Italia Mia @ Sunway City, Tambun, Ipoh

According to their description:

A welcoming blue sign invokes images of Italian football jerseys in patrons’ minds as they saunter into the premises of Italia Mia Restaurant, helmed by a chef with more than 27 years of experience in the food industry. As customers sink teeth into pizzas, pastas and desserts, wallpapers of Venetian gondolas stir imaginations of romantic rides through Italian canals before being interrupted by knocks on the head by dining partners.

I have heard of Italia Mia before. From what I’ve read, the restaurant has been in Ipoh for quite a long time but a few years ago, the owners decided to move back to Europe and sold the restaurant to a new owner. It used to be a completely NON-HALAL restaurant, offering alcohol and pork on the menu, focusing solely on Italian food. But under the new management, they’ve changed the menu drastically, no longer offering pork in the menu but still offering alcohol though.

When I reached there, it was lunch hour on a Friday but there was only one couple sitting at the table. The place was empty and quiet. The waitress was friendly enough but most of the time they were at the back so I didn’t have a chance to ask whether wine or any type of alcohol is used in the food. I’m also unsure whether they use gelatin in their desserts.

The restaurant is not that big, occupying only one shop lot, but it’s comfortable enough. Not sure if I can say the same if the place is crowded with diners though. The decor is very European/Italian, with wallpaper of European style building/scenery on the wall.

The first main course was Chicken Parmesan – RM36. Baked chicken thigh topped with melted parmesan cheese and homemade marinara sauce, with potato wedges underneath it, and some pasta salad on the side. The chicken was delicious! It was perfectly cooked and soft, boneless if I remember correctly. Potato wedges were soft with slightly crispy skin. Pasta salad is just pasta, haha.

The portion wasn’t that big, not enough to be shared but enough for one person. Might not be enough if you’re a huge, heavy eater.

Second main course was Chicken Broccoli Alfredo – RM20. Linguine pasta with alfredo sauce, mixed with pieces of chicken, olive, capsicum, onions, and of course broccoli. I can’t describe how much I loved it. It was simply divine. I’ve mentioned before that Alfredo & Carbonara are my two most favorite pasta dishes. There are a few pasta dishes that I’ve had that were satisfying enough and this is one of them.

Perfectly seasoned, the sauce is light. It’s not too creamy that it makes you sick but not too light that it lacks any flavor. It was perfect. Chicken and the veggies complimented the dish. The portion is not too big but big enough for one person since it’s pasta and pasta tends to be filling to the stomach.

As for dessert, the first one we got was Creme Brulee – RM14. A sweet custard base dessert served in a ramekin, with half of a glazed strawberry on top of the burnt sugar aka caramel. I absolutely love creme brulee and this dessert was creamy but a bit too sweet to my liking. It almost tasted as if you’re just eating pure sugar.

Second dessert was Panna Cotta – RM12. I absolutely love this. It’s sweet but not overly sweet unlike creme brulee, it’s just nice, a little bit creamy. I wish I could have more because it wasn’t enough. That’s how good it was. I mean seriously good.

Traditionally, panna cotta is made with gelatin in it so I’m not sure if they used gelatin and if they do, if it’s the halal kind since we know most commonly gelatin is not halal. I wish there was somebody I could talk to at that time to clarify this matter so in regard to the ingredients, right now I am not sure and can’t confirm if it’s halal for consumption by Muslims.

Overall, it was a great & very delicious meal only I can’t be absolutely sure of the halal status of the ingredients in the food so I’m not sure I’ll come back unless that issue is clarified. The restaurant also serves different kind of main courses, pastas and pizzas. Price is a bit on the expensive side for me with main course & pasta ranging from RM20-50. Of course, as mentioned, they do have alcohol in their menu.

The restaurant is not hard to find. Located at the shop lots near Giant hypermarket, and you can see it when you turn after the traffic light into Sunway City. They’re open every day but they have specific times – lunch (12-3 pm) and dinner (6-10 pm).