Pomod'Oro — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Dining at Pomod’Oro was not just a gastronomical delight; it also provided valuable insights into how Italian cuisine is prepared. In the interest of keeping this review not too long, I can’t review every dish we ate. I will say that we enjoyed everything that was put on the table. It’s an excellent dining experience prepared under the guidance of the Italian chef Tomas.

We had the pizza diavola, whose distinguishing ingredient is the spianata salami, a kind of spicy salami. We learnt that to make a pizza, the dough is prepared some 48 hours beforehand, in which the chef uses specially imported yeast and flour from Italy to recreate the authentic flavour. The restaurants imports nearly all their ingredients to maintain the aunthentic Italian flavour.

We also had the Chitarra Pomod’oro, which is a homemade chitarra pasta with porcini mushroom, homemade sausage and truffle oil in light cream sauce. “Chitarra” literally means guitar, as the pasta resembles guitar strings. It’s the first time I’ve heard of such a pasta.

I love risotto, and I don’t eat it often enough. Pomod’oro’s risotto al nero di sepia con gamberi e calamari (risotto with squid ink, prawns and calamari) is an attractive looking dish with good flavours.

For dessert we had the tiramisu, which had alcohol and was really great. I’m not sure I’ll ever have tiramisu without alcohol again, haha! We also had Valrhona chocolate and pistachio gelatos, which were good. Would love to try the watermelon gelato on my next trip here.

Our meal was paired with a smooth, wonderful Italian merlot which heightened our enjoyment of the meal. The staff is attentive and helpful, which made the experience even more enjoyable.

My wife and I hope to come back here at the soonest, and enjoy the many more enticing dishes on the menu.

Even the name of the restaurant has an interesting twist to it. Ask...

Summary: Authentic and genuine food from a passionate Italian owner, but everything is missing just a bit of... salt? Will try again.

One of the best Eggplant Parmigiano I've had - much less oily than usual and the mozzarella consistency is wonderful. Top layer of cheese is burnt just slightly for some crunch and savoriness. The tomato is cooked down to a paste so it's full of umami and depth. The eggplant serves its purpose well as a base - I never know quite what flavor it's supposed to have anyway. Great dish

The carbonara and chitarra pomodoro were VERY similar (the waiter did warn us about this) - cream sauces with cured pork and long pasta. The homemade chitarra had a wonderful texture - chewy and beautifully coated in the cheesy sauce. The texture of the carbonara was also excellent - just the classic cheese/guanciale/egg/pepper recipe done perfectly. The guanciale in the carbonara and the Italian sausage in the chitarra were both rich and delicious, but we couldn't help but feel that both pasta sauces ended up somewhat under-seasoned.

When we mentioned this to the owner, he said the carbonara in particular uses not Pecorino Romano, the typical choice for carbonara, but a milder version from Sardinia. He even let us try a bit of the raw cheese and indeed it was much milder than the standard Romano. He said this choice was in response to customer complaints that Carbonara Romana was too salty. I suppose I disagree.

In any case, we want to try Pomod'Oro again - need to see their pizza and their tomato-based pastas. The service, style and attention to quality and detail are fantastic, and definitely a step above typical Malaysian Italian joints. I just hope to find other dishes that...

To the Management

I am writing to bring to your attention a serious incident that occurred during my visit to your restaurant on Monday evening, 17th March, at Pomod’Or Damansara Heights, Jalan Medan Setia. I ordered the Prawn Spaghetti Aglio olio and after eating it within 20 minutes, I suddenly began feeling extremely unwell. I experienced severe stomach discomfort, profuse sweating, dizziness, and tightness in my ribcage. I was unable to get up from my seat and eventually vomited twice before feeling slightly better.

I have eaten prawns many times before and have never had any allergic reactions, so I strongly believe this was due to the handling or quality of the food served. Given the intensity of my symptoms, I suspect that the prawns may have been improperly stored or contaminated.

While I appreciate the staff’s assistance in cleaning up, I believe such a serious food safety issue must be addressed immediately to prevent other customers from experiencing the same. I did not make a complaint at the time, but upon reflection, I feel it is necessary to bring this to your attention.

I hope you will take this matter seriously by reviewing your food handling procedures and ensuring proper hygiene standards in your kitchen. I would appreciate a response on the steps you will take to...