Once a single-storey Italian trattoria, the familiar La Risata has gone through a massive facelift and is now a two-floored rustic restaurant with a romantic lounge upstairs. The wood-fired pizza oven has been replaced with a congenial bar at the entrance.

Stride past the al-fresco terrace into the spacious, skylight-illuminated courtyard and look up: you’ll see a wine cellar brimming with vino from the Old and New World. An antique chandelier ornates the centre space and draws your attention to the earthy bricked walls and wood-heavy décor surrounding it. The ‘loft-style’ lounge area – replete with retro-furnished sofas and window panels – is eye-catching but endearingly unostentatious.

Since La Risata aims for something more down-to-earth instead of fine-dining fanfare, food is served in a rough-handed yet appetising manner. Their crispy Pizza Bresaola e Rucola has casual scatterings of air-dried beef, rocket salad and parmesan shavings while the deep-fried Mozzarella in Carrozza (a sandwich with cheese and anchovies) is garnished with sprinkles of parsley on top. Food presentation is that simple but it appeals to diners who wish to get away from the sophisticated Italian fare. 

La Risata has another outlet at Medan Damansara.

Awards

La Risata was shortlisted in the Best Italian Restaurant category of the Time Out KL Food Awards 2012 and 2010. It was voted Best Italian Restaurant in 2011. It was also shortlisted in the Best Pizza food category in 2009. Our food awards are 100% voted for by the people of KL. This way, we guarantee that popularity and consistent performance is rewarded.

Food 40 is our monthly, definitive guide for where to eat in the Klang Valley. No entry into the Food 40 has provided any Time Out team member with a free meal or other incentive. If you have eaten somewhere that you think should rank amongst KL's top 40, email us and we'll check it out: editor@timeoutkl.com.