Luretta DOP Italian Deli at 1 Utama: Restaurant review

It’s always cause for celebration when a decent new destination for Italian fare unfurls – Luretta is a place for hams, cheese, pastas, wine and more, with produce brought in from Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany & elsewhere across Italy to ensure authenticity. This deli-restaurant is tucked inside Isetan’s department store in 1 Utama, but it’s reputedly run independently by the Sassolini brothers from Cesena; they weren’t around when we visited, but their affable team keeps things humming along at a brisk clip.

Cold cuts and folded pizza

Luretta’s platter of mixed cold cuts (RM39) works for sharing, but for a more distinctive order, try one of the sandwiches or folded pizzas, made with Italian piadina flatbread & interesting fillings. Our sandwich showcased a successful combo of Parma ham, rocket leaves and traditional Squacquerone, a soft, full-fat cow’s milk cheese (RM27). The folded pizza (crescioni) came stuffed with a rustic mix comprising bits of savoury pork sausage, lots of creamy mashed potatoes and slivers of onions (RM25).

Italian comfort food

For hot, hearty Italian comfort food, spaghetti heaped with tender Italian sausage meat and green peas in cream sauce (RM26) is enjoyable, though its heaviness makes it best suited for two customers. Our favourite here is probably the porchetta (RM35) – fatty, moist & robustly seasoned, this boneless pork roast should prove irresistible to the final glorious, guilty-indulgence bite.

Drinks