Special thanks to Capricciosa Ristorante Italiano for extending this food review invitation.
Update: This business has ceased its operations.
What was formerly known as Putra Place has been completely overhauled and reopened as Sunway Putra Mall. The refurbished mall has significantly improved atmosphere and a more modern feel. Natural sunlight pours through the glass ceiling and illuminates the concourse area beneath.
For a mall of its size, Sunway Putra Mall has a particularly large number of restaurants. Located on Level 3 is Capricciosa Ristorante Italiano, part of an international chain of Italian restaurants that originated in Japan. The name “Capricciosa” refers to a type of Italian pizza which contains mushroom toppings.
Capricciosa serves traditional Italian food such as pizzas and pastas. The food here is cooked to order. Capricciosa also has the distinction of being the first halal-certified Italian restaurant chain in Malaysia.
Indoor dining tables are arranged inside the restaurant as well as the space which overlooks the concourse. Meanwhile, the al fresco section allows customers to enjoy the evening breeze in view of the Putra World Trade Centre and Seri Pacific Hotel.
Our meal starts with Rice Croquette (RM11.90), a delicacy from Sicily where it is called “arancino”. Stuffed with mozzarella cheese, the fried rice ball is served with Capricciosa’s signature meat sauce. Savoriness of fresh tomatoes and ground beef makes this appetizer quite appealing indeed.
The Savory Meat Soup (RM6.90) is also based on the restaurant’s signature meat sauce. Made fresh to order, the beef stew contains mixed vegetables and fresh cream too. Natural sweetness of tomatoes makes the soup quite tasty on its own. I think there is no need to add condiments.
Half & Half Pizza (RM34.90 for 12-inch version) allows customers to combine any two pizzas on the menu. The first type, Capricciosa, has toppings like beef pepperoni, streaky beef, portobello mushrooms, bell peppers and mozzarella cheese. Meanwhile, Quattro Formaggi uses 4 types of cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan and cream cheese. Thin crust is used here. Additional pizza toppings (RM5.90 each) are pepperoni, chicken, tuna, cheese and more.
The pasta menu offers three types of pasta: spaghetti, linguine and penne. One of the more popular pasta dishes is Seafood Aglio Olio (RM32.90). Spaghetti is sautéed in olive oil and seafood such as mussels and shrimps. Meanwhile, garlic and chili flakes carry most of the flavor. I think the amount of olive oil is slightly more than what is necessary for aglio olio to work.
Capri Superstar (RM21.90) takes advantage of homemade tomato sauce. The generous portion of spaghetti is sautéed al dente with garlic and chili peppers. Overall, I find this dish to be reasonably spicy but it is on the saltier side of things. Similar to pizzas, any pasta dish can be upgraded with additional ingredients like meatballs, smoked salmon or mushrooms for RM5.90 each.
In addition to ready-made pasta, Capricciosa also offers two types of freshly-made pasta: fettuccine and pappardelle. For example, pappardelle works well with Creamy Porcini (RM33.90) because the broad pasta takes better advantage of the creamy porcini sauce. I also enjoy the crunchiness of shimeji and eryngii mushrooms. There are six choices from the Pasta Fresca menu; each dish comes with a bowl of soup of the day.
As for desserts, the Chocolate Brownie (RM11.90) is served warm and stands in contrast with a scoop of vanilla gelato on top. The brownie is punctuated with chopped macadamia nuts to provide some degree of crunchiness. Drizzled with chocolate syrup, this dessert concludes the satisfying meal today.
Moving on to drinks, the Tropical Punch (RM11.90) is a fruity blend of orange juice, mango juice and ice. Grenadine syrup not only lends its appealing orange hue, but also provides a pleasing sensation of sweet-tanginess. This fruity drink is topped with lychee fruit and lychee jelly.
As the name implies, Vanilla Choco Mint (RM11.90) combines the flavors of vanilla, chocolate and mint. Using vanilla flavor, the milkshake is blended with chocolate ice cream, and finally topped with whipped cream and mint.
Last but not least, Cappuccino (RM8.90) is prepared from a single shot of espresso with steamed milk. Chocolate powder is sprinkled on top the foam for aesthetic appeal. Since milk is naturally sweet, there is simply no need to add sugar to this cup of cappuccino.
Name: Capricciosa Ristorante Italiano
Address: L3.29, Sunway Putra Mall, Jalan Putra, 50350 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03-7492-0513
Business hours: 11:00am-10:00pm
Website: http://www.capricciosa.com.my
Coordinates: 3.16657 N, 101.69229 E
Directions: Capricciosa is located on Level 3 of Sunway Putra Mall, right between PappaRich and Tealive. The mall provides parking at its basement levels.