Did I get your attention with the title – “Best Pizza in Singapore?”

Good. Now that you know what we are dealing with, please grab a chair and some snacks before we continue. Here’s the story: for the longest time, I have been wanting to check out Bella Pizza at Robertson Quay.

“You must go to Bella Pizza, they have really good Italian food — but DO NOT BLOG about it!”

A couple of friends gave me the same warning. Well, Bella Pizza is already an open secret for good Italian food in Singapore, and I want to share about this with everyone. If you can give me a minute, I will like to defend myself why I took so long for this overdue post. You see, the problem with Bella Pizza is the location. It’s at Robertson Quay along the Singapore River, and there are simply too many restaurants at Robertson Quay! Epicurious cafe, Red House Seafood Restaurant, Boomarang bistro and the list goes on and on. Trust me, I’m not kidding when I say there are too many Robertson Quay Restaurants.

Since there wasn’t any salmon pasta on Bella Pizza’s menu, my salmon-crazy friend chose the Pizza Salmone ($21) and was rewards with a very good pizza.

I am not a big fan of thin crust pizzas, but Bella Pizza’s one was thin yet filling, moist but not overly wet. Rolled up like a taco with all the fillings, or simply wolfed it down directly on the thin dough – the Pizza Salmon’s a winner! This is a very good option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Yay for all salmon lovers!

After checking out a few Italian restaurants in Singapore for Squid Ink Pasta, I preferred to have the tomato-based pasta that is infused with squid ink, rather than one that comes with the slimy black squid ink sauce. For one, there isn’t as much stain on the teeth and the lips after dinner, and it is also because I have yet to find a squid ink pasta that’s truly memorable.

The Spaghetti Al Nero Di Seppia ($22) at Bella Pizza was very well-executed. Every slurp of the pasta blended effortlessly with the charcoal black squid ink sauce. Needless to say, we enjoyed the squid ink pasta very much! Bella Pizza’s rendition of the squid ink pasta is definitely one of the best I’ve tried so far.

Tossed with clams, squids, scallops, and a king prawn, the Linguine Al Frutti Di Mare ($22) caught our eyes immediately as we scanned through Bella Pizza’s menu. We wiped the plate clean and the pasta would be perfect if there’s a heavier dose of tomato!

My middle name is sweet.

If you have been reading my food blog for a while now, you’d have noticed that I have an incredible sweet tooth for a guy. Bella Pizza’s dessert menu has some interesting choices like the Panna cotta, Warm Chocolate Lava cake, and the tiramisu. For a minute, I was sorely tempted to order all three!

Since there’s only room for one, the obvious choice was the Tiramisu ($7) which was very reasonably priced. We took up the dessert fork and crowded around the tiramisu; literally like ravening vultures circling around the prey. We gobbled the tiramisu as though there wasn’t a second to spare, as though it would run away if we didn’t eat it fast enough.

* * *

It wouldn’t be fair to say that Bella Pizza has the best pizza in Singapore when we only ordered one pizza from their menu. But I really like the pizza there, and I will definitely come back to try the other pizzas. Bella Pizza is surely among my favorite Robertson Quay Restaurants now.

Have you been to Bella Pizza before? Do you agree that they have one of the best pizza in Singapore?

Restaurant Review
Bella Pizza
30 Robertson Quay #01-14
Riverside View Singapore
Tel: +65 6734 0139

All of us love Wednesday. It is the middle of the week, and it is the timely message to tell us: hang in there, Friday’s coming soon! Here’s one more reason to love Wednesday – there’s an ongoing 1-for-1 pasta promotion at Ricciotti Italian restaurant,

Ricciotti is a Singapore Italian Restaurant under the Garibaldi group of restaurants which include Gunther’s and Garibaldi at Purvis Street. The Italian restaurant has a series of 1-for-1 dining promotions for lunch and dinner. On every Monday, the beef lasagna (usual price $17) goes for $12, Tuesday is 1-for-1 Pizza, and today they have the 1-for-1 pasta. All one for one dining promotions refer to items of same or lower value, which in my books, is a very good deal.

I like the tangy tomato sauce of the Tagliolini Neri Con Capesante ($24.50), the scallop was fine but I’d prefer prawns. Ever since I had the out-of-this-world squid ink pasta from Valentino’s Italian restaurant, everything else was bland and tasteless in contrast. I know this is an unhealthy obsession. It’s like the feeling of not being able to forget your ex-girlfriend which leads to the inevitable comparison between the two.

For everything that Ricciotti’s Linguine Al Granchio ($21.50) lacked in looks, it made up for it with the abundance of crab meat and the creamy rich sauce. This was the classic example of the plain Jane. Even though it had a seemingly average appearance, the pasta had a robust and flavorful taste that would make you forget about everything else.

At the bottom of the hollow Soffiato ($8.90), the satisfying ooze of the immensely dark melting chocolate and the component of the dark chocolate cake were flawless. A scoop of vanilla ice cream would be the ideal companion to the warm dark chocolate cake. But the chefs at Ricciotti had a much better idea, there was a twist in the form of the chocolate chip ice cream instead of the typical vanilla flavor. Yum!

Tiramisu and I have an inexplicable relationship. All I wanted initially was to stand from far and admired her. Though I harbored no illusions, I found myself falling for her, and I became greedy. She is my tiramisu and I am her lover. The timeless favorite, Tiramisu ($7.80) is the dessert that everybody love – mascarpone cheese cake with ladyfinger biscuits, coffee and cocoa.

* * *

1 for 1 dining promotions at Ricciotti

Monday // Beef Lasagne at $12 (Usual Price $17)
Tuesday // 1 for 1 Pizza (Choice of any pizza)
Wednesday // 1 for 1 Pasta (Choice of any pasta)
Thursday // Any Panini or Salad at $9 (Usual Price $14.80)
Friday // House-pour Spirits at $5 (Whisky, Vodka, Gin etc)
Saturday // 1 for 1 any Wines (On Bottles or Glasses)
Sunday // 1 for 1 Homemade Gelato
* All 1 for 1 promotions refer to items of same or lower value.

In case you are still confused about how the Ricciotti’s 1-for-1 dining promotion works, we paid $24.50++ (the higher value) for two pastas, which makes it very value for money. The 1-for-1 dining promotion is available all day for lunch and dinner. Now you know where to find me during lunch every Wednesday!

Restaurant Review
Ricciotti Italian Restaurant
3 Pickering Street
#01-36/37 China Square Central – Nankin Row
Tel: +65 6438 8040

20 Upper Circular Road
#B1-49 The Riverwalk
Tel: +65 6533 9060

“With so many restaurants at Holland Village, where should we have our dinner?”

Holland Village is like a foodie paradise in the West of Singapore. Tourists love Holland Village, and there are also plenty of locals who always frequent the area. Meanwhile I have been on the lookout for a good Italian restaurant to add to my list of Best Singapore Italian Restaurant. Since Amici Italian Restaurant is one of the few Holland Village restaurants that has been around for some time, we set off for an Italian feast during a weekday dinner.

My friend had never tried any Squid Ink Pasta before, so I was keen to convert her to a fan of the black and slimy, but absolutely delicious pasta. Unfortunately, Amici’s Spaghetti Nero Di Calamari E Merluzzo ($20.90) was a letdown. It was subtle, bordering on bland, with no distinct taste and the only saving grace was the two tiny pieces of fried cod – definitely not the best place to have Squid Ink pasta.

The Fettuccine Alla Russa ($19.90) on the other hand, was delightful with the bits of smoked salmon and caviar in vodka cream sauce giving the dish a robust and flavorful taste.

Tiramisu is a must-order in an Italian restaurant, and we had the ‘award-winning’ Tiramisu ($10.90) from Amici Italian restaurant. It was a competent rendition, but nothing extraordinary.

The other dessert that we ordered, Country Apple Crumble Pie with gelato ($9.90) was excellent. Each bite brought a refreshing apple chunk under the tooth, and the cold gelato complimented the warm apple pie perfectly.

Among the Seven deadly sins, I’d most likely commit ‘gluttony‘. I am willing to be a sinner just for this apple crumble pie from Amici Italian restaurant.

* * *

I am still undecided as to whether I will return to Amici Italian Restaurant. While it’s interesting to watch the chefs perform in the open kitchen, but it wasn’t very pleasant to leave the restaurant with the smell lingering on our clothes. If I am craving for Italian food, I will probably choose to go to La Nonna at Holland Village instead.

I have only been to Mykii Brasserie Cafe so far, please share with us which restaurants in Holland Village do you usually go to?

Restaurant Review
Amici Italian Restaurant
275 Holland Avenue
Holland Village
Tel: +65 6469 9989

There are many times when I have this dilemma if I should blog about a particular restaurant.

I have to admit that I didn’t include La Nonna into my Best Singapore Italian Restaurants list for selfish reasons. But on second thoughts, this blog is about sharing the best restaurants in Singapore, and I think it is a shame if no one knows about this great lunch deal.

La Nonna is having an ongoing lunch promotion, 50% off their ala carte menu for their weekday lunch. Personally I think that it is value for money, and the lunch promotion is available at both the Holland Village and Namly Place outlet.

Before Arnold (Mr Gadget) left for Melbourne, Valerie (dweam.com) and I brought him to La Nonna Namly Place for lunch. We had the Linguini al Granchio ($19.0 before 50% discount). Linguine pasta served with crab meat in tomato cream sauce and fresh basil.

The La Nonna Signature Pizza ($19.0 before 50% discount) reminded me of the Carbonara. A raw egg was cracked in the middle of the thin crust pizza that had tomato, cheese, asaparagus and hints of black truffle.

I believe I met my perfect mate. It was lust love at first sight the minute my eyes fell on the Tiramisu ($12.0 before 50% discount). “It’s rude to keep staring at it” I heard a voice at the back of my head. Against my freewill, my body commanded my arms to pick up a fork and gobbled up the dessert.

Valerie beckoned to me when the waiter emerged from the door with a flat white plate. Inside it was the Panna Cotta ($12.50 before 50% discount). The fresh berry coulis was like sexy red lipstick on the pale white skin of the smooth vanilla custard – it was totally irresistible!

* * *

La Nonna’s 50% lunch promotion is quite a good deal, do check it out for lunch while the promotion is still available.

Restaurant Review
La Nonna Singapore Italian Restaurant
76 Namly Place
Tel: +65 6762 1587

26 Lorong Mambong
Holland Village
Tel: +65 6468 1982

Note: 50% off ala carte Lunch promotion is from Mon to Fri, 12noon – 2.30pm

I have a dilemma, and yes it’s about food. You see, when I was compiling my Best Singapore Italian Restaurant list, I was wondering if I should include the new il lido cafeteria at Suntec City into that blog post.

Our dinner was good and affordable. but does it really warrant a spot in my top 10 Italian Restaurants list?

Judging from the no-frills decoration, to the reasonable pricing of the menu, one will probably not guess that il lido cafe is managed by the Italian fine dining restaurant if not for the name. All along, I have been intrigued by il lido cafe ever since I heard that they opened at Suntec City.

Thin crust pizza with tomato, mozzarella, ham and mushrooms, the Ham & Mushroom ($13.90) was a good way to start our dinner. Okay first of all, here’s the disclaimer: what you see in the picture is not the right way to have a pizza. It was done intentionally that way to show you that it’s not appropriate to use a fork and knife to eat pizza.

How to eat pizza

1) Never, I repeat, never use a fork and knife to eat pizza.

2) Use your hand and tear off a slice of pizza from the edge, and put additional condiments like cheese, chili flakes if necessary.

3) Roll it up, nibble from the crust, put the whole slice into your mouth; whatever ways that you prefer and EAT IT!

i know you are sitting there going, “Right. What’s so different about about your eating method?” You will be surprised, but there are so many people who eat pizza using a fork and knife! Pizza tastes the best when you eat it from your bare hands, and lick off the lingering taste on your fingers.

It was a close fight between the Seafood Vongole and Spaghetti frutti di mare ($13.50) and we went for the latter. I don’t know about you, but whenever someone mentioned seafood pasta, a picture of the luxurious seafood with al dente spaghetti will come into my mind.

Tomato base > Cream base

When it comes to pasta, I always prefer to have tomato rather than cream base (with the exception to Carbonara). All of us thoroughly enjoyed the seafood spaghetti, or maybe we were just hungry. But anyway, the spaghetti was gone in a flash!

I have to admit, I am a very visual guy. When I saw the photo of the Chicken Parmigiana ($13.50) on the menu, it was like love at first sight. Fine, I exaggerated, but clearly, I was attracted/enticed/seduced by appearance. It looked good, but unfortunately it didn’t taste as good. The fried breaded chicken breast was too dry, and there wasn’t enough Parmesan cheese to go along.

How can an Italian restaurant not have Tiramisu?

We were devastated when the waitress told us that the Tiramisu was sold out, but at least there’s the excellent Panna Cotta ($7.50) to keep us occupied.

* * *

I always have problems when I’m at Suntec during dinner time. Even though there are many restaurants at Suntec City, somehow none of them appeals to me. Even though I didn’t put it into my Best Singapore Italian Restaurant list, I could see myself coming back to il lido cafe. The food here isn’t like amazing, but from the items that we ordered, the pizza and pasta were competent, and for the price, there’s really nothing to complain about.

Which restaurants at Suntec City do you usually eat at?

Restaurant Review
il lido Cafeteria
3 Temasek Boulevard
#B1-012 Suntec City Mall
Tel: +65 6883 2341

OChre Orchard Central’s Agello – Australian Lamb Chops

When it comes to dining in Orchard Central, there are so many restaurants and eateries that we are really spoilt for choices. There’s a couple of restaurants at Orchard Central that I have been wanting to check out; for instance I have heard a lot of good things about Ootoya Japanese restaurant but the long queue always puts me off.

Like what I mentioned in my previous blog post on the Best Singapore Italian restaurants, I have been going to many Italian restaurants recently, one of which was OChre at Orchard Central.

When Mr Gadget was in town back in March, dweam and I brought him to OChre – an Italian restaurant on the 11th floor of Orchard Central. It seems inappropriate to start my introduction by jumping straight into the main course, but the picture of the Almond and herb breaded Australian lamb chops ($34) was too irresistible.

Rossini on right, Fegato Grasso on left

And then it was foie gras, and more foie gras! Our appetizer was the Fegato Grasso ($27), hot and cold foie gras. It was the virgin experience for both my dining companions when it comes to foie gras.

I was like, “Oh my god, how can you guys never tried foie gras before?”

It’s definitely one of the must-try food in the world! All of us preferred the hot foie gras, with a texture and taste that was consistent with the melt-in-the-mouth effect. On the other hand, the cold foie gras was a bit too much for us to stomach, with an overbearing gamey liver taste.

One of the main course that we ordered was the Rossini ($36). Done medium, the seared grass fed beef tenderloin also came with a piece of caramelized foie gras that sat smudgy on top. A bite of beef tenderloin and a bit of foie gras, I can’t think of a better combination!

If the chef is the artist, then surely the Doppio Carpaccio ($22) will be the piece of artwork. It was so pretty that we did not know where to start. Essentially it was a double carpaccio of Hokkaido Scallop and Parma Prosciutto. I’m a sucker for all things pretty, this is a feast for the eyes as much as for the stomach.

I couldn’t remember which pizza we had. All I knew was that: it was thin crust, with a very subtle tomato base topped with wild rocket.

The Acqua Pazza ($32) was the most disappointing among the three main courses that we shared. Fillet of red snapper braised in broth of clams, anchovy, capers and dried tomato – it was exceptionally ordinary.

Luckily, the Squid Ink Pasta and Duck Risotto were much better. The pasta was infused with squid ink and tossed in tomato sauce, the Squid ink pasta is one of my all time favorite pasta! We were intrigued by the Duck risotto, thin slices of duck meat were prepared with the risotto and lots of cheese, it’s very creamy and delicious!

It will be foolish to have an Italian dinner without trying the Tiramisu ($11). OChre’s rendition was generous not only in portion, but also in terms of the alcohol level. Give me a tiramisu and I will be a happy boy!

One of the must-order dessert at OChre Orchard Central will be the smooth and bouncy Pannacotta ($11). In addition to that, we also had the Creme Brulee ($10), which came in a trio of orange/espresso/pistachio flavors. Personally I preferred the orange over the other two flavors.

OChre Orchard Central has a complicated system in placed; there’s two different menus with the degustation set dinner menu at $68 per head for the interior dining, and the causal ala carte bar menu for the al fresco dining area.

In short, it means that you must order the set dinner menu to dine indoors. At $68, the dinner set menu includes antipasto, soup, pasta, main course and two desserts. While prices for the ala carte menu are around the $20s for appetizers and pastas, and $30-ish for main courses.

While the complicated system ‘forced’ customers to have the degustation menu; dining at OChre Italian Restaurant at Orchard Central is pleasant and doesn’t have the fine dining vibe. It will be better classified as a semi-fine dining Italian restaurant, and I wouldn’t mind having dinner at the breezy al fresco area.

From what I understand, OChre’s chef Kentaro Torii has been trained in Japan and Italy, naturally there’s a blend of the Japanese cuisine with Italian food. OChre Italian restaurant is a good option for a romantic dinner, with prices being slightly above mid range.

Which restaurants at Orchard Central will you recommend me to go next?

Restaurant Review
OChre Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
#11-03/04 Orchard Central
Tel: +65 6634 0423
(Note: This was an invited tasting session)

Most people has the impression that I plan for all my food adventures. Usually, I’d choose the place for dinner based on my cravings at that point in time. Imagine this like a ‘wheel of food’, or a magic mirror of sorts: stomach, stomach, what are you craving for today?

My brain will conjured an image and there – the plan for dinner. After a particular cuisine/food has been decided, the next question will be: Where? This is when my lists of restaurants in Singapore come in handy.

Say if I want to have buffet for dinner, I will look at my Singapore Buffet List and it really makes life easier. I think everyone should jot down a list of must visit restaurants in Singapore! So how about you start from now? Take out a notebook and a pen, and start scribbling down the next restaurant you want to try.

Somehow, I have been visiting quite a few Italian restaurants in the past month, and I only noticed it when I was looking through the photos. So for the next two weeks, I will be blogging on some of the Italian restaurants that I went to.

Here’s a list of the Top 10 Italian restaurants that I want to try (or revisit) this year.

Basilico Italian Restaurant
1 Cuscaden Road
Level 2 The Regent Singapore
Tel: +65 6725 3232
// Weekday Italian Buffet Lunch $38++
Saturday Italian Buffet Lunch $40++
Sunday Italian Buffet Brunch 55++ (Non-Alochol)
Daily Dinner $62++ (Semi buffet: starter & desserts buffet counter + choice of 1 main)

Bella Pizza
30 Robertson Quay
#01-14 Riverside View
Tel: +65 6734 0139

Da Mario Pizza
60 Robertson Quay
#01-05/06 The Quayside
Tel: +65 6235 7623

Da Paolo Bistro Bar
3 Rochester Park
Rochester Park
Tel: +65 6774 5537

La Cantina in Venezia
1 Netheravon Road
#08/09-02 Changi Village Hotel
Tel: +65 6546 9190

Osvaldo Ristorante Italiano
32 Maxwell Road
#01-03 Maxwell Chambers
Tel: +65 6224 0978

Pasta Brava Italian Restaurant
11 Craig Road
Tel: +65 6227 7550

Ricciotti Restaurant
20 Upper Circular Road
#B1-49 The Riverwalk
Tel: +65 6533 9060

Ristorante De Parma
14B Kensington Park Road
Serangoon Garden Estate
Tel: +65 6281 3380

Ristorante Da Valentino
11 Jalan Bingka
Mayfair Park
Tel: +65 6462 0555

* * *

Note that I didn’t include Il Lido at Sentosa nor Garibaldi Italian restaurant; both are arguably the biggest name in Singapore when it comes to Italian fine dining restaurants – but it’s just me, not them if you get what I mean. Among the 10 Italian restaurants that I have included in the list, I have only went to Ristorante Da Valentino, and to me it is definitely one of the best Italian restaurants in Singapore.

I have also heard a lot of good things about Bella Pizza and Osvaldo Ristorante Italiano, while La Cantina at Changi Village is definitely the restaurant to go for a special occasion like a birthday treat or anniversary celebration.

All right folks, now it’s your turn to tell me where is the best Italian restaurant in Singapore!

Right on the heels of a romantic dinner at Forlino, I had another amazing Italian feast – the following day. The original plan was to have a simple lunch somewhere else.

“Why don’t we go to Valentino?” I asked jokingly.

Apparently, my lunch date took it very seriously. To cut the story short, we ended up at Valentino’s after calling to confirm a table. Stepping inside Ristorante Da Valentino, it feels like we are in our charming Italian neighbours’ house for dinner.

Most squid ink pasta, or at least the ones that I’ve tried, had the quirky and murky flavor. This one tasted like squid ink. It tasted like fresh ink extracted on the spot.

Like the one that I’ve at Forlino the night before, the Fettucine al Granchio ($23.9) here was also infused with squid ink. Huge chunks of crab meat with the fettucine, tossed with the creamy tomato sauce – it was absolutely wicked!

Now we have a problem. I want every slurp of the pasta. No, I do not want to share.

Option A: Finish everything and re-order before my partner returns from the washroom.

Option B: Try to convince her that the mushroom risotto is better than the squid ink pasta.

I could see no Option C, even though I was secretly praying that she’d not like the pasta.

Unfortunately not. In case you are wondering, we wiped the plate clean. I’d die for the squid ink pasta, or less dramatically, save up and come here every week – just for this.

I want Risotto. My dear Seafood linguine, it doesn’t mean I don’t like you anymore. It just means right now, I’m craving for risotto more.

Mushroom risotto has a very important place in my heart. I don’t always order it, but when I do – it has to be good. Maybe subconsciously, we wanted more of the squid ink pasta, or maybe we had small appetite that day. Either way, just a word of caution: see the plate of Porcini Mushroom Risotto ($23.9) up there?

It might not look like a lot, but trust me, both of us couldn’t finish it.

Sweetie, it’s desserts, and Perla’s Pastry Boutique is calling!

Right beside the restaurant, there is Perla’s patisserie by Valentino’s sister. There’s no dine-in area for the patisserie, but the desserts are available if you are dining in the restaurant. It was an agonizing choice between the tiramisu, panna cotta, frutti bosco and their signature chantilly cake. But the sight of the gorgeous mixed berries were simply irresistible.

There’s a wise saying that goes like this: never trust a beautiful woman, and if I can add on to it, never trust the beautiful berries to taste sweet. Call me shallow, but I actually fall for it. Oh well, what to do, I’m superficial. Anyway I believe there’s blackberries, raspberries and strawberries in the Frutti Bosco ($8.80).

* * *

A romantic dinner for two is not necessary just about fantastic view or fanciful cuisine. Lovely, lovely place. Valentino is my definition of a romantic restaurant, it is all about us having good food in a cozy ambiance. Here’s a restaurant for Valentine’s day, reservations are definitely a must for dinner.

I’m going to bring all my friends to Ristorante Da Valentino for their homely, authentic Italian food. Rifle range road is directly opposite King’s Albert Park & Bukit Timah Plaza. Pick up your phone, and dial the eight digit numbers. Get on with it.

Restaurant Review
Ristorante Da Valentino
11 Jalan Bingka
Mayfair Park
Tel: +65 6462 0555

Ristorante Da Valentino is listed as one of ladyironchef’s favorite restaurants in Singapore.

It is difficult for a restaurant whenever a chef left, especially for one that bears the namesake of the chef. For the longest time, I have heard about Forlino, an Italian fine dining restaurant at the second level of the swanky One Fullerton, overlooking Esplanade and the new Marina Sands.

Catherine, Ju and I had the chance to dine at some of the waterfront restaurants at One Fullerton, and we were at Forlino for their Valentine’s day six-course dinner (S$128++ per person) which will be available from Feb 12 to 14.

It can be quite a thwarting experience to find Forlino; there was the much-talked-about mysterious flight of steps leading to the restaurant. Black and white tiles, with blue paneled walls lined up the entrance right up to the main dining area – Forlino at One Fullerton is  a stunning restaurant.

Everyone was full of praises for the Jumbo Crab Salad, a garden of wild rockets with strips of crab meat. Alaskan King crab will always sound nicer, and taste better than a Sri Lanka crab.

“Is that Spam (luncheon meat)?” One of us blunted out.

I wasn’t that surprised when I saw that there’s Beetroot cake on the menu, since I just had Beetroot Halwa not too long ago. The texture of the Beetroot Cake had a close resemblance to luncheon meat. Anyway, most of us couldn’t finish this, but the Robiola cheese fondue, made from milk of cow, goat and sheep, was very intriguing – impossibly creamy yet airily light.

I can remember a while back when I tried my first squid ink risotto and I thought that the planet would stop spinning. It was one of those rare moments that made me go ‘awesome’, and I knew life would never be the same again. At Forlino, I had one of those moments again. It was a simple Homemade Squid Ink Tagliolini – or so I thought. While most rendition comes in the black, slimy sauce, the tagliolini here was infused with squid ink, and it was tossed nicely in the flavorful Sea Urchin Sabayon – no hideous black stains on the lips. The semi dried cherry tomatoes were the sweetest tiny things ever, I loved every slurp of the pasta – Awesome!

The medium Angus Prime Beef Tenderloin had a tinge of pink in the middle; subtle hint of blood, slightly charred surface – I’m sure you’d like this. Besides the beef, we also enjoyed the very tasty potatoes but none of us knew how to appreciate the bitter Radicchio.

“Where’s the black cod from?” Catherine asked.

“Atlantic” came the prompt reply.

The Black Cod Fillet was like meat in cod’s disguise. Peeling off layer by layer, I drizzled each piece of the cod and a bit of the asparagus with the Sicilian blood orange sauce. It’s a tough choice for main course: choosing between the beef tenderloin and the black cod fillet, but the Angus prime beef edged out slightly for me.

The Strawberry & Yogurt Mousse was a cliche, with the corny heart-shape sauce of peppermint chocolate sauce. But still, cliche is a cliche because it works, sometimes. I was expecting a highly complex, multi-layers dessert to wrap up the show -  oh well, a dessert’s still a dessert anyway.

* * *

This is the first part of a series that I’m doing on the waterfront restaurants in One Fullerton. I’ll like to thank Fullerton Heritage, and Lyla of Ate Consulting for arranging and hosting this dinner.

Service at Forlino was impeccable, all the staff was equally knowledgeable about the food and wine on their extensive menu. Under the lovely influence of moscato, good food, and stunning overview of the Marina bay; Forlino is definitely a romantic restaurant for Valentine’s day dinner.

Restaurant Review
Forlino
1 Fullerton Road
#02-06 One Fullerton
Tel: +65 6877 6995

If I do it my way, I will start every meal with desserts. A typical dinner usually goes something like this: complimentary bread and cheesesticks to keep you entertain, but that’s no dessert. Then there’s soup, appetisers, main course, blah blah blah until we reach desserts! So why do we eat desserts at the end when we are clearly anticipating for it from the start!

And when I go to an Italian restaurant, the first thing that comes to my mind will always, be the tiramisu. It is, the heart and soul, the perfect ambassador for Italian cuisine. Fine, I exaggerated. It is at least one of the first thing that you will think of when we are talking about Italian desserts. The Tiramisu Senso ($14) here was way better than the one I had at their bistro before.

And the second thing (for me) when it comes to Italian cuisine will be pasta of course! However, I was tempted to try Senso’s risotto, so we had the Risotto ($28) – carnaroli risotto served with saffron and sea scallops. It was good, but company always make the food taste better, and since my dining companion wasn’t a big fan of risotto, I should have gone for their pastas instead.

My companion also raved about the excellent Agnello (rack of lamb) that she had at Senso before, but we decided to try something new this time round. Food is always an adventure no? The choice of the second main was contested by the Manzo (beef tenderloin), Milanese (rack of veal) and the Ossobuco (braised veal shank). I was initially skeptical of having the braised veal shank since my previous encounter was a complete diaster.

But I was sweet-talked into it, and I’m glad that we ordered this; the Ossobuco ($34) was done just right, the veal shank absorbed the goodness of the sauce, I know tender is a word over-used when it comes to describing food, but yes, it was tender!

The Bruciata ($14) made its appearance in a very creative way and we were completely fascinated by the mini frying pan. Oven-baked egg custard, or more commonly known as Creme Brulee, I finished everything on my own!

* * *

I didn’t manage to take any shot of the place, we dined in the charming al fresco area, but it was the private room that caught my eyes! That place is perfect for a group of twenty, I will definitely love to do a party there some day.

Senso Ristorante
21 Club street
#01-01
Tel: 6224 3534

You know in life, there’s usually only one opportunity, and like they say, if you missed the train, it’s gonna be gone forever. That is why, gracious and forgiving, as cliché as it may sound, is important. Second chance.

Making the wrong choices once is bad enough, this time, we are going for the safe option. What better than their signature Le Royale ($7). If I’m to be a scientist, all the cures and breakthrough will never occur. But call me a mathematician, the cake had 64% of dark chocolate mousse. Of hazelnut feullitine and praline, I could never differentiate them apart. But I love them both, yes I do. So it doesn’t matter, anything with hazelnut & feullitine works for me. You know I love you, xoxo Le Royale.

Some of the female companions that I know, does not like to drink coffee. Yet they always frequent Starbucks, well just for their green tea frapp. Yes, call it irresistible, healthy, or whatever, our ladies love their macha. The lovely light shade of green tea mascarpone mousse was appealing. I’m no expert when it comes to green tea, but what I do know, the macha was very subtle. And the chestnut cremeuex was an interesting choice for the middle layer. Not that i’m a fan of chestnut. Oh yes, simply named,  the macha ($7)

Oh dear, if looks can kill, so can Tarte Citron ($5.50). The beautifully burnt effects from the blow torch was a sight to behold. Italian meringue with lemon cream on almond tart. My, my. This really is a beauty. And if you think she is a bimbo, the taste was as good as the looks too.

I never know Canelé has good ice cream. Well, they are known for their cakes, and chocolates, but ice cream! I love surprises. And Nougatine ($8) is all about that. Praline ice cream with hazelnut nougatine was always my beloved. But it was the salty caramel dripped alongside the ice cream, which really made it so good.

Total bill was $33 for three cakes and one ice cream. Well I thought that the ice cream was pretty decent even at eight dollars per pop since it was more than the size of two scoops elsewhere. The raffles city branch is canelé restaurant instead of patisserie, since they offered main course as well. But I resisted putting the word restaurant on my title since we didn’t try any of their main course. That will be another time of course.

Usually opportunities only come knocking once, but I’m gonna knock on the door a few more times.

Canelé Restaurant
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-81 Raffles City shopping centre
tel: 63347377

The Singapore Flyer is touted as the world’s largest observation wheel, even higher than London Eye. Our nation’s pride. Minor breakdowns before were already ominous signals that a catastrophe will happen one day. Alas, the dreadful thing finally struck. How the mighty has fallen. The management should have already looked into and made backup plans, but it failed anyway. Now, time for us to do some self-reflections and damage-recovery.

While the flyer remains closed for investigations, the ones to suffer the backslash are the restaurants and other tenents. Senso Bistro, is coming up with a 50% promotion off all their a la carte menu from now until the flyer starts operating (date unknown yet).

The natural vibe of the restaurant, with its simple layout and decorations, provided a good place for either a causal lunch, or nice dinner without burning a hole in the pocket.

Not to mention there’s also al fresco dining, which would be ideal for dinner, with the sea breeze and eating under the stars making it a romantic affair.

The waiter kindly asked us whether we’ll like some garlic bread ($4) while waiting, but he failed to mention it’s not free. Naturally when he offered us bread i thought it was complimentary. There’s no free lunch in this world. All right, it’s not so much about the money, we are talking about principle, like shouldn’t they at least inform us the bread wasn’t complimentary? Next time, don’t be shy, ask!

With ten selections to choose from the Pizze menu, we were spoilt for choices. To be on the safe side, we went for the popular Hawaiian ($18 before 50% discount). The paper-thin pizza was huge, with eight slices easily filling up the four of us. The ingredients of pineapple, cooked ham were very generous. The only gripe? I lamented the fact that the pizza did not have enough mozzarella cheese. Still, with the promotion, it’s definitely a steal at just under ten bucks. It made the one I’ve at Galbiati looked pathetic.

Grilled tuna loin coated in fresh herbs. The Tonno ($24 before 50% discount) was a disappointment really. The fish was over-cooked, making the meat too dry and hard. I liked the side vegetables that came with it, lightly stir-fried, the greens were crunchy and fresh.

When asked to choose between the T-bone steak and veal loin, the manager recommended the latter for the delicate taste and tender texture. Veal loin is the meat of calves, and at Bistro Senso, the pan-fried veal loin scaloppine ($24 before discount) can be done in three different methods. Ours were ‘alla Pizzaiola’ with tomato and mozzarella cheese. The whole taste was like having a steak-pizza. A refreshing combination, but the meat was not tender enough, and came across as too tough. And since we had pizza already, now i’m wishing i chose the other method of breaded and golden crispy instead.

And how can we not have any pasta from an Italian bistro? The Ravioli ($18 before 50% discount) was essentially lobster and crab pasta served with assorted seafood ragout in tomato and basil sauce. This was actually my first time having a ravioli pasta. The tomato and basil sauce was flavourful and strong in taste. The prawns and squids were fresh, but to be frank, I didn’t quite enjoy ravioli. I still preferred my pasta to be spaghetti or linguine. Personal taste.

I was eagerly anticipating the desserts, well most people would find tiramisu ($8 before 50% discount) boring and chose some other interesting options. But there was no way I’m going to miss out trying the popular Italian dessert from an Italiano joint. The mascarpone cream was too light, and the espresso taste was not strong.

Another famous Italian dessert, Pannacotta ($8 before 50% discount). The bouncy texture was evident, but i couldn’t figure out what’s in the double cream flan. The raspberry coulis did provided a contrast with the pannacotta.

The last one, Creme brulee ($8 before 50% discount). The oven-baked egg custard of the Italian dessert did taste rather like our Chinese egg tarts. The caramelised sugar on top of the dessert wasn’t burned enough, and lacked the torched burnt taste.

Total bill was $65.91 for 4 person after a 50% discount. Although i wasn’t very impressed with the food, but with the promotional prices, the food is really cheap! The pizzas and pastas are like 9 bucks each, and the main course 12 bucks. The soothing ambience with the inexpensive price means that you should visit Senso Bistro before the Singapore Flyer reopens. Talk about patriotism, and national pride.

Senso Bistro
30 Raffles Avenue
#01-03 Singapore Flyer
Tel: 63388550
ps: Call to check whether the 50% promotion still exist before going down.

A classic Italian gastronomic, Galbiati gourmet deli actually started out as a takeaway place for its gourmet products. I’ve been wanting to give the place a visit ever since a friend highly recommended it, and railmall is so near to my place.

The interior of the deli was very small, with seating of at most 30. The simplistic environment of the place does makes one feels comfortable, a place where you can call your own Italian joint. The food offered are mostly simple food, with a wide array of home-made pastas, appetizer and main courses.

The Salmon asparagus linguine ($18) was based on the recommendation of the serving staff as my friend’s a great fan of the fish. A very light cream base accompanied the linguine, with the salmon stronger in taste. The asparagus seems to act as the neutralising balance between the salmon and the overall light taste of the dish. A fairly good home-made pasta.

I’ve a sneak preview of their pizzas at the counter, and was excited to hear that they’d served it fresh from the oven. The popular Hawaiian pizza ($8) was our choice for the night. Coming in squares of 6, the pizza was value for money. But, there’s no free lunch in this world, i thought that the ingredients were miserable, with one small cube of pineapple and ham. The pizza crust was very hard, and dry for my personal liking. And the tomato spread for the base was insufficient.

One of the unique characteristics of Galbiati deli was they actually encouraged takeaways. Dining in, the Lavender cheesecake ($7) is a dollar more expensive than if you opted to takeaway their desserts. The lavender flower infused a aromatic fragrant into the light cheesecake. The crust base was always a welcoming partner, to provide the crunch.

We always like to save the best for the last, to savour every bite of the Tiramisu ($7) for a lasting moment stored in our memory. Well i didn’t exactly had many tiramisu before, but Galbiati’s one is probably one of the best i’ve before. There wasn’t any deconstruction, nothing fanciful about the famous Italian dessert. Just a solid good one. The mascrapone cheese, with the the coffee-liquer infuse flavour, i was sorely tempted to order another one.

Total bill was $44 for two person. While the dinner didn’t exactly turn out to be as good as what i’ve expected, it’s easy to imagine myself back here for a simple meal. The only problem? The restaurant doesn’t allow photography, so i was taking photos secretly while they were not looking.

And i do enjoyed my rights of taking photos openly, so this may be the reason a revisit will eluded me. One thing’s for sure, i’ll definitely be back to try the other desserts, and the tiramisu of course. But the next time round, i’ll probably takeaway their desserts, and snap shots of it just directly outside their shop!

Galbiati Gourmet Deli
400 Upper Bukit timah road
RailMall
Tel: 6462 0926

* * * Now Closed * * *

When i mentioned spaghetti, did you immediately thought of the mind-blowing carbonara at La Strada’s, or that excellent plate of pasta you had at Da Paolo’s, or even the relatively average angel hair at Bonta’s? You got me wrong of course, we are on a budget course here, and all your luxurious thoughts will crash with our initial plans. How about a plate of pasta at $4? What do you think?

Chicken and tomato pasta ($4)

Just nestled within Bukit Timah food centre, there’s Mien by Firstpasta, which was opened by the chef and his wife, with their children watching by the sidelines. There wasn’t anything intriguing about their pasta, just a generous and hearty portion of the Italiano’s staple.At $4, you can’t really complain! When you are on a budget deficit, and don’t have the lavish of buying the $30 spaghetti, here’s the place!

Mien by Firstpasta
116 Upper Bukit Timah Road
#02-195 Bukit Timah Food Centre

UE Square is in between Mohamed Sultan road, and Robertson quay, together the area’s a conclave for food and beverage alike. Bontá Italian restaurant & Bar is one of them, located within UE square facing Mohamed Sultan. Having seen this place on both my past visits to Sage the restaurant, and Epicurious, I immediately recalled this place when my partner mentioned that they are famed for their complimentary bread.

We troted down, from Raffles place, Boat Quay, Central, Clark Quay, and the Robertson Quay area. And in turn, passing by many restaurants, but my partner seem to set her heart on the complimentary bread, so we arrived rather late at Bonta.

A quiet affair on a weekday dinner, Bonta had a very beautiful al fresco area, which was definitely welcome if you need some private moments while enjoying the air outside.

If sweating isn’t what you really imagine on your first date out, you can of course enter the cozy and elegant interior of the restaurant. Coupled with the warm lightnings, Bonta does makes a nice place for a romantic dinner. There’s also a private room available just beside the wine cellar.

Complimentary bread

The complimentary bread which Bonta’s famous for. We were full of expectations since we heard rave reviews about the bread, and when the bread came, we were not disappointed. Coming in the form of a cup, the bread at Bonta’s baked freshly everyday, and the smell of it was captivating enough.

Usually the idea of a fresh complimentary bread is dry, unappealing to the palates, and the main reason for its existance is to have a bite while waiting for the appetisers to serve. But not this one, the walnut foccacia bread was totally in a different league on its own. It’s crispy outside, soft and fluffy inside, with walnuts, sundride tomatoes, and feta cheese.

Feta cheese, made from goat’s milk, was the chief architect for the aromatic scent. Crumbly and grainy texture could be best used to describe feta cheese, but if you ain’t a cheese person, and didn’t really like the smell of feta cheese, then maybe you wouldn’t appreciate the bread very much.

Lobster tartare ($39)

Tomato salsa, olive oil, capers, sicilian olives, rocket leaves, and of course lobster made up the lobster tartare. We ain’t quite sure what exactly made us order the most expensive appetiser on the menu, but since we weren’t very hungry, and wasn’t planning to order a lot, plus my partner didn’t try lobster before, we decided to go for it.

The first form of emotion felt when the lobster tartare arrived, was a rather let-down feeling. Well to be frank, paying almost 40 bucks for such a appetiser did not make economic sense when you could order a main course with the price.

The tomato salsa which formed the top layer of the tartare, was too overpowering and jarring, which almost completely covered the taste of the lobster. So even if the lobster wasn’t fresh, you couldn’t really tell. Lobster meat wise, there wasn’t much of it to be seen and felt.

Basil infused angel hair pasta, with jumbo crab meat ($29)

The angel hair pasta was apparently green with basil providing the colour. Chives, white wine sauce, and jumbo crab meat was part of the ingredients which accompanied the pasta. Basil infused angel hair pasta, was definitely a better pairing compared to the tom yam one we had at Absolute Haven,

My partner found the pasta bit soggy, and the lack of sauce which made it too dry for her liking. The jumbo crab meat serving though, was rather generous, with big bits of crab meat. Angel hair still tasted like Chinese rice vermicelli to us. The salmon roe, was quite a good addition apart from the crab meat. Overall there wasn’t anything intriguing about the pasta, just a good and solid version.

Total Bill was $80.04 for one main course and one appetiser for the two of us. We didn’t order a lot because we weren’t feeling very hungry. The walnut foccacia bread was certainly excellent, and one of the better complimentary bread around. The same couldn’t be say for the lobster tartare, which we felt was a rather let down since we expected more from it.

There was a rather unpleasant incident at the beginning because initially I asked permission from the restaurant manager, Mr Karim Benramdane to take photographs of the restaurant, and he agreed with politeness. But after I took some pictures, the executive chef, Mr Luca Pezzera came and asked me to stop taking photographs, citing reasons that they had bad encounters with customers taking photos, and written bad reviews about Bonta, which caused negative publicity for them.

I did agree with him that different people have different taste and preference, so reviews cannot be properly judged the standards of a restaurant. But i felt that if a restaurant is really good, they shouldn’t be afraid to let the customers take photo of their place.

I’ll also like to praise one of the staff, Mr Morning, who was really polite and professional in his work. He greeted us with his friendly smile, and also explained to our enquiries diligently, for that i’ll say there isn’t many restaurant who has professionals like him, and he will go a long way in serving Bonta.

I don’t think that one appetiser and one main course can be used to judge Bonta fairly, since we didn’t have their signature dishes, it will be unfair to make an early judgement on their standards. Therefore, i’ll return for their valued set lunches which at $28, comes with appetiser, main course, dessert and tea.

Bonta Italian restaurant & bar
207 River Valley Road
#01-61 UE Square
Tel: 6333 8875

All you look is at the food, without even giving the price tag a glance?

Feeling excited, we might as well tell the waiter to serve EVERY dish they have on the menu!

That’s precisely what happen to us when we went to Al Dente Pronto.

Ahh.. You are confuse now right? Is the food so good that we wanted to order all the dishes? Alas, that’s not quite the raison d’être.

The explication for our extravagant & exaggerated behavior is because … …

We had a 50% discount coupon from OCBC. Yes, you didn’t see wrongly, half price for a la carte items during lunch & dinner, up to a table of 4 persons. Dinner was with the Yebbers. So everything we look at, we can only see half the price, and of course this makes it affordable and worry-free to order whatever we like. So we ordered mostly the more expensive dishes : )

The exterior of the restaurant

Al Dente Pronto

Tomato Basil Bruschetta ($5.0)

We kick start our dinner with the Tomato Basil Bruschettra. Diced Tomato, Garlic, Basil, Oregano and olive oil formulate the starter. We were uncertain whether they gave 8 pieces because there are four of us, or it always come in 8 pieces irregardless of the number of people dining. All the same, we felt the starter could do with more tomato, mayb its because of the rising price in agriculture products in China. Think think. First bite into the Bruschettra was crispy and the garlic taste was done just nice. At $2.50 after discount, it was a real good deal.

Grilled Portobello mushrooms ($12.0)

Our second starter was the Grilled Portobello Mushrooms. Served with rocket salad and diced tomatos. The presentation of the dish was done beautifully, but sadly to sad i felt that at $12 it was definitely not worth the price. Even at half price i won’t order it again.

Char-Grilled Sirloin Steak ($20.0)

Finishing our starter, the waiter note our cue to start our Main course for the night. Our first main was the Char-Grilled Sirloin Steak. We requested for medium-rare, but then when the steak was served it was a tad tougher than what we expected from a medium-rare steak. I guess they sort of make it into medium-well instead. Well, its Italiano and not a steakhouse after all. Nevertheless, i felt that the steak was pretty decent, and at half the price of $10, it was value. Oh yes, we liked the potato that came with it, pretty much reminds us of our childhood.

Pan-Seared Butterfish ($20.0)

Served with potatos, sautèed vegetables and topped with a lemon dill butter glace. Al Dente Pronto actually only have three main course available, the other one being roasted corn fed chicken which we didn’t order. I suppose the raison d’être was because the mains are not really their area of specialty. Al Dente Pronto’s extensive variety of Italian Pizzas and Pastas are where they fare better.

Smoked Chicken Pizza ($17.0)

This is the star of tonight’s show. The Smoked Chicken Pizza might not look very special, but then they are undeniably scrumptious, with large chunks of chicken meat beneath the cheesy cheese. Pizza comes flat, thin and crispy.

Arragosta Pasta ($20.0)

Spaghetti with Lobster meat, zucchini and mushrooms, with tomato stew or garlic sauce. We opted for garlic sauce with the belief that garlic can compliment Lobster meat better. And i thought the Arragosta Pasta comes out quite well, mayb except for the fact that it was slightly too dry. I like the lobster meat, which was quite generously furnish on top of the pasta. And i think zucchini (cucumbers) are rather a rare sight in pasta cuisine. Nonetheless, at half price of $10 i think its quite good for money, we are talking about Lobster meat after all.

Tiramisu ($9.0)

To end off the meal, we had Tiramisu as our first dessert. Layers of mascarpone with sponge fingers soaked in coffee and brandy, served with bittersweet chocolate powder The presentation was all right, but the cake was too tough, we had to literally dig inside it to get the tiramisu out.

Macadamia Scented Crème Brulèe ($8.0)

Caramelized custard, infused with Macadamia nut oil served with strawberries on the Macadamia Scented Crème Brulèe.

Total Bill was $122.50 before discount, the amount that we paid for 4 person was $71.20 after discount. The calulations are kind of complicated because the 50% discount does not includes GST and service charge, so they had to count the total price without including them, half the price, and add on the 17% additional charges. Poof! Its comes down to around $18 for per person which i think is reasonably cheap.

All in all, Al Dente Pronto is not really expensive (even without the promotion), the price ranges are mostly in the 10s to 20s. I wont say the food is excellent, in fact some are not. But then i suppose they are still acceptable to me. No you wont go all the way to the forgotton-Great-World-City just for Al Dente Pronto, but i guess if you are in the region you might just want to give it a try. And it certainly helps if you have the OCBC promotion, p.s: it last until end feb.

We had a great night chatting around, there was laughter all over the place, and at times i thought the waiter will just kick us out of the place. It was fun fun & fun! Looking forward to the next Yebber gathering! Cheers!

Al Dente Pronto
1 Kim Seng Promenade #02-k2 Great World City
Tel: 67347334

” Italiano delights, Companion enjoyment “