I WAS blown away by the ravioli mushroom ricotta, marvelling at the thin sheet of silky-smooth pasta covering a mound of mushroom duxelle, ricotta cheese and egg yolk.

A shower of grana padano (cheese), and a brown butter sage emulsion completed it. A prick of the fork and the egg yolk ran over the creamy and aromatic mushroom filling.

Freshly made pasta is the stuff of Staple Dough at Megah Rise in Petaling Jaya.

In the ravioli mushroom ricotta, the pasta sheet stood out for its fineness, covering the rich mushroom and cheese filling.

This delicate and delectable raviolo is what head chef Chuan is most proud of at this casual, modern eatery.

Different pastas of varying thickness and colour are strung out on a pole behind glass as you enter Staple Dough. There are the wide and flat pappardelle. ribbons of tagliatelle, hand-rolled pici, and squid ink tagliolini, among others.

We were drawn to the handmade tagliatelle pesto on the menu. We found the pesto sauce a little light at first but liked it better when we came back to the pasta later, as the flavours seemed to have deepened.

The pesto had been made with almonds, watercress and basil. The tagliatelle was topped with toasted hazelnuts, and drizzled with tomato oil and olive oil.

There was a tangy touch with the semi-dried tomatoes, and richness with thick slices of Portobello.

We asked the chef to recommend one more pasta dish and he came back with the Tagliolini seafood marinara. The Thai tomato sauce for the squid ink tagliolini was infused with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.

The fragrance of kaffir lime was not apparent, and we told the chef who went on to fry thin strips of the leaves in oil and poured them over the pasta.

Indeed, the sauce improved. Squid, grilled tiger prawns and ikura topped the pasta.

Not to be missed at Staple Dough is the wonderfully aromatic wild mushroom soup with cream, truffle foam and garlic, served with focaccia topped with cheese and rosemary.

It was so good that we wiped the bowl clean with the focaccia. I was told that a variety of premium mushrooms were used in the soup.

“The earthy portobello, nutty porcini, delicate fairy rings, rich chanterelle, and classic button mushrooms were used for this rich and flavourful soup,” said Chuan later.

Mushroom arancini or balls of deep-fried arborio rice, wild mushroom, pesto and tomato salsa delivered crunchy bites, sinking into a flavourful, moist centre.

Another worthy appetiser was the burrata caprese, served on a salad of arugula, cherry tomatoes, watermelon, lychee and Spanish jamon in a white balsamic reduction.

Dessert was tiramisu, boozy with aged dark rum and whiskey, creamy with mascarpone, with a bitter edge from Italian coffee and cocoa.

The restaurant stocks a wide range of wines to accompany your meal.

Chuan trained at Taylor University’s culinary school, interned at the Italian restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental KL and gained exposure to rare and unique ingredients at fine food supply companies where he worked.

Staple Dough is at Megah Rise, Jalan SS24/9, Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya, tel: 019 476 0902. – February 18, 2023.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.