Izzi Restaurant - Citibank 65% Discount

Izzi Restaurant - The building's architecture and design definitely stood out among the shops along Jln Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur

Still on KL posts, this time my two cents' worth on a casual dining chain all the way from Indonesia, simply named Izzi. There are already two branches in Malaysia, one on Jalan Sultan Ismail, right smack in the middle of the city, while another in Damansara Uptown, Petaling Jaya.

Izzi is a restaurant/cafe/bistro serving a variety of food, from Asian delights to pizzas and pastas, as well as Western-influenced dishes such as Caesar's salad, and steak tenderloin. Currently, they are on a roll, heavily slashing prices off their menu specially for Citibank card holders, up to 65% for dine-in, take away or delivery, and purchases above RM100 (food only, no drinks or desserts).

Bruschetta - Baked Pizza Dough with Fresh Tomato Red Onion, Basil and Pesto Sauce ( RM10.80, >>> RM3.78)

I myself am not a Citibank credit card holder, therefore I dragged a pitiful (and willing) soul along. Yup, somebody with the aforementioned card, and willing to stuff oneself crazy (orders up to RM100+) and not lament about it. Muahaha .....

Ordering was a breeze, as in contrast to most outings, this time, we HAVE TO order the most expensive dishes, throwing caution to the wind, all the while calculating the amount ordered so that the total exceeds RM100. How cool is that? =)

The Bruschetta I had in mind was the one with baguette type of bread, toasted well and served with some salsa toppings, or cheese, or bacon and whatnots. But the one served here utilises pizza dough, with toppings of sour and tangy relish comprising of tomato/basil/pesto sauce. The dough was baked, not toasted, therefore slightly chewy, but the sauce was good. But we did not manage to finish the whole portion, as stuffing one's stomach with bread before the mains just did not sound appealing, no?

BBQ Chicken Salad - Variety of greens with BBQ chicken, drizzled with Izzi Ranch Dressing (RM19.80 >>> RM6.93)

Though I was tempted to skip all appetizers and go with the meat (the carnivore in me in full form that particular day), somehow the salad selection looked tempting, with Greek salad, Caesar's salad, Grilled chicken salad and BBQ Chicken salad being listed.

We chose the BBQ Chicken Salad, as Rule 101 = Choosing the recommended item, listed way up high on the menu, somehow decreases the possibility of ordering something lacklustre.

Aiya ... Mediocre only. The ranch dressing sauce did not seem to complement the salad well, though the hearty portion made up for it. Devouring the tortilla strip, romaine lettuce strips, corn riblet and mozzarella cheese suddenly made me felt less guilt on over-indulging. Hehe ....

Spicy Italian Sausage Linguine - Linguine pasta tossed with red/green peppers, Italian lamb sausage, with Italian herbs paste (RM22.80 >>> RM7.98)

The Spicy Italian Sausage Linguine is deemed a new item on the menu, and the prospect of linguine with peppers, onions and Italian LAMB sausages sounded like a winner, no? Truthfully, how often do you find lamb sausages being served? However, the dish was a disappointment, the pasta not cooked al dente, and the lamb sausages slices were a tad too saltish to my liking.

(Beef n' Izzi Pizza - Smoked beef, salami, spicy beef, Italian sausage, with Izzi spicy sauce RM34.80 >>> RM12.18)

Sigh, after an onslaught of meagre offerings, Izzi redeemed herself once the pizza was served. Generously garnished with various types of beef, and sausages, the pizza was a tantalising treat to the senses. They serve pizzas in two sizes, regular (6") and large (8"). The regular portion was sufficient for two, eight slices of cheesy (albeit slightly oily) goodness, with yummy beef salami and smoked beef, smothered with spicy Izzi sauce, quite alike BBQ dressing. I had the lion's share, all 5 pieces in succession. ;)

Deep fried calamari with Bangkok sauce and Izzi dressing sauce (RM16.80 >>> RM5.88)

The waiter missed our order of the deep fried calamari, and had to be reminded not once, not twice but THRICE. Imagine waiting for an appetizer/snack after the mains had been polished off. But we patiently awaited, keeping our fingers crossed for a snack so common, it's typically hard to cook this wrong. Or we assumed.

After about 10 minutes of wait (post-mains), the snacks arrived. All 8-9 pieces of soggy, salty, and utter-disgraceful squid rings. C'mon?! Even Malay warung or Mamak outlets can fry these better. Wondering what the "Bangkok sauce" was? It's the Thai Chilli sauce. Nothing more, nothing less. We were struggling to finish the whole plate. And yet, we did not succeed.

The meal came to around RM40 after discount. Very, very reasonable, considering the portions were all large enough to serve at least 3 pax. They serve set lunches weekdays, for RM12.99, you get a starter, a main, and a dessert. Perfect for a quick lunch, if you're working around the area. They provide valet parking service for customers as well.

The Citibank 65% discount offer is valid until the end of August 2008. Do drop by before the promotion ends in less than a month.

Location : Izzi Restaurant @ 44-2A, 44-3A, 44-4AJln. Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

Delivery No: 1-300-88-5555, Reservation : 03-2141 5808, Events/Functions No: 03-2141 4111.

Website : http://izzipizza.com/my/

For other takes on Izzi : 3 Meals, masak-masak, Honey Star, Pasankia