Osteria RealBlue, Publika, Kuala Lumpur

Finding ourselves craving for Italian food, we decided to try Osteria RealBlue (having heard good reviews from friends).

Getting to Osteria RealBlue proved to be a bit of challenge as Publika's layout is a bit of a maze. 

However, after much walking around, we finally found it in a corner on the first floor.

Stepping into Osteria RealBlue, we were greeted by an unassuming ambiance and the smell of food emitting from the kitchen.

We were presented with a complementary serving of bruschetta and warm bread accompanied with olive oil and vinegar and to our surprise, 'sambal'.

Unlike most bruschettas, the vinaigrette did not overwhelm the salsa. It had simple flavours which were really nice.

Gaj: The 'sambal' with the bread was amaze-balls :) Unlike a lot of 'sambals' out there, this was not tainted with sugar.

Kav: Agreeing with Gaj that the 'sambal' was not sweet, and that the 'sambal' tasted better than most nasi lemak 'sambal's' that I have tried. The bread was soft and crispy on the edges. The condiments complemented the bread very well.

Shiv: Comfort food at its best. I was left wanting for more.

Mien: The warm white bread was fluffy and nice, good on its own and also with the condiments.

The starter we ordered was a special salad recommended by Sherry, the person who was attending to us. The salad had capsicum, olives, basil, balsamic vinegar and the dressing was laced with Parmesan cheese (RM18).

Gaj: The salad was very yummy-licious and there was a combustion of flavours in my mouth.

Kav: The salad had a distinct taste and the ingredients complemented each other well. It was far from an ordinary salad.

Shiv: The salad was unique and fresh.

Mien: It was a really good salad. It was so memorable that the flavours were lingering in my mouth long after the dish had finished.

Our first main course was a pesto pasta with scallops which was a house special (RM45).

Gaj: I felt like the pasta was not done al dente - not overly impressed by this dish.

Kav: Generally, I am not a big fan of cream in my pesto or any cream based pasta for that matter. However, this particular pasta was light despite the hint of cream and it did not overwhelm the pesto. The scallops were fresh and overall I enjoyed the dish. My only complaint was that the pasta was not done al dente.

Shiv: The pesto base coated the tagliatelle really well. Well flavored in a simplistic manner - would probably recommend it.

Mien: I love pesto based pasta and this is one of the better ones that I have tasted. I did not mind the tinge of creaminess in the pesto and the scallops complemented the dish well. Really good!

Our second main was the tagliatelle balsamico (RM42). This dish had duck, bacon bits and balsamic vinegar.

Gaj: I did not enjoy this dish as there was a tinge of sweetness from the balsamic vinegar.

Kav: I was not crazy about this dish as the pasta was not coated well with the balsamic sauce and it felt like I was eating flour for the most part.

Shiv: Because the duck was chopped up into tiny bits, most of it ended up at the bottom of the bowl and hence, the pasta was very bland initially. As we got to the bottom of the bowl, the flavours came together. IMHO, the chef should have sliced the duck pieces slightly bigger so it would have stood equal ground with the pasta.

Mien: I do not eat bacon, but tried the tagliatelle with the balsamic vinegar and I felt that there was not much flavouring to the pasta.

The third main was the eggplant parmigiana, which had eggplant, cheese and tomato paste (RM60). This serves two.

Gaj: I enjoyed this dish, but felt like RM60 was too steep for dish with eggplant, tomato paste and cheese.

Kav: This dish was just cheesylicious. The cheese and eggplant was a match made in heaven. However, a word of advice, too much might prove to be TOO MUCH.

Shiv: The cheese was too cloying - #jelakmuch.

Mien: Liked the dish, however, too much cheese and too little tomato paste. Will not order it again.

Moving on to the desserts, we initially had tiramisu and crème brûlée.

Crème brûlée (RM16):

Gaj: The crème brûlée was one of the best that I've had. The only complaint was that the top layer was burnt a bit too much.

Kav: The crème brûlée was to die for. It is hands down the best I have ever tried. The custard cream like texture melted in my mouth and left me wanting for more. My only complaint was that the flambéed top layer was burnt.

Shiv: Apart from the burnt sugar, this dessert was exquisite and would definitely come back for more.

Mien: Will never ever order crème brûlée in any restaurant, but this was truly out of this world.

Tiramisu + liquor infusion (RM16+RM8=RM24):

Gaj: Did not enjoy the tiramisu as the liquor was overwhelming.

Kav: Although tiramisu is one of my favourite desserts, when eating this one, I felt like I was tasting Kahlua and rum with a hint of cake and cream.

Shiv: To sum this one up, it was alcohol with a tinge of tiramisu flavour (lol!). Would come back for the teetotaler’s version though (RM16).

Mien: For someone who goes weak in the knees for tiramisu, it is impossible for me to resist the temptation of one. As such, I have tried a whole lot of tiramisu's, and my expectations of it are pretty high. Sadly, this tiramisu fell short of my expectations. Instead of it being laced with alcohol, this was DROWNED in it, and the entire dessert ended up being overwhelmed by the brandy.

*The crème brûlée was so good that we decided to go for a second round (sadly, the flambéed sugar was burnt, YET AGAIN!). In addition to that, we also ordered the panna cotta (upon Sherry’s recommendation, as it was apparently their best-selling dessert).

Panna Cotta (RM16):

Gaj: This dessert tasted like blueberry jam, and not in a good way.

Kav: This tasted like a jelly-like cheese cake, and it did not have the usual creamy texture of a panna cotta. The blueberry topping was overly sweet. This one failed miserably in my books.

Shiv: I’m always one for a panna cotta dessert in any Italian restaurant, but this one was a letdown. It was almost gooey and the blueberry topping tasted like it was artificially flavoured.

Mien: It brought back childhood memories of eating Sugus. A big NO NO!

Verdict: WOK ON!

Generally, the prices did not justify the quantity and quality of food here. We will not be frequenting this outlet in the near future. Sorry Osteria RealBlue!

OSTERIA REALBLUE,

PUBLIKA, A3-UG-06, SOLARIS DUTAMAS,

JALAN DUTAMAS 1, 50480 KUALA LUMPUR.

Tel: +603 6207 9799

Email : OsteriaRealBlue@hotmail.it

Webpage : http://www.osteriarealblue.com/

Opening Hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 12.00pm to 2.30pm and from 6.00pm to 10.00pm
Friday and Saturday last order 11.00pm
Closed on Monday