Italian gastronomy at your doorstep

IPOH - Italian restaurant The Marianis is turning heads with some of its best cuisine ranging from pizza to pasta, spaghetti, salad and meats.

The restaurant, which was opened last August, was certified Grade A for cleanliness by the Ipoh City Council, here recently.

One can try out its calamari fritti, an appetiser dish which comprises succulent pieces of fresh squid coated in special batter, deep-fried to perfection and served with tartar sauce.

Alternatively, the insalata di carpoccio d'anatra e granchio is another interesting starter dish made up of smoked duck breast and crab meat decorated with rocket and avacado salad.

A recommended soup is the crema di funghi, a fresh wild mushroom soup with a touch of cream.

For signature dishes, there are pizza prosciutto, spaghetti sorpasso and stinco d'agnello al forno (lamb shank).

The pizza prosciutto is a mixture of ingredients like tomato, cheese, turkey ham and mushrooms, while the spaghetti sorpasso is a spaghetti dish served with seafood.

A must-try main dish is the stinco d' agnello al forno which is a lamb shank, slow-roasted in red wine and herbs.

For desserts, one can select either tiramisu (original or with almond), panna cotta alle noci e miele (pudding) or tortino al cioccolato (chocolate brownies with ice cream).

Marianis proprietor Datuk Dr Wenddi Anne Chong said the objective of setting up an Italian restaurant in Ipoh was to provide an opportunity for the people to taste the cuisine without having to travel to Europe for it.

The pork-free restaurant opens daily from 4pm to midnight.

It is located at Persiaran Medan Ipoh here.