Aposto, TTDI
Delicious and well-executed modern Italian fare is not easy to come by in KL with many restaurants preferring to go down the French dining experience route instead.
Aposto’s take on modern Italian dishes is something not to miss if you’re looking for a place to impress your guests.
The restaurant is classy and beautifully-designed. A lot of thought has been put into the interior design of the place. The dark greens, navy blue and bright pop of burnt orange throughout the space is the perfect combination to give off a very upscale vibe.
I’d imagine that many people would want to celebrate birthdays, engagements and many other life milestones here because of how picture-friendly the place is. One of the best spots to take a picture here would definitely be at the entrance of the restaurant. As you walk into the restaurant on the right, you’ll see a stunning moss wall and you may or may not recognise the shape - and it is in fact, the shape of the map of TTDI!
Speaking of the neighbourhood, TTDI is already home to so many well-known restaurants. And we believe Aposto has the calibre to match up to any upscale restaurant in this neighbourhood and beyond.
Considering the restaurant just opened a few weeks ago, the menu is extensive and ambitious. It might pose a challenge to you to decide what to have because everything sounds so good!
We tried dishes that were of the recommendations of Chef Chu himself and here’s what we thought of it:
Saba On Toast (RM34)
This is a pretty heavy starter but the play on a classic bruschetta is surprisingly appetising. The saba is layered on top of a bed of gremolata, feta and ciabatta. The gremolata balanced out the fish flavours, adding a refreshing citrus hit, complemented by the creamy feta cheese.
Pumpkin seeds atop the dish added texture too, which brought the whole dish together overall. One of the highlights of this dish was the caramelisation on the fish, which afforded it just the right amount of sweetness.
Scallop Carpaccio (RM88)
These sashimi-grade scallops were so soft and fresh, and it was a dish that brought the best of the sea onto a single plate with 2 different types of seaweed to complement the scallops. The passion fruit vinaigrette and basil oil added a brightness to the dish visually and its flavours elevated the dish overall.
Black Tiger Prawn Polpette (RM36)
This was one of our favourite starters because of how rich and decadent the dish was. The prawn meatballs were so chunky and delicious. So as to not waste any part of the prawn, the heads and shells of the prawns were incorporated into the tomato sauce and paired with crème fraîche to bring the dish together.
Grilled Caesar (RM32)
Reimagining a Caesar salad is no easy feat considering it is one of the world’s most popular salads. Chef Chu elevates this dish by lightly grilling baby napa cabbage, sprinkling it generously with lemony yolks and crushed croutons to give it that crunch. It also turned out to be one of the highlights of the meal.
Mushroom and pesto (RM28)
If you’re a big fan of mushrooms, these king oyster mushrooms charcoal grilled to perfection will definitely capture your attention. It sits on a bed of freshly made pesto and is accompanied by shimeji mushrooms pickled in vinegar and crunchy pistachios.
16 Hr Braised Duck Pasta (RM56)
The handmade maltagliati pasta is one of their popular dishes. The duck thigh is braised in chicken sauce and takes 3 days to make in total. The freshly handmade pasta was cooked to perfection and overall, was a delicious start to our pasta course.
Mushroom Agnolotti (RM58)
Agnolotti which means little pillows, is truly the best name for this type of pasta because they came out looking just like little pillows and were bursting with umami flavour. The ricotta cheese is homemade, which gave the dish a nice creaminess, and the mushroom duxelle and parmigiano just added onto that umami bomb. There was even a hint of citrus flavour at the end, which definitely made it our favourite pasta and highlight of the night.
Lasagnette al Wagyu Ragu (RM68)
Don‘t expect the usual stacked lasagna here. Because lasagnette is a deconstructed version of it. In fact, at Aposto, they take their inspiration from Southern Italy for the lasagna, which uses ricotta cheese instead of béchamel. They also put their own spin on this dish by adding puffed quinoa to mimic the crispy bits in a classic lasagna. What everyone will quickly notice is the interesting presentation of the dish which displays the lasagnette in straight lines. It’s a fun, interactive dish where you take a little bit of everything to make a flavour bomb.
Lobster Spring Risotto (RM298)
When we think of risotto, we think heavy, dense but flavourful. Aposto takes a different approach to their risotto and brings in spring flavours instead, incorporating peas, lemons and edamame. And of course, the lobster. We did think that the dish was indeed very sprightly and fresh, but after two very umami-centric dishes, this was a little light on the tastebuds. We’d recommend trying this dish before any heavier-flavoured dishes to enjoy it best.
18 Hr Braised Beef Short Ribs (RM168)
The tender short ribs were juicy and incredibly soft to bite into. We particularly enjoyed the soy and balsamic sauce that coated the dish. Paired with the polenta, this dish was easily one of our favourites for the evening.
Torte Caprese (RM34)
It’s a classic flourless chocolate cake paired with a ricotta whey sorbet, which helped to cut through the richness of the torte. Make sure to eat it with the raspberry so the tartness of the berry can complement the overall flavour of the dessert.
Honey Panna Cotta (RM34)
So light, creamy, smooth! Love the honeycomb - which there was more! Jelly was amazing.
Tiramisu (RM36)
A classic Italian dessert, Chef Chu takes this dessert and puts his own spin on it, adding crunchy coffee meringue to it. Both a visual and flavourful treat, we loved every bite of this dessert. Definitely one of our favourite desserts here!
Overall, we have to commend Chef Chu on his highly ambitious menu that is executed flawlessly. Despite being a very new restaurant, Aposto seems to have cleverly skirted all of the common teething problems, making its mark among the greats in TTDI rather quickly.
Aposto, TTDI
38, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail,
60000 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan.
Opens Tuesdays - Sundays: 5:30PM - 11PM
Closed on Mondays.