Antipasti Buffet at Spasso Milano in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

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I often receive emails from readers asking me to recommend a good Italian restaurant in KL that wouldn’t burn a hole in their wallet. And for the past one year, my answer has been Spasso Milano. When it was in Ampang, getting there was a bit of a hassle especially during rush hour but now that it’s in Pavilion KL, there’s hardly any excuse not to try the food.

Spasso Milano’s antipasti buffet is still available for RM28++. In its Ampang location, the antipasti buffet was RM18++ and an additional RM3 or RM6 for a main course. The new antipasti buffet doesn’t include a main course; instead, customers get “The Grill of The Day”. I like this better because you can have a second helping (or more) since it’s included in the buffet line-up.

It gets quite packed during lunch but fret not, as the buffet spread is constantly replenished. The grill of the day that afternoon was the Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Red Wine Gravy, a classic and delicious main dish. The chicken skin – spiked with red wine and seasoned with rosemary – was crispy with a silken layer of fat beneath. I liked that the dark meat was fork tender and the chicken breast was moist. Some people may think roast chicken is a cliché (I thought so too), but hold your judgments until you try this.

Regular favourites include zucchini slices, mussels with tomato and herbs, frittata, grilled vegetables, torta salata with onion and my all-time favourite, pumpkin soup. Felice’s pumpkin soup made me a convert and I can’t get enough of its silky texture and buttery sweetness. I insisted on this as one of the soups for my ROM and my guests loved it. There was also minestrone at the soup counter that day but it was a tad salty.

Now that Spasso Milano is non-halal, the buffet included some pork dishes like the pork and potato spezzatino. The savoury stew was a tasty medley of tender pork pieces, cubes potatoes, onions, carrots and perhaps a few dashes of white wine. For a more balanced meal, you can help yourself to the Caesar salad or the grilled vegetables. I opted for the latter and liked the bell peppers best.

Desserts include the raspberry and chocolate mousse cake, strawberry and vanilla cream cake, tiramisu and ice cream. The first two cakes were rich yet tangy from the berries. I enjoyed the tiramisu better but felt it could have done with more alcohol. But come to think of it, who would want to saunter into the office tipsy, right? ;) The gelato was too icy due to storage problem so I suggest you skip this and have another slice of cake.

It gets quite busy during lunch hour (crazy busy when I was there) so you might have to forgive the slightly disjointed service if you’re ordering ala carte.

Ambiance: 7/10
Price: 6/10
Food: 7/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: For RM28++, it’s a pretty good deal. Go try!

*The antipasti buffet includes a selection of appetizers, salads, two types of soup, grill of the day and desserts. It is available daily including weekends.

Spasso Milano
Level Six,
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2148 0688
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