There's a new European bistro in town and thankfully, it has no airs about it. By Surekha Ragavan

Remember KL’s sole Croatian restaurant, the once romantic Dubrovnik at Soho KL? Well, the people behind the now-ceased operation have moved on to the heart of the city where thousands of office cubicle patrons reside. While this is a good move, the restaurant cuisine now encompasses food from beyond the realms of Croatia to include France, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Norway and… just about any European sovereign.

Grilled capsicums, onions and aubergines on baguette

The name of the restaurant – Mozart’s middle name, if you hadn’t figured out – is inspired by Mozart’s many European journeys, both musical and culinary. The menu figuratively follows Mozart though his various rampages in his youth, hence the influence of cities as varied as Bavaria and Prague. Unlike the airs surrounding the 18th century restaurants Mozart frequented, Amadeus itself is comfortable, cosy and will remind one of sunny European terraces.

Warm duck breast terrine with pistachio

What’s even more comfortable at Amadeus are its prices. A rich main for one won’t cost you more than RM40, a relieving fact that immediately sets the restaurant apart from Dubrovnik. The menu here changes seasonally, but we find that most mains possess similar qualities - that is, most of them are rich, heavy and not at all subtle. The type of food you eat at a bustling European café where at the next table, you might find an elderly gentleman skimming the newspaper over some coffee. None of that snotty dollops and reductions.

Hungarian spare rib goulash

The Hungarian goulash is an example. A burgundy tomato and onion stew filled with chunks of beef is accompanied by sides of smashed potatoes and beans. There’s something comfortingly peasant about a dish like this, yet so deeply luxurious. The same goes with the lamb racks, a heaping plate of meat soaked in a sticky balsamic marinade. Other notable mains are the duck confit, seafood linguine in saffron white sauce and the steak verde.

Lemon cheesecake

If you’d rather a few starters to share than a meat-laden meal, try the warm duck breast terrine platter or the Russian vodka-cured salmon rolled in dill cream cheese. Considering ‘wine bar’ is embedded in the restaurant’s name, it’s not surprising Amadeus comes equipped with wine dispensers. These Enomatic machines allows you to dispense wines by the glass and if you’re worried about freshness, the machine preserves the wine by injecting nitrogen into dispense bottles in the same volume as that removed in each serving. In other words, every glass of wine feels and tastes like a new bottle.

Red velvet cake

Each dish entry on the menu comes with a tiny wine inscribing on the bottom so it saves you from having to fumble with names like ‘Marques de Caceres’ or ‘M.Chapoutier’. We’re particularly excited about the house rosé, a fresh boost for the midweek lull. Speaking of sweet fresh things, the dessert menu here is made up by the restaurant manager herself, Dina Djumic. From red velvet sponge to the lemon curd cheesecake, the afters here are standard café fare, but taken up a notch. As our visit to the bistro landed on a rainy weekday night, we’ll challenge you to think up a better way to spend a rainy weeknight than to sip on sweet wines and feed on rich stews.

For more info on location, see venue listing.