Mario Ristorante, Penang

Tucked away in the tourist belt of Batu Ferringhi, Penang stands Mario Ristorante. It is known for its Italian cuisine with a wine list to suit many palates and dining comfort. Although it has been established a number of years, not many Penangites have yet to discover this lovely place.

Located on the same row as Bella Italia and The Eclectic while standing directly opposite Rasa Sayang Hotel, Mario's naturally draws in the tourists crowd.

This was our first visit to Mario's and we had Michael joining us for the dinner. There are indoor and sidewalk sittings. We sat indoor as the weather was a bit warm. The interior design is extremely cozy with warm colors, giving this place a very Italian-nish flair.

A glance at the menu shows the usual array of pasta and pizzas. We picked our orders and in no time our very first dish arrived. The Bruschetta - topped with a mixture of chopped tomatoes, basil, olive oil, garlic and sprinkle with black pepper. An order comes in two pieces and we had a twin order to share among us.

This restaurant has an open kitchen that gives us the opportunity to watch the food being made and cooked in the woodfire brick oven.

Appetizer made up of the Veggie Wonder. It is an array of sauteed mushrooms, green and red pepper chili, eggplant, carrots and zucchini. Topped with olive oil and cubes of fetta cheese, it tasted superb with a zest of lemon.

For starters, we had the Clam Chowder soup served in a homemade sour dough bread bowl. This creamy soup comes with the right thickness. The bread bowl can even be eaten too! There are not many places where you can have a dig of the bowl after you are done with the soup. This soup is a must try!

On the menu was the sizzling Fajitas with a choice of beef or chicken. We opt for the succulent beef which is marinated and cooked in their own special sauce with strips of green and red pepper and onions. It is serve sizzling hot. The order came with three pieces of warmed fresh tortillas.

We had an additional order for the tortilla. This freshly made tortillas are much different in texture and taste from those available in other franchise restaurant. Beef pieces and tomatoes are laid on the tortilla spread with the sour cream and guacamole. Shredded cheese are sprinkled on top before it is roll up. This is indeed a very flavorful dish.

Nice snippets of the surroundings...

Hubby stood beside the open kitchen and watched the chef prepare the pizzas. There are many varieties of hand tossed pizzas to choose from and we had the classic Margherita. It is soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the sides. Simply delightful!

After the meal, we lingered on over a cup of hot tea from Twinning's. We had the Darjeeling tea and the Camomile Tea - pure flowers of Camomile Herbal Infusion, both with delicate flavours.

We really enjoyed the delicious dinner and will definitely be visiting again. This is one place that I would recommend to you if you are looking for a nice place to unwind with great Italian food. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Address : Mario Ristorante
152B, Batu Ferringhi
Penang

Tel : 04 8813775