Paying homage to Southern Europe
Regaling the crowd with Spanish, Portuguese and Italian fare.

Strands of warm yellow lights strung across the long, narrow space between a tiled feature wall and the open kitchen of Olivia Deli are postcard pretty.

The laidback vibes here tempt diners to eat, drink and make merry within the cozy space. The daytime heat and humidity can be uncomfortable, but come sundown, the temperature and the vibes are way cooler.

Panado De Pollo.

For those wanting to relive memories of their Spanish and Portuguese vacay, or have dreams of such, this cheery deli-style restaurant is more than alluring.

The Insta-worthy feature wall adorned with colourful drawings of jovial dancers, interspersed with floral and leafy motifs, is directly across an open-plan kitchen where the culinary team cooks up a storm.

There is also a retail corner where shelves of imported canned sardines, bottles of olive oil, assorted truffle-flavoured sauces and European condiments entice home cooks to stock up should they wish to replicate the taste of Southern Europe at home.

As we perused the menu listing an eclectic selection of Spanish, Portuguese and Italian fare, we slaked our thirst with a glass of Negroni (RM42). Other beverages such as Sangria, cocktails, imported beer and juices are also available.

Roasted Porchetta.

To start, tasty crusty slices of Torricado De Speck and Burrata, brushed with olive oil, then piled with soft chunks of burrata (cow’s milk cheese), sliced speck (lightly smoked, cured Italian ham) and black olives, raised our anticipation of what was to come.

We weren’t disappointed as we gobbled on the notable Pan Con Tomate & Jamon (RM28) made up of toasted bread laden with chopped fresh tomato and scrumptious slices of Serrano ham; Cerdo Tonnato (RM30) that was paper-thin slices of roasted pork belly tricked up with creamy tuna sauce, capers and chilli oil; Panado De Pollo (RM45) − delectable battered chicken strips slathered in melted butter speckled with capers; and Gambas Al Ajillo (RM42), a familiar dish of springy tiger prawns cooked Spanish-style with white wine, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and coriander.

Out of all the dishes we tried, our favourite was the Pan Von Tomate & Jamon because of the cohesiveness of the flavours and textures.

The fruitiness of the tomatoes balanced out the saltiness of the ham, and the layering of the different textures added to the dish’s appeal. The prawns were on-point, but overshadowed by the more interesting offerings.

The chill dining area at Olivia Deli.

Personally, I found the pork belly slices a little too lean and on the bland side. However, the creamy tuna sauce made up for its lacking attributes.

A labour of love requiring 36 hours of preparation, the Roasted Porchetta (RM75) stole the show, leaving us waxing lyrical over the rolled and roasted pork’s juicy tenderness, complemented by a soul-satisfying bean stew.

Die-hard pasta fans can knock themselves out with Pasta Night every Wednesday. At RM80 per person, you get to feast on free flow of pasta from 7pm to 9.30pm. The pasta menu changes weekly, featuring at least five different pasta dishes each time.

Torricado De Speck and Burrata.

During our review, we had pumpkin gnocchi with sage and brown butter, seafood fettuccine, puttanesca pappardelle and pork ragu rigatoni, among others. By this time, we were fighting full, but still managed to make room to try the carbs. The seafood fettuccine especially appealed to us.

For a sweet finale, decadent renditions of Chocolate Mousse and Crema Catalana should leave sweet-toothed diners weak at the knees. Velvety smooth and intensely chocolatey, the former hit the spot for us whilst the latter’s sublime custard-soft texture scented with citrus zest and cinnamon sealed Olivia Deli’s reputation as a sought-after outpost for honest-to-goodness Southern European fare. It’s probably one of the few restaurants in KL where you can enjoy a medley of dishes from different European countries, all in one sitting.

Pan Con Tomate Jamon.

OLIVIA DELI

APW | A Place Where

No.29, Jalan RiongBangsar, Kuala Lumpur

012-911 2537

Business hours:

Tues-Sun: 12pm-11pm

Closed on Mondays
StarExtra
Regaling the crowd with Spanish, Portuguese and Italian fare.