Restaurant Review - La Risata, Kuala Lumpur

La Risata means "the laughter" and there are 2 branches in Kuala Lumpur. One is at Medan Damansara, but we happened to visit the Ampang outlet, which is just 4 kms or so from the Petronas Towers.

It is located on pesiaran ampang, which is parallel to Jalan Ampang and the street had a few restaurants in close proximity. 

As you step into the restaurant, you are pleasantly greeted and guided to your table. First up on the left side is the bar and on the right they have some high tables with tall chairs.

Further inside there is more seating which was more comfortable and opposite you can see part of the semi open kitchen. 

The decore is earthen and rustic, very subtle interiors and not too striking, but rather elegant.




We ordered our drinks, Angelo Arusso and the Risata Sling. Now, i'm not much of a cocktail person, but what fantastic flavours they threw up. The fine art of cocktail mixology - perfected!

To go with it we ordered some Bruschetta with tomato and garlic. It was nice, the tomatoes and garlic had a fresh taste and the bread was crisp and not soggy.

After this relaxed start, we opted for a Pizza Porcini, which was ultra thin, and oh so crispy. The base was like nothing i've ever had before, it would crumble like a biscuit at the edges and it was not hard at all, simply brilliant.

The toppings were also good, very organic flavours and not an overload of cheese, quite a light pizza.

We also tried the "SPEZZATINO DI POLLO CON OLIVA E CAPERI" 
(i had to copy the name straight off their website). It is a large piece of chicken braised with olives, onions, tomatoes, capers and white wine and served with some roasted vegetables on the side.

Mama Mia! Lo and behold, another beautiful creation from the very talented chefs here.

The chicken was soft and tender, would come off easily from the bone, the liquid in the plate was a good broth and the pieces of olives, onions and carrot tasted wonderful in it.

The only thing I wish for is if the chicken was boneless, as I always find it hard to have a chicken with bones using cutlery. Still it was a thoroughly enjoyable dish.


Despite being full, we ordered for a dessert, namely the bread and butter pudding with butterscotch and vanilla ice cream. It was just about good, not the best part of our meal. 

Portions of the dishes are not small either.

The service you can expect here is nothing short of exceptional. The waiters are always available and give you good recommendations. The service speed is quick despite the fact that they are usually full. And the best part which won our hearts was the extra help extended to us by one of the staff.

We were worried about getting a cab late at night from that spot and we checked where and how we could get a cab. The person said let me see what I can do.

And by the time we were done paying our bill and walked out, he was waiting there with a cab for us. Such warmth cannot be taught easily, and it speaks volumes about the culture here. Naturally the place has been a hit for the last 18 years and going strong.

The value for money is also good, as the bill for all this came up to 150 ringgits. Not a bad deal at all.

I would highly recommend it for a quiet dinner or a romantic evening in K.L.

Kudos to La Risata!

Rating – 4.5/5