Charmed by the authenticity of Italian cuisine by the founder, Stefano as he shared his stories of heritage, family recipe and his love for food
One of the most privileged moment as a diner is to have a meal with the founder of a dining place. Sitting with Stefano, the owner of Coppola Horizon Hills, I was intrigued by his passion for crafting unique cuisines. He started Coppola 5 years ago and described opening his business as “fulfilling his calling.” With plans to open up several restaurants based on varying ethnicities and cuisines, he said, “We are active in making Horizon Hills as a dining destination where you can find all kinds of cuisines.” Stefano owns 3 other restaurants and café with the fourth opening soon in the same area.
We started lunch with a serving of Bulgarian salad, made up of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted capsicum, onions and topped with a generous amount of grated Feta cheese. It was refreshing and nourishing to start off the meal with the dish with Stefano saying, “Salad is a very important part of the entire meal because it prepares the diner for wine later on.” The lunch was followed by a main meal of Grilled Sea Bass served on a bed of potatoes and spinach in tangy citrus fruit sauce. The best part was the wonderfully crispy skin and the soft texture of the well-cooked spinach drenched in tangy, citrus sauce.
Among Coppola’s wide array of wood-fired pizzas, all cooked in the Milan-made Ambriogi wood oven, my favourite would be the “4 Stagioni” where the pizza combine flavours in four different quarters containing tomatoes, mozzarella, cheese, ham, mushrooms, black olive and artichokes. According to Stefano, “a perfectly-made pizza must not be too soft, nor too hard. It must be balanced in every way, just like life.” A definite winning dish indeed!
Stefano prides himself on the consistency of his food quality and service team. “I think Coppola is one of the best Italian restaurants in this part of Malaysia because we are strict and consistent with our recipe. We have the same kitchen staff since our opening day.”
We ended the meal with a classic Tiramisu that was elegantly presented and richly-layered with liquor, coffee and cream that tasted absolutely divine.
Coppola Family Pizzeria and Wine Bar is located at 1, Jalan Hijauan 3, Horizon Hills, 79100 Iskandar Puteri. The opening hours are Tuesday to Friday (12pm – 3pm, 5.30pm – 11.30pm). Saturday and Sunday (12pm – 12am). Closed on Mondays. For reservations, contact +6016-7615824.
