Fatto A Mano - Italian for 'made by hand' - revs up KL's recent renaissance of new Italian restaurants, serving a well-crafted selection of pizzas, pastas, bread, cheese, cured meat & more, brought to Bangsar by the people behind Yeast Bistronomy.
Fatto A Mano commands convincing credentials - at least two of its founders, including Frenchman Christophe Chatron-Michaud, have some Italian blood running through their veins. Its menu was constructed with the help of Mediteca owner Riccardo Ferrarotti. And its Malaysian chef sharpened his skills at the now-closed il Lido, once our favourite Italian venue.
Fatto A Mano is more of a casual hangout, a canny choice to cater to customers who prefer to pay no more than cafe prices for their weekend excursions. The best bet: The fresh bread, ranking among Bangsar's most satisfying - come in the morning & enjoy warm, fluffy-flaky cornettos (RM4; the Italian cousin of croissants) & creamy-sweet Nutella rotolino (RM7) ...
... plus beautiful bombolino, soft & fragrant Italian doughnuts flowing with vanilla custard (RM7.50 for three pieces). If you like the pastries at Yeast, you'll likely love Fatto A Mano's too. Yeast fun fact: A new branch of the popular Telawi boulangerie is slated to launch at Mid Valley's boulevard, replacing Seed Cafe, in May.
Fatto A Mano is sandwiched between Yeast & Antipodean, both of which are a magnet for Sunday brunch queues. Fatto A Mano could prove a fierce challenger for the latter's pork-loving crowds, thanks to egg-&-pork morning specialities like 'contadino' (RM22++), a casserole of two eggs with pancetta, potatoes, spinach & onions, & baked eggs with crispy bacon, arugula & tomato sauce (RM18++) ...
... & frittata topped with Italian sausage & ricotta cheese (RM16), plus scrambled eggs with sopressata salami, parsley pesto & parmesan cheese (RM18). What makes these recipes specifically distinctive is the use of Italian cold cuts & cured meat - each will prove appealing to KL's legion of brunch-seekers. Note though that all of the above are only available 8am-11am.
We're fans of Fatto A Mano's pan-fried Milanese panettone (RM14; also only for breakfast), a fine substitute for French toast, a fun cross between cake & bread loaves, sweet with raisins, stirringly straddling the balance between being luscious & light.
Moving on to multi-course meals, starters here include bruschetta (RM12 for breakfast - toasted ciabatta topped with sauteed mushrooms & ricotta cheese) & Sicilian-style arancini (RM15++; robustly savoury risotto fritters laced with beef & mozzarella).
Pastas (11am-11pm) comprise the likes of mac & cheese with bolognese sauce (RM22++) & orecchiette with pancetta & pumpkin sauce (RM22 for the smaller portion in photo; RM44 for large). Fatto A Mano targets the mass market, setting modest gastronomic ambitions with its pastas & pizzas. Nothing wrong with that, but it makes the outlet seem less of a labour of love - which is what Yeast was - than a commercial calculation. Yeast raised the bar, but Fatto A Mano seems content to coast.
Still, this outlet will prove critic-proof; no matter what anyone says, it'll attract its crowds, & its owners know that. Every bite of this prosciutto pizza (RM24++) signals that this is a restaurant that knows its food & knows how to serve with polish & professionalism. It's easy to have an enjoyable experience here. We can't help feeling though that as a whole, it sacrifices soul for sheen, nuance for punch - but fortunately, as many restaurateurs realise, you don't need soul to financially succeed.
Caffe Vergnano lattes & flat whites won't appease customers accustomed to third-wave renditions; but if you're into wine, it's nice to note that the nearly all-Italian selection here comes in glasses, carafes & bottles at decent prices starting at RM19++, RM55++ & RM105++ respectively, & is happily served hours before noontime.
Fatto A Mano
Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur. Open Tues-Sun, 8am-11pm
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