Via Pre

Via Pre has been part of Bukit Damansara's dining scene since 2016, when brothers Maurizio and Massimiliano Ranauro brought the trattoria they started in Penang in 2012 to Kuala Lumpur. The name nods to a lane in Genoa, and the cooking reflects the family's Piedmont roots and head chef and partner Luca Nobile's Tuscan training. The KL branch is entirely pork-free, which the owners describe as their way of welcoming everyone.

The menu covers handmade pastas, gnocchi, risotto and wood-fired pizzas. Start with the house cicchetti-style antipasti (cured beef, spicy fried baby squid and roasted aubergine, around RM35), then try the mixed seafood scialatielli with clams, mussels, prawns and squid (around RM72) or La Genovese, pan-fried tuna with prawns and scallops (around RM68). Gluten-free pasta and pizza are available, and there is a full Italian wine list.

The dining room is relaxed, with a semi-alfresco terrace and easy parking on Lorong Setiabistari, and it works well for family lunches and birthday tables as well as unhurried dinners. Book by phone or WhatsApp; it is closed on Mondays.