IL Bacaro Venetian Restaurant

Best in town for: Mushroom Agnalotti, Zabaglione, the service.

Worst in town for: Nothing really.

Opening times:

12.00 noon - 10.30pm

Open all week.

CAT: Well this was a nice surprise. It's rather difficult to find genuinely authentic Italian food in Penang, but Il Bacaro is the real deal. Up until now, if you asked me for my favorite pasta, I would have said the Linguine Carbonara in Mario's Ristorante. However, after visiting Il Bacaro, I might have to change my mind...

One thing I love about Italian restaurants is the bread that they serve as appetizers, and Il Bacaro is no exception. Freshly baked and served with olive oil, it's a great way to start a meal.

Foccacia

I ordered the Mushroom Agnalotti with White Wine Cream Sauce, and was blown away by the taste. It was so delicious that Bear actually went into a coma after trying some. Don't let the "vegetarian" label put you off. The mushroom filling is so well prepared that even a meat-lover like Bear couldn't tell that it was vegetarian.

Mushroom Agnalotti in White Wine Cream Sauce (RM26)

We also tried the Linguine with Sundried Tomatoes and Vongole (clams). This is actually a pretty good dish, but unfortunately, after the explosion of taste from the Agnalotti, it turned out to be a little bland.

Linguine Vongole (RM24)

For dessert, we were strongly recommended to try the Zabaglione, which is a dessert made with egg yolk, wine and strawberries. This was again, so delicious that Bear immediately went into a coma again.

We also ordered the Hazelnut Cake with Mascarpone, but it was a bit of a disappointment after the Zabaglione. It was tasty and nutty, but didn't really feel like it was worth RM19.

Warm Hazelnut Cake with Mascarpone Cream (RM19)

BEAR: Mama Bear has taken me to countless Italian restaurants since young but never had I had pasta this good. We decided to share our pasta since I couldn't decide and CAT was on greedy mode so I left the ordering to him.

We had the Mushroom Agnalotti with White Wine Cream Sauce. I thought it looked a little strange when it arrived but one bite into it and I was sold! It tasted so good, I couldn't stop raving about it. I initially thought it was some beef-y stuffing but CAT told me it was mushrooms. Mushrooms never tasted this good. This dish is absolutely perfect.

After eating something that good, nothing else could compare. While the Linguine with Sundried Tomatoes and Vongole was good it was nothing compared to the Agnalotti.

Zabaglione (RM12)

As for deserts, CAT wanted the Tiramisu but the lovely waitress recommended the Zabaglione. It's a little on the sweet side but to me it was absolutely delicious. I never realized how good egg yolk can be when done right.

While the egg yolk tasted sweet, the strawberry added a little tartness but everything meshed together wonderfully.

I was never a fan of nuts so the Hazelnut Cake was left to CAT to finish.

Will be back with the clan! Wait for us...

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