s incapable of learning any, then I suggest he find another career as he’s obviously not cut out for the hospitality/ service industry.
I now understand why there are so many negative reviews on this place (mainly on the service and bad attitude of the manager I might add).
How they even have the cheek to charge 10% service, I can’t explain. Our bill was over RM1k so we basically paid RM100+ for NOTHING!!!!
Take my advice and spend your money elsewhere!!
Ya, awful place. Waited over an hour with a 2.5 yr old and a pregnant wife for food. My daughter was asleep when it arrived, on an empty stomach, so I asked for take away. They brought me a full bill. Dodgy excuses from the manager – the grill JUST broke (we had pasta) – four urgings to a useless staff for our food – and they are charging me full price. I told them I’ll pay for the food I ate – which they agreed – and then took away the take away. Ignorant for for a poorly run, low range Italian shopping mall restaurant.
This place is terribly awful! Very very very poor service! The staffs are all very rude! Food are just alright, way below average. Presentation is just pass. Not perfect or excellent or not even good. People are smoking in-doors as well which is bad for kids and other diners. The beers are good but bad bar service. Never coming hear ever again.
I’m surprised at the bad review for this place as every time I go there, I leave entirely satisfied both with the wine, food and service.
The service there is good, prompt and very knowledgeable about their wines. Just ask for Enrico and he will take good care of you. The best part is that they even remember your name and they type of wine you prefer after visiting that place twice.
Their pastas and pizza’s are made fresh which makes them tasty. Their cheese platter called Burrata is excellent!
I’ve returned there many many times for dinner and drinks without fail and introduced many friends to that place. A perfect place to wine down, enjoy good food and great wine accompanied by great ambiance.
Thanks Shakila.
I know of people like you who enjoy going to Vineria. My parents like this place too. And yes, I’ve heard good things about the burrata. I guess this calls for a revisit to see if things have improved. Thanks for the tip. :)