Bella luna actually means “beautiful moon” and no, I do not know Italian – I checked that out using google translate…and I thought that would be the perfect title for this post as it was Sunday night, the night of the Mooncake or Mid-Autumn Festival when we went for dinner at this Italian restaurant in Kuching…
My dear friends, Vivien and Mary, had invited us out on our last night in the state capital and I told them that we could just hop over to one of those places across the road instead of going through the hassle of driving all the way to town. There is presently the construction of a flyover along the way and the road is in a terrible condition and since it was an auspicious night, there might be a lot of people going out for dinner or whatever festivities so the roads would probably be very busy and jammed.
This restaurant is on the other side of the street from the hotel where we were staying, a little to the right and I would not know whether it was because of the festival or it was a Sunday or whether there would always be that many people every night. A handsome and friendly Caucasian guy (I thought he was Italian but I’ve been informed that he’s actually Bosnian – came over here when the civil war was raging in the country – I must say that he certainly looks VERY successful and happy here) runs the place and despite the crowd, service was good and our orders were served pretty fast.
We had the Insalata Bella…
– the salad with smoked salmon and it was very nice – I certainly enjoyed it very much.
The Pinnochio pizza…
…was great too – thin crust which I very much prefer but it was the Funghi In Carozza…
…their deep fried breadcrumb-coated fresh imported button mushrooms -that I loved best! I would not know how to describe the taste but in just one word, it was DELICIOUS!
Vivien strongly recommended the Bistecca Alla Roberto…
…which was beef in some very nice creamy sauce – very nice but I think the price was a little bit steep, compared to the rest.
I wanted to try their lasagne and since we had beef already, we opted for the chicken instead – their Lasagne Pollo…
It turned out to be just o.k. I think against the strong flavours of the beef in the rest of our orders, this one seemed a bit on the mild side and did not stand out as much as the rest.
I’m afraid lighting in the restaurant was kind of dim plus the yellow light certainly did not do much to make things any better so I would say without any reservation that that the above photographs do not really do the food justice – they actually looked a lot better than that. All in all, dinner was really good and the company was great. I do not know how much everything was as Vivien insisted on picking up the tab and giving everyone a treat….and I really must say thank you so much, Vivien and also to you, Mary, for the delightful evening. It certainly was nice to see the two of you again.
Kuching had been blanketed with this horrendous thick haze for days on end but somehow or other, it rained late that afternoon so the sky was clear and the full moon could be seen in all its glory. It certainly was a perfectly fitting closing to a beautiful night out with old friends and a wonderful 3-night stay in Kuching.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Morning Arthur Oppa,
A nice dim-lit dinner in an Italian restaurant. Macam pegi date saja. ;p
With three ladies for company, memang hebat kan? LOL!!! π
Fuyoh~ 3 ladies to 1 uncle! Memang hebat sekali!
Ouch!!! 3 aunties and 1 uncle lah… Hehehehehe!!!!
In spite of the bad lighting, the food looks so good! I would have enjoyed all the dishes π
They’re pretty good, I must say. Certainly worth checking out if in Kuching…
pizzaaaaa! yum yum! thin crust is nice if they didnt make it too wet and cause thin crust to be softened.
Got wet crust kah? I thought crusts are supposed to be crusty. I prefer this to the Pizza Hut ones where they use bread as the base – like eating bread, not pizza…
mmmm…….must try the mushrooms next time i go there. Looks good!
My favourite that night. Loved that the most!
What a scrumptious set of foods i would love to try that mushroom dish
Yes, it certainly was a delightful dinner.
Oppa Arthur, good morning to you. Italian food eh! Quite fattening for me. So nice of your two friends bringing for nice food.
Of course lah! I’m so good, sure I’ve good friends who will treat me real good one… Hehehehehehehe!!! π
Yeah, the lightings sometimes do not give credit to the food.. or perhaps our cameras are not so “canggih?”… I bought a new one Sony too but to my dismay, it was almost the same like the one i have now..
About the food, once awhile I would love to take these…. but not all the time… they are so “cheesy!” π
I guess we will just have to get used to what with have and work around the weaknesses – I have taken a few at dim places that turned out pretty well actually. The people you are with will have to be patient as you will need to take a few from different angles…and depending on the source of light, a couple may turn out quite nice really. I know…you will not like this type of food – I’m sure you had your share of that in the US but your kids would love it a lot, I know. Young people these days – their taste buds not the same…
hahahaha.. so is “Bella Luna” a title of an Italian song??
It’s actually a song by Jason Mraz… I’m sure you’ve heard of him? Hehehehehehe!!!!
oooh, from the photo, i wonder how do you like the dim lighting in the restaurant?? romantic for dining, but the photos came out so yellowish and dim, not appetizing already lah…
Not just the photos – the dishes will not look that alluring actually, so dark and dull. Such places, I would prefer to go for lunch actually – can take better pics in the daylight but even at dim places, if you can hold your hand steady and take from different angles depending on the source of light, even if it is just a candle, you can take very nice pictures. We have a few here…like my favourite, Payung, for instance – it is actually quite dim there…and if the company you are with do not mind, take several photos and there may be one or two that will turn out pretty nice, don’t just take one.
Hmm, I agree. Dim lighting is romantic for dining.. But the food looks not romantic already…. π
Yalor…sometimes so dark like that Thai place near Low Yat, Bangkok Jazz or something – so dark that one would not know what one would be eating. I did not even bother to take any photographs….
I feel you on the yellow lights haha that’s where flash emerges and saves the day!
I don’t like using flash…with all the glittering reflections and the dark shadows. I guess you have a DSLR and you can turn the flash upwards so as not to have the direct light…and then the photos would come out very nicely.
Though I am not much into Italian food but the Pinnochio pizza and mushrooms looks great. So cripsy looking.
The mushrooms were great – very tasty, not cheesey… The pizza was nice too but I loved the mushrooms the most.
Pizzas look yummy~ It’s one of my favourite food =)
This one’s very nice..just that the mushrooms were nicer. I ate the most!!! π
Justyn would love all the food shown above.With nice company, everything will taste delicious kan?
So would Melissa. She would be green with envy when she sees this post. Young people today would go for this kind of cuisine anytime… Yes, it’s always the company that matters most. π
oo.. I keep staring at the Fried Mushrooms… love this lots…. use to be able to order this at TGIF.. but they remove this from their menu already… so either now I just drool at yr pic or I have to cook it myself…. hehe… π
You had that before? First time, seeing it and eating it… So nice! Good luck with yours. π
Don’t like the usage of flash either, or maybe I just haven’t mastered my camera… though I have to say, those mushrooms probably look good in whatever lighting you put them under! Now I’m determined to find a place that serves those in Klang Valley… π
Yup, sometimes it’s knowing your camera..the potential, the limits and work around the latter – may be able to get great photos…sometimes. π I wouldn’t know where they serve those in the Klang Valley – first time seeing it and having it…and loving it a lot!
Ahhhhh!!! Your first time here, I see. Welcome, welcome…and thanks for dropping by. Will link you in my blogroll, do come again…
Aiyaa…candlelit dinner ka…the pic so blur one.
No candles lah!!! If got candles, I can use those and take pretty nice pictures…like at Payung – at night. Quite dim there but photos usually turned out pretty nice. But these photos not so nice only leh, yellowish and not alluring…got blur kah? Maybe you need to get new spectacles? Hehehehehehe!!!!!
By the way, FYI, Payung is opening a new outlet, the Payung Makhota – bigger place. Hope to find lots more nice things there…starting 24th October. Yum! Yum!
Photos not nice never mind. The food must be good. Interesting, that plate of deep fried breadcrumb-coated fresh imported button mushrooms. It must have been yummmmmy!
It was. That would be the first thing I would order if ever I were to drop by there again.
I love Italian food (I love all food, actually, er, except Korean).
Pizza, lasagna, spaghetti, oh wait, is spaghetti French? Who cares, as long as the food is good, the ambiance is great and the company is fantastic! π
Nope, it is Italian…from China actually, Marco Polo brought it back or so they say. LOL!!! π Yes, especially that last one – everything will be good with great friends around.
Arthur, been following you on your Kuching trip with much envy…. every one of them made me very hungry indeed !! …but what deliciousness and fun time you had…I was also trying to catch a glimpse of Missus….
LOL!!! You may be able to get to see her in some of my earlier posts…not in the ones on this trip. Well, this is the last post on the trip – will move on to other things starting tomorrow. Sure am glad that it was a great one in every sense of the word…
The food looks good despite of the lighting…I like the pizza and lasagne. I’m a fan of pizza especially those in italian restaurant. I’m wondering why it was called Pinnochio pizza – it don’t even have a long nose…haha π
LOL!!! That was exactly my question when it was served – where’s the long nose? Perhaps I should have used the flash but I simply don’t like doing that – never liked the pics I took using flash. Will only use when so very dark, no choice…
I am young ppl, that’s why all the food above I like!!! Yum yum. But maybe not the last one, lasagne, I am not lasagne fans. I love the fried mushroom , nice and the first one, smoked salmon salad look good too.
Of course you are young! Very young, not like me – I am older than your mother. Hahahahahaha!!!!! Lasagne is also pasta what…pasta sheets…and the meat can be bolognese like the spaghetti one or seafood carbonara – same-same, just a different way of preparation and presentation.
deep fried breadcrumb-coated mushrooms?! were they oily or something? did they sprinkle on some chili powder or cheese powder or so? π
No, not at all. Other than the breadcrumbs, I don’t know what else they used for the ingredients – I only know it tasted so very nice. Too dim to see much…so don’t really know what they used – some nice herbs perhaps, dunno any cheese or not – maybe a bit but can’t really taste it, not overpowering. That’s why I am not in favour of dimly-lit cafes and restaurants other than the fact that the photos will not turn out nice.
It seems that the name Bella Italia is very popular for Italian restaurants… I remember seeing one in SS2 in PJ, one in Puchong and now one in Kuching! Glad that you enjoyed the food! Those mushrooms looked like the ones we have over here. π
There are places with the same name over there? I wonder if they are related or they just happen to have the same name. Ya…you have those fresh mushrooms there – my daughter ate them all the time when she was in NZ, Fresh and cheap some more…
Wow….that is definitely a good meal ! Love that pizza and the salad..both my favorites… I can imagine how good that smoked salmon salad is…mmmm you sure are one lucky guy! π
I certainly am…and if I go Ipoh, there would at least be two lovely ladies taking me out to eat t oo, right? Wink! Wink! LOL!!!
I love thin crust pizzas too!
I think most people do. Personally, I’m not so much into bread even..
we share the same likings as well. I like thin crusted pizza too and the fried button mushrooms! yummy
Ahhhhh!!!! Great minds think alike… π
Say those dishes look great! My daughter loves pizza, and she prefers homemade pizza, so I make it quite often in our household. Next Wednesday I’ll be attending a staff retreat, pizza and salad are on the menu.
Nothing like own homebaked. Problem is I’m simply too lazy… LOL!!! Have fun at the retreat!
wow 3 ladies? you could manage or not?
Pizza is my kind of food
Hah!!! You see me no material, is it? Terror, man…you don’t know only! Hehehehehe!!!! π
I love thin crust too!
It certainly seems that most people do…
oh??? i didn’t know that whole button mushroom can be deep fried this way! Can u figure out what is the taste of the frying powder? We can certainly try this at home!
No idea. I did not bother either as we cannot get these mushrooms fresh here. If we can…sometimes at the supermarts here, they will not be so fresh, not so nice anymore.