Italian restaurants have not been too popular in Penang in the past. But all that may be changing, with Via Pre, the newest purveyor of Italian food, which is set to satisfy even the most discerning of palates.
Located along the busy Weld Quay, the thinking behind this non-halal Italian restaurant was very simple: to pamper diners’ taste buds with authentic Italian food prepared with ingredients brought in from Italy. And the menu of course includes an extensive range of native Italian wines, beers and ales.
At the recommendation of a friend, we visited the restaurant — a restored pre-war house with a charming white facade. Inside, the tall interior dining hall features an industrial look, with huge black steel columns supporting the higher floor which houses a lounge and grill. The ambience was soothing with Italian music in the background and lots of dark timber for the paneling in this newly refurbished pre-war house.
The restaurant motto of not using any processed and flavoured food is written on a huge chalkboard. The large menu offers eight mains, 11 pastas, 10 pizzas, a wide selection of antipasti and also desserts. There is a short list of salad dishes. Our order had a bit of something to suit everyone.
We started with the basket of bread, served with earthy olive oil and vinegar. All the bread is made in-house, with choices of focaccia, flat bread, rustic bread and more.
The Tagliere Rustico with assorted cold cuts, cheese and antipasti goes for RM72 (for two persons). It has a good mix of textures and flavours. The olives and sun-dried tomatoes were bright and appetising and the cheese has a nice savoury flavour. Via Pre also offers diners the option of buying these cured meats and cheeses.
We ordered Trancio Alla Griglia which is steamed and then roasted fish smothered with cubed tomatoes and salads drizzled with generous portion of virgin olive oil. The fish is served with a special sauce that tastes exquisite with a hint of herbs added.
Next on the mains was my order of Del Porto, which was salad with slices of smoked salmon topped with braised prawn.
To accompany our mains, we also ordered 2 types of beers and ales which are similar to Guiness Stout which uses barley instead of grapes as the raw ingredient.
You cannot find these ales locally in the market except Via Pre which specially imported them from Italy. It reminds my friend of his varsity days in United Kingdom where he used to treat himself ales as a student then.
I had a glass of freshly blended celery juice for RM 11 and another glass of bottled apricot juice, also specially imported from Italy which you cannot find on the counters in supermarkets.
As the mains and salads were so appetizing, our last entree was a dessert to finish off our meals. Here is IL Tortino Del Monaci where we had to wait for at least 15 minutes for the cakes to be baked fresh from the oven with the insides full of melted chocolate and nuts. There is a generous portion of chopped pistachio nuts with condensed milk and a scoop of champagne ice-cream. A range of cakes and pastries are displayed at the dessert counter that takes center stage in the restaurant.
After our last entree, we headed to the second floor to a large lounge for some music with computer ensemble or songs and instruments. There is a bar counter and for those preferring to enjoy a view of the harbour and docking cruises, then they can go outside the balcony for some fresh air and sea view. We finally adjourned after paying the bill which came up to RM 222.70
If you want a taste of Italian and appreciate warm service (from the Italian owners), then visit this tavern on the harbour. Parking is limited at the front but there’s plenty to be found in the neighbouring streets. It is located diagonally opposite Chin’s Stylish Chinese Cuisine.
Via Pre
5 Weld Quay
10300 Penang
Tel: 04-2619800 & 04-2620560
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