fatto a mano

fatto a mano. 

when i first read the name of this cafe/restaurant, two things.

to me, it made sense as a name of a restaurant. perhaps the food was so good, it would make the diners into fat men, or perhaps its food is prepared by a fat man/chef.

either way, they both imply great food. 

that was BEFORE i checked the internet. 

post-internet search, i was right about 50%.  on the flip side, i also realized that had really bad grasp of the italian language. 

fatto a mano means handmade in italian. 

it is the name of a relatively new casual italian restaurant/cafe in telawi, bangsar started by the very same team behind yeast bistronomy, one of my favorite brunch places in kl. in fact, fatto a mano was located next to its sister restaurant. 

paying homage to its roots, the decor took on minimalist with a hint of industrial chic and a lot of cozy. i especially love the use of pattern floor tiles around the wooden counter against the white brick walls. the occasional stripes of the italian flag colors of green, red and white highlighted its identity.

we sat at the counter just so we didn't have to wait for too long for a table. to be honest, i had a smidgen of expectations for its food because of my love for yeast bistronomy. in fact, i craved to try it out as soon as i found of its existence. could this cafe become one of my favorite brunch places?

pizette :: prosciutto | prosciutto crudo. mozzarella. arugula (rm 24)

i have been craving for yummy shavings of cured meats especially good quality dry cured ham, thinly sliced, served uncooked typically as antipasto. its name is prosciutto crudo. add a healthy amount of mozzarella for mild flavored cheesy goodness, which is pretty much some of the staples of the italian cuisine. 

the pizza crust was thin and toasty attributing to its crispy texture. a couple handfuls of melted cheese atop the tomato sauce that i'd preferred bit more herbs to add another flavor dimension. the prosciutto had a smoky, prominent cured flavor with a hint of fat that could be too salty if eaten on its own but worked well to season the pizza. even so, i could have done with a few more slices of prosciutto for a better meat to bread to cheese ratio. the very little amounts of arugula (some semi-wilted) felt amiss and its significance was quickly noticed to give the much needed herbaceous peppery punch to offer a different facet of flavor into the equation. in other words, more arugula would have been better since the flavors became a tad monotonous, as i worked on my second slice.

eggs :: contadino | peasant breakfast casserole - 2 eggs over potatoes, onions, spinach & pancetta (rm 22)

brunch has always been one of {mh}'s favorite meals of the day, which meant contadino seemed completely up her alley. the meal was as described plus a piece of bread and nothing more. i suppose the only italian element is pancetta and that is really just bacon, unsmoked. the meal itself was just what it was, not particularly thrilling nor special but what stood out was really the bread. oh remember to request how the eggs are done.

desserts :: tiramisu with amaretto (rm15)

i am a sucker for good tiramisu. and i was dying to find one that was done deliciously right. 

it was actually between this and the fried zeppole but it was an easy pick when i saw the chocolate sauce is combined with candied orange. chocolate and orange - just not a huge fan of it.

first, they placed a spoon each since we were sharing. then came an empty plate much to our confusion and seconds later, the waitstaff came out with a enormous glass bowl of tiramisu where layers of cheese and cake were visibly stacked lovingly on each other. two scoopfuls onto the empty plate, sprinkled with a few shakes of cacao powder.

and voila! buon appetito!





soft and mild cheesy creaminess layered with the melt-in-your-mouth ladyfingers biscuits. the tiramisu was pretty good, flavor-wise and probably is one of the best in the town but it could have used an extra espresso punch to accentuate the mild sweetness of the cake. i would have probably preferred a more solid texture too. not the best i've ever had but it was still a pretty delightful treat.



fatto a mano uses some great, quality ingredients for the beginnings of some of italian classics we know well and love. perhaps it was the expectations that i unconsciously pegged onto my dining experience at this casual italian cafe, there were some lackluster points in the execution that calls for improvement but overall not a bad experience.