Pizza Roma Manjalara – Pinsa Romana Malaysia

Pizza Roma Manjalara – Pinsa Romana Malaysia

Words: Monica Tindall Photos: Rich Callahan

From thin, slightly crunchy Roman crusts, to puffy-edged, floppy Napoli dough, to New York-style recipes, we are spoiled for pizza options in KL. With the introduction of Pizza Roma Menjalara and their “Pinsa Romana” creations, we now have even more choice!

Pinsa Romana Malaysia

Pinsa Romana is a trademark flour from Di Marco. Pizza Roma is the only one licensed to sell it here in Malaysia. It produces a style of pizza that is light, crunchy and fluffy and often oval in shape. Made from a combination of soy, rice and wheat flours, it is easier to digest than pizza made on wheat alone. It’s oft described as a “cloud pizza” because of its distinct fluffiness. The Latin base, “pinsere,” means to stretch or spread, and this is the technique used to achieve the stretched oval shape distinct to this style.

Pizza Roma Manjalara

Pizza Roma Manjalara is a quaint, unassuming café on a corner lot. The simple setting makes way for the star attraction – the pizza – to soak up all of the attention. The menu is extensive. Pizza Roma and Pinsa are offered with a wide collection of toppings in red, white and gourmet compositions. Besides pizza, there’s also a hearty menu of pasta to fill tummies. Everything is reasonably priced, and you could easily be satisfied with a meal and a drink for less than RM 30.

Roman-Style Pizza

Roman pizza offers a good balance of fluffiness and crunch in its relatively thin base. It’s an excellent choice but not where we focus our attention today, as we want to explore the pinsa. Still, we do try one, the Margherita with Bufala (RM 17.90, 7 inches). We’re happy with the base and quality of the toppings – tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil are a classic combination for a good reason.

Pizza Roma Manjalara – Pinsa

While a few Italian kitchens serve Roman-style pizza in KL, no one else is licensed to sell Pinsa Romana. The dough is something special, and many, after trying it, have a hard time going back to a traditional base again. Divided into white, red and gourmet categories, and with plentiful vegetarian and vegan options, we sample across the choices. 

My heart lies with the plant-based picks but we begin with a Beef Pepperoni Supreme (RM 16.90) for the meat lovers in our family. The basics of tomato sauce, mozzarella and beef pepperoni are made “supreme” with capsicum, red onion and olives. It’s full of flavour, and the cured meat fills my mouth with its tastiness.

Quickly moving over to meat-free recipes, the Tartufata (RM 17.90) has already become a firm favourite with diners. Mozzarella, mushrooms, truffle sauce, rocket and Parmesan make a tasty combo. The Vegetarian Supreme (RM 16.90) is also highly satisfying with its coat of mozzarella, marinated eggplant and zucchini, sun-dried tomato, sweet pepper, red cabbage and rocket. 

Without the use of any substitute or vegan “cheese”, the Pumpkin Vegan (RM 14.90) makes use of wholesome natural ingredients to pack this recipe with appeal. Pumpkin sauce, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomato, zucchini and red onion make for a light and nutritious meal. I highly recommend it.

Ramadan Special

The team at Pizza Roma plan to offer seasonal specialities. With Ramadan coming up, we are fortunate to try a hommus, falafel, zaatar and tabouli combination. Do keep your eye out for this one, as well as more dishes that find inspiration in celebrations throughout the year.

Pizza Roma Manjalara – Pasta

You absolutely must visit Pizza Romana for their pizza. Still, they do also have an incredible number of spaghetti (19 flavours), penne (11 flavours) and mac & cheese (7 choices) alternatives. My curiosity over such an array of Mac & Cheese gets the better of me, and we squeeze in one more tasting with the Bolognese (RM 23.90) version. Needless to say, after all of that pizza, Rich and I get through no more than a spoon each. However, Rich’s teenage son, I’m told, had no problem wolfing down the entire bowl in what might set a new world record (according to his parents). 

Drinks

Soft drinks, homemade iced tea, coffee, freshly squeezed juices and bottled beer (Tiger) compose a compact beverage menu. Two healthy picks – Orange Carrot Lemon (RM 13) and Kale Cucumber Lemon Apple Ginger Celery (RM 13) – balance our pizza indulgence. They are indeed extracted on the spot – we hear the buzz of the juicer just before delivery.

Reasons to visit Pizza Roma Manjalara: THE PINSA ROMANA!

Pizza Roma Manjalara
17, Jalan Medan Putra 1, Bandar Menjalara
52200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+6 011-2332 4491
www.facebook.com/pizzaromamanjalara

Pizza Roma Manjalara Opening Hours
Daily 11am – 10 pm

Pizza Roma Ampang
363-1A, Jalan Ampang Batu 4
Ampang, 54050 Kuala Lumpur
017 668 8018

Pizza Roma Bangsar
26-a Jalan Ara Kiri
Lucky Garden, Bangsar
017 6688016

Find more pizza restaurants in KL here and stay up to date with the latest happenings around Malaysia here and here.