Senja, Italian Restaurant, Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Words by Brooke Keel

Photos by The Yum List (Monica Tindall)

During our stay at The Club at the Saujana Resort, one of our favorite experiences was an evening of dining delights prepared by the incredibly talented and humble Chef Filippo Giunta. Our evening began at the bar with some cocktails. We liked the lightly bubbly Senja Martini (40RM) and the fruity A Touch of Summer in Italy (28RM), though we should note that a wonderful selection of wine is the focus at this venue in terms of beverages.  

The venue itself is exquisite, with a patio along the lakefront that runs the entire length of the restaurant and beauty in the indoors decor and details as well as the outdoors view out onto the water. With plenty of windows, beautiful dining arrangements and elegant furnishings, Senja is a place you’ll want to come back to again and again, even if just for the cozy and splendid atmosphere.

The Italian menu is filled with items that you can’t go wrong in choosing. We tried so many of these, and it was difficult to pick favorites, considering everything we sampled we absolutely loved. We began with some warm breads – a combination of flatbreads with herbs, reminiscent of pizza crust dough, a sun-dried tomato focaccia, and a classic wheat bread.  

Soon after arrived the Insalata di Pere ed Endiva Belga con Dressing al Gargonzola e Noci (30RM), a perfectly delicious Belgian endive and pear salad with lightly sweet gorgonzola sauce and walnuts – we absolutely adored this salad. 

Then arrived the Spaghetti all’uovo Nuova Carbonara (45RM). The spaghetti is made from scratch by Chef Fillipo and the eggs in this dish are poached at precisely 64 degrees. The result is perfectly scrumptious.  

The Vitello Tonato (a delectable dish of traditional Piedmont veal with tuna sauce, 52RM) was impressive, as was the Zuppetta di Pesce e Pomodorini Freschi, a wonderful full bodied seafood soup with tomato (45RM).  

The signature Pizza Senja (54RM), delicious with a thin crust and topped with buffalo mozzarella and bresaola (air-dried beef), came sprinkled with shaved parmesan, arugula, and halved tomatoes: perfect in its flavorful simplicity.

The Fagottino di Merluzzo in Crosta di Pistacchio, Brodetto di Pomodoro e Quinoa (85RM) was fantastic as well: the white fish’s crust infused with fennel seeds in just the right amount along with mussels and tomato veloute.  

The Tonno in Crosta di Sale e Zucchero, Crema ai Cannellini, Peperonata e Cipolle Marinate (a seared, crusted tuna dish, 70RM) made the mark again. We also tried (and loved) the Petto D’Anatra Arrostito con Crema di Carote, Cipollotti Caramellizati e Salsa al Vino Rosso (pan seared duck breast in carrot cream, 95RM) and the Carre di Agnello con Patate al Rosmarino, Crema di Sedano Rapa e Salsa al Pepe Nero (an Australian rack of lamb with rosemary baby potatoes, 95RM) – all incredible dishes.

Finally, for dessert (just when we thought we’d have no more room!) we were too easily persuaded to try the Chef Filippo’s Tiramisu della Casa con Crema Morbida al Mascarpone e Caffe (beautifully moist and lightly sweet, 29RM) and the Tortino Morbida al Cioccolato con Croccantino e Gelato alla Vaniglia (29RM), a stunning and devilishly good lava cake with berries and vanilla gelato. 

To cap off the night’s indulgences, we were served some fiery Sambuca and Grappa. What an incredible night of exquisite dining pleasures!

Reasons to visit: Beautiful lakeside ambiance, delectable Italian dishes prepared by Chef Filippo Giunta, excellent wine pairings

Senja, Italian Restaurant

Saujana Hotel 

Jalan Lapangan Terbang SAAS

40150 Shah Alam

Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

http://shr.my/the-saujana-hotel/dining/senja/

+ 603 7843 1234 ext 6122 

[email protected]

Hours: Monday Closed. Tuesdays-Fridays 12.00pm to 2.30pm, 6.30pm to 10.30pm. Saturday, Sundays & Public Holidays 6.30pm to 10.30pm.

Attire:

Lunch – Smart casual, no sleeveless shirts, short pants and slippers allowed.

Dinner – Smart and elegant, no sleeveless shirts, no athletic wear and for gentlemen, no shorts or sandals.