Enjoying Delicious Food And Reasonable Prices In A Cosy Ambience

This post should have been written one and a half years ago, to share this wondrous gem with more people. I have been spreading the word by mouth and even taking dear friends to dine there. I have also given it a 5-star rating in my TripAdvisor review. Now it's time to rave about it in my blog.

Maiale is located at 5, Jalan Datuk Yeoh Cheng Lee

     

Delicate greens on the frontage of Maiale

Business hours for all to see

The cosy interior

     Owned and run by a young couple, Maiale brings pasta with a difference to Ipoh. If you are expecting the ordinary bolognese, you'll be sorely disappointed. Chef Sato has many unique concoctions up his sleeve and brings even the ordinary bolognese or aglio olio to a higher tastier level.  I find myself returning and returning and returning...to try out all his different pasta concoctions with Japanese touches.

     My mum and I had a sumptuous Sunday lunch here today. We chose to have their Pranzo Set A, starting off with their creamy mushroom soup. It was served with scrumptious bread and bun, lovingly made by Chef Sato and his sweet wife, ZeAnn. As you slurp the soup, you can smell the aroma of the mushrooms, and you are assured that only the finest ingredients have been used. We also love the vinegar and olive oil dip for the breads.

The starter

     We both chose to have the Scallop Aglio OIio today. Twirling the strands of freshly made spaghetti and savouring every mouthful, we marvelled at how sweet the scallops are. Unlike aglio olios served at some restaurants, Maiale's version is not oily but had the right balance of everything.

The main course and my cup of Earl Grey (also included in the set lunch)

     Whenever we dine at Maiale, dessert is another much-anticipated course as their desserts are to-die-for. Mum opted for their panna cotta today. Panna cotta is the Italian version of custard. Having had their tiramisu on the previous occasion, my choice of dessert today was their semifreddo, an Italian ice cream. Mum's spoon kept making its way over to my mango, passionfruit and raspberry semifreddo!

Panna cotta with fruit sauce (pic taken on another visit)

The heavenly dessert of semifreddo with tomato jam

     To think that Maiale's main dishes start and end with pasta would be doing the restaurant a grave injustice. I once tried their wagyu beef (can't remember the name of the dish) and was impressed. A friend, who has been there, highly recommends their grilled sakura pork with pineapple sauce. The name "Maiale", by the way, is the Italian word for "pig". Hence, you will find plenty of porky pasta dishes here and loads of cute piggy decor around. We, Ipoh folks, are so blessed to have such delicious food at reasonable prices.

Adorable piggies climbing the stairs, all lovingly knitted by ZeAnn's mum

Happy piggies bought from Chiangmai 

My favourite tomato gratin soup on another occasion

For vegetarians, this Portobello Mushroom pasta is excellent!

Seafood Aglio Olio is in Maiale's dinner menu

           

Maiale's pasta with sakura pork in sesame cream will delight any oink oink fan

                                   

                                          Mentaiko Cream pasta...simply yummylicious

A slice of Maiale's tiramisu for dessert

Houjicha creme brûlée in a cute glass egg cup