Now Reading: Pasta Turns Asian: The 9 Best Asian Fusion Pastas That Are Worth Their Wows
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Pasta Turns Asian: The 9 Best Asian Fusion Pastas That Are Worth Their Wows
Every strand and slurp tells a story—discover nine Asian fusion pasta dishes worth twirling your fork—or face, into.
Pasta may be Italian at heart, but when it meets Asian flavours, flairs, and spices, it steps beyond tradition into uncharted territory. Think carbonara rehashed with miso, or spaghetti not just in sauce, but veiled in dashi emulsion. It’s East twirling with West—an unexpected dialogue that reimagines what pasta can be, entwined with savoury whispers and briny notes that linger beyond the ordinary. Here, we can noodle around with the nine pastas adorned with Asian-style smoke and aromatics across KL.
1. AMP Cafe: pasta, pizza, or more?
In a turn shy and unshowy corner in Ampang, sits AMP Café. Breathing modestly in industrial-chic subtlety, AMP Café stretches in a space of twos—think two open, sun-lit floors with seats aplenty. Beside them? Rises Double Zero Pizza, a neighbour whose wheat stretches beyond an oven as they—hand in hand—serve up sourdough pizzas.
Tucking in lunchtime as well as dinner menus, AMP Café introduces a variety that satiates while sweetening up your cravings. From toasties to tacos to signature bowls, yet the one curling in a raw Asian streak is the Seafood Laksa Fettuccini. Swimming in your seafood—prawn, squid, and chewy clams, your fettuccine is spun in creamy laksa carbonara. Liquid gold curtaining wide, flat strips of wheat anchored with briny bites. Yum!
2. Aposto: Tutto Posto
Embarking on a taste whispering in Italian, yet interpreted here in TTDI, Aposto stands out in the quaint neighbourhood not simply for its accent, but for dishes crowned with dual cuisine influences. Fresh seafood, handmade pastas, and char-grilled meat—in Aposto, “Everything is good.” and that’s where Aposto arose from.
Take the Miso Chilli Vongole Aglio e Olio. Brewing a delicately white miso clam broth with asari and venus clams, it’s a briny, bouncy bite harmonising with tuneful umami. Then, tangling your hand-cut linguini into the mix along with a splash of chilli slices; it’s shells, soul, and just a lick of heat in each bite.
3. Annabell KL
Annabell KL with its elegant European-inspired fashion and fixture is a look at first sight. Don’t be fooled by their towering centrepiece with bright bell jars as well as liquid-gold lineups, this stunner alone could sweep you away before the rest even arrives. Sailing in with Sea Crab Meat and Clams Linguine where Sabah shore-picked crabs and clams is the signature salt—East twirls with Italian silkiness. Something a touch more sinful? The Truffle Cream Fettucine. Perched atop the plate is 63 degrees kampung egg, rich as it is regal; ready to be broken into a woodsy truffle bedding.
4. Chums Café & Dining
Comforting cuisine, even cozier an ambience, something about Chums Café & Dining speaks subtly with class. Maybe it’s the Michelin-starred chef orchestrating every bite offstage, or is this the unassuming dried eucalyptus working its enchantment in the air? It’s a question hushed in quiet allure, really.
The menu, on the other hand, is unapologetically daring. Their humble elegance lingers at the threshold as bold European enters, winking at Asian whispers; it’s a taste worth its tale across the neighbourhood.
Featuring on their Lunch Menu, the Thai Green Curry Pasta; at its heart, pronounced Thai green curry fragrance, with crushed peanuts as garnish. While doubts spurred, the Italian-Thai palette was a pleasant surprise that won faith on the first forkful. Kicking up a notch with either chicken or seafood selection to complement your plate. In addition to this is the Oyster Spaghetti, lively pacific oysters buttering up your springy spaghetti. Tying it altogether is the dashi emulsion that lifts with a light smoky essence. Gently sweet, silky, and ever so slightly chewy.
5. Copaa KL
Copaa KL is that one supper club meant not to exclude, but to entertain those with a taste to share, sip, and enjoy a proper taste smack. Their menus aren’t ones to stick around long, like a nomad on the adventurous move, Copaa KL roams across diverse tastes and tongues, each nip a note in their menus’ songs. With two sharing course menus today, among the many culinary mixes is the Crab Roe with Linguini. Imagine a crisped crunch over silken softness, and with this are Asian options whether it Claypot Rice or 7-Day-Aged Chicken brushed with Rempah Sauce. Trust Copaa to throw a great get-together, no questions asked.
6. Rebel Pasta
Perhaps the name betrays it, Rebel Pasta doesn’t play by the rulebook. It’s a neighbourhood specialty pasta space where rules are optional, pastas are mandatorily handcrafted, and the expense is priced for the people. Classically trained or tossed with Breast Mode: On? There’s Rebel Picks out here, keeping an eye on those with a budget; some days, you can even Meat the Rebels.
Onto pastas with an Asian kiss, check out the Veggie Aglio Spaghetti—goodbye to reds, hello to greens! Simmered à la minute, olive oil slathering up your spaghetti with seasonal veggies, and a shimeji stash. Shaking up a flicker of chilli flakes with mushrooms, then nestles the onsen egg over the luscious locks, and it’s a saucy hotbed ready to slurp.
7. Staple Dough
Staple Dough seems to be singing its own name, stirring up signature slurps all around. “Sculpting handmade Italian pasta dough,” what they roll out are never not with a modern kiss, tied to an Asian twist. It’s a special spin unveiled by Megah Rise Mall, think Italy on an exquisite tour across Asia. Such is the Stuffed Seafood Capelletti—poaching in dashi beurre monte with a herbal hug alongside chilli oil for a little sting. Sharpening this kick with briny prawn powder, it’s a seafood medley messing about in one bite, and one burst.
8. Timothy Cafe
Tucked in Jalan Tun HS Lee, Timothy Café isn’t a spot to be missed. Their handmade pastas are as good as it gets—until it gets even better with the Asian fusion flairs. Curl around the Creamy Butter Masak Lemak, where your comforting cream sauce is kissed with traditional Malaysian masak lemak paste—coconut-based curry. Pronounced in every way. Crisped with streaky beef or chicken ham tangling through pasta, it’s a smoky-salty kick in every forkful. Miso Carbonara is briny in spirit while bold in its roots—Japanese miso melds with the cream. Chicken ham for a comforting chew, and Italian parmesan, dusting the free range poached egg pillowed atop.
9. Mangga at The Blue Mansion
Resting in George Town’s iconic Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Mangga at The Blue Mansion is a café of a casual character, think a laidback air around it—always easy, never in haste. Sitting under the hundred-year-old mango tree is where a contemporary classic dish is best savoured at. Sun-speckled seating with the Capellini Laksa Lemak, a moment to bask in, really.
Coating your capellini in creamy coconutty laksa broth, with vegetable tempura tucked by the side for a crunchy finesse. Doused with warm turmeric sauce, this vegetarian plate swirls with every slurp while singing in bright Southeast Asian notes.
