Perched in a cosy corner of the bustling behemoth that is One Utama Shopping Centre, is Luretta D.O.P.
The brainchild of brothers Nico Sassolini and Emil Sassolini, the eatery was originally created to complement the family’s organic wine stable but has since grown into a beloved neighbourhood eatery.
“I moved to Malaysia 14 years ago and when I first came, I used to go on nights out to the the city centre but I always felt like something was missing in terms of the wines available.
“So I started to import wines from my family’s own organic vineyard and I asked my brother to come over from Italy and open a deli here where we can sell the wine and make some food because my brother is a very good chef,” says Nico.
Eleven years ago, the brothers opened Luretta D.O.P, named after the family’s 40-year-old vineyard Luretta at Castello di Momeliano.
The 47-hectare award-winning vineyard is renowned for its Cabarnet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and sparkling wine – the most commercially successful of its variants, selling 200,000 bottles a year.
Initially the space – which is housed in the new wing of the mall – was meant to be a deli focused on small bites designed to complement the family wines. But the food received such a raucous reception that Nico and Emil decided to restructure the menu entirely.
“People loved, loved, loved the food so instead of just serving cold cuts and cheese, we added some pasta, main courses and pizzas as well,” says Nico.
The restaurant recently introduced a new menu, serving up an enhanced range of regional Italian classics that reflect the brothers’ love for the sort of honest, uncompromisingly good comfort food they grew up with.
Nearly everything is made in-house from the pastas to the sauces and even the sausages.
Start your meal here with the Buffalo Burrata with Yellow Tomato Confit and Balsamic Vinegar (RM78++). Luretta is one of only a handful of restaurants in the Klang Valley that serves fresh burrata as opposed to its frozen cousin.
The 200g burrata is the star of this configuration, yielding a pillowy soft countenance that succumbs easily to a rich, hedonistically creamy heart.
It’s a sumptuous feast that highlights the attributes of the burrata to fullest effect, while leaning into the citric elements of the tomato and the astringency of the vinegar for contrast and tonality.
If you’re after a lighter, cleaner burrata, try the Cow Burrata with Pesto and Dried Cherry Tomato (RM49++).
The burrata here is less voluptuously buxom yet no less satiating – offering a leaner, less fulsome flavour profile.
The Arancini Classic (RM30++) meanwhile features crisp rotund balls filled with rice, mozzarella, tomato and green peas.
Each hedonistic sphere intersperses crunch with ooey gooey cheesy goodness and kernels of rice in a richly rewarding culinary make-up that will engender immediate greed.
From the pizzas on offer, indulge in the Pizza Porcella (RM58++) which features a 24-hour dough topped with tomato sauce, fiordilatte mozzarella and a crown of sliced pork.
The pizza is excellent – a crisp crust, a chewy, stretchy centre, lots of melted cheese to tide everything together and the icing on the cake – slices of porcine indulgence layered over this doughy delight.
Next, have a go at the restaurant’s perennial best-seller, the Spaghetti Carbonara Classic (RM43++) made with eggs, pecorino Romano cheese, crispy pancetta and black pepper.
This is carbonara made the traditional way – using just eggs and cheese as a lubricant as opposed to the heavy lashings of cream so omnipresent in modern interpretations of the dish.
As a result, the spaghetti has a golden albumen sheen glossing each strand and giving it an unctuous richness that is less showy and more substantive.
The crispy pancetta meanwhile adds salty porcine notes to the meal that give it an alluring, instantly addictive appeal.
Up next, definitely try the Homemade Tagliatelle Ragu Bolognese (RM40++) which features a five-hour slow-cooked pork meat sauce laced around tagliatelle and topped with parmesan.
The meat sauce has a tomato-laden pulse and a rich porcine heart that come together to make the most beautifully festive sauce – one that is sumptuous, hearty, robust and a point of pride for the ingredients that birthed it.
The tagliatelle meanwhile has great stretch and chew – in a more languorous way than other iterations you might have encountered, which typically have a firmer bite. So be forewarned that you will have to treat this as a completely different tactile experience.
The Ravioli DOP Sauce (RM44++) meanwhile features homemade ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach and laced in a sun-dried tomato sauce.
The ravioli here is the delicate yet outspoken belle of the ball who announces her arrival with great fanfare. The spinach and ricotta stuffing meanwhile are her ladies-in-waiting – the people who prop her up and give her the support she needs.
Then there is the tomato sauce – a lovely, vibrant, effervescent friend in need who showers her with love at every opportunity.
From the main courses, you might want to venture into porcine territory via the charms of the Porchetta Romana (RM48++) or roasted pork belly, served with a mixed salad and house-made potato wedges.
The pork belly is a thing of perfection whose beauty is reflected inside rather than based on external appearances.
Upon spearing your knife through the meat, you’ll discover an ASMR-worthy crackle on the skin that then then segues into incredibly tender, juicy meat just begging for repeated eats.
End your meal here with the Tiramisu Classic (RM26++). Made the traditional way, the tiramisu is a caffeine-laden delight that is absolutely worth the extended inches and bulging belly that you’re likely to accumulate after.
If you’re here for the wine, look at indulging in Luretta’s Principessa Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Chardonnay (RM198++ per bottle).
This is a sunny, summery, fizzy wine that offers an instant shot of euphoria and escapism that will send your mind wandering off to beach holidays to far-flung islands.
At its core, Luretta D.O.P. serves the sort of Italian comfort food that is likely to find fans in most diners simply because it is so easy to understand.
It’s the kind of food that has passion and love poured into it, and in that sense, it transcends all language barriers because it speaks the universal language of good food.
