Since the start of the year, I’ve made a promise to eat less ‘Western‘ food, and try more of other cuisines. I think I have been doing quite well so far.

But there are some days when you just feel like having a hearty plate of Italian pasta. I was craving for Italian food when I met the folks from BigDeal for lunch, so I suggested going to Da Paolo La Terrazza at Chip Bee Gardens.

The place here is different from Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar. Whereas the restaurant at Rochester Park has a huge al fresco dining area surrounded by greeneries, Da Paolo La Terrazza is slightly smaller with options of eating indoors for a more formal dinner, or dining at the tranquil al fresco area where you sit along the tree-lined street.

Italian food at Da Paolo restaurant. Can you imagine me rubbing my hands with glee?

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Italian food, anyone who can say no to the best Linguine Al Granchio, anyone who can refuse to eat a slice of the best pizza, anyone who can resist having tiramisu for desserts. This is Italian food, for crying out loud; nobody, and I repeat, nobody can dislike Italian food.

Okay, I shall stop declaring my love for Italian food before you start to think that I am a psycho who goes around trying to convince everyone that it is the best cuisine. For your information, I love French food too. But that’s another story.

Anyway, back to Da Paolo La Terrazza. The set lunch is available at $24++ (for pasta) and $32++ (for meat/seafood). From what I understand, it changes periodically, but there will always be five appetisers, five main courses and two desserts to choose from.

We started with a Smoked Salmon with mixed greens, Parma Ham with Rock Melon, and a Mixed Green with shaved Parmesan.

From the pasta main courses menu, we took the Spaghetti Aglio Olio tossed with garlic, chilli and olive oil; Linguine with prawns and cherry tomatoes; and a tomato-based seafood pasta. For desserts, there are only Dolce del giorno and Gelato/Sorbet. We took the dessert of the day which was a simple slice of cake.

While there’s nothing to fault about the Italian food at Da Paolo La Terrazza, I don’t think that lunch is fantastic. I like choices. I like to be able to choose from a list of desserts, and in this sense, Da Paolo’s set lunch doesn’t quite appeal to me.

Does this mean that Da Paolo is not worth a try? Not at all. Like I said, the Italian restaurant at Chip Bee Gardens has a nice vibe, and they serve one of the best Tiramisu in Singapore. I will certainly visit Da Paolo again for the ala carte menu, but I just don’t see myself returning just for the set lunch. Am I expecting too much from a $24++ 3 course set lunch? No, I don’t think so. There are plenty of good lunch deals elsewhere.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Da Paolo La Terrazza
44 Jalan Merah Saga #01-56
Chip Bee Gardens Singapore
Tel: +65 6476 1332

Read my list of best Italian Restaurants in Singapore | Chip Bee Gardens Restaurants

“Have you tried Da Paolo’s tiramisu? It’s the best tiramisu in Singapore!”

I have always wanted to go Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar because of the tiramisu. All my friends who had it before have nothing but praise for their tiramisu.

Like the other Rochester Park restaurants, Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar offers a superb al fresco dining option. It’s great for dinner (maybe not for lunch under the scorching sun), otherwise you can always choose to dine indoor.

Da Paolo Bistro Bar at Rochester Bar is a cross between their restaurant and pizza bar. The restaurant has two open kitchens, with the pizza bar being positioned near the entrance of the restaurant and the main kitchen on the further end.

It has a very extensive pizza menu which includes selections: Pizza Bolognese with tomato, mozzarella, minced beef, béchamel and parmesan – Pizza Salmone with tomato, mozzarella, smoked salmon, mushrooms and pesto – Pizza Napoletana with tomato, mozzarella, capers, anchovies and oregano; and folded pizzas: Calzone Prosciutto e Funghi with mozzarella, mushrooms and cooked ham.

My brother chose the Pizza Mozzarella di bufala e crudo ($25) which has buffalo mozzarella, parma ham, sliced tomatoes and basil. We also shared the Pizza frutti di mare ($20) with tomato, mozzarella and seafood. Out of the two pizzas that we had, I would pick the latter as the spread of seafood (calamari, salmon, prawn and mussel) was more appealing in taste and flavor.

Da Paolo’s Tagliatelle al granchio ($26) was excellent. The home made egg pasta with crabmeat, tomatoes, cream and vodka was creamy yet not too heavy, and every slurp of the pasta was so good.

I felt powerless when the waiter brought the famous Da Paolo’s Tiramisu ($10) to our table. Thankfully, the tiramisu didn’t disapppint. It was fantastic, and wasn’t soggy like ordinary tiramisu and the marscapone was light and airy. I scrambled to lick my dessert spoon clean.

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The pizza at Da Paolo is good, but not great. I won’t go all the way just to have them, but it’s a different story if I’m in the Rochester Park area. When it comes to Italian-style Pizzas in Singapore, my pick will still be Bella Pizza at Robertson Quay. While they are both Italian restaurants that specialized in Pizza and have a similar price-point, it’s not fair to compare them since I didn’t order the same pizza.

Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar at Rochester Park is a nice chill out place after work, and you must order the tiramisu! Which is your favorite Italian restaurant for Pizza?

Singapore Food Restaurant Review
Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar
3 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 5537

// Da Paolo group has other dining concepts like Da Paolo La Terrazza, Da Paolo Pizza Bar, Da Paolo Dolci, and Da Paolo Gastronomia at Chip Bee Garden.

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Rochester Park was promoted as the next Dempsey Hill dining destination when they first started. Restaurants like Cassis fine dining French restaurant, Pinchos Tapas Bar, Twenty + One Patisserie have come and go, while the other main stewards like One Rochester and Da Paolo are still going strong. Are the Singapore Rochester Park Restaurants over-hyped? Or do they deserve more publicity?

Here’s a complete guide to the Restaurants in Rochester Park Singapore:

Da Paolo Bistro Bar

“Da Paolo restaurant has the best tiramisu in Singapore!”

My friend proudly declared, and no, she doesn’t work for them. Among the Rochester Park restaurants, Da Paolo is the one that I want to go next. In case you are not aware, the Da Paolo group also has other restaurants in Chip Bee Garden.

3 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 5537

Krish The Restaurant

Krish is a fine dining restaurant which offers South Asia influenced European cuisine. In short, it means Western food with an Indian twist.

9 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6779 4644

Min Jiang @ One North

Located at the fringe of Rochester Park, Min Jiang which is a fine dining Chinese restaurant has another branch at Goodwood Park Hotel Singapore. I have been wanting to try their famous Peking Duck and dim sum. All right, I don’t care. I am going there the next time I have cravings for Peking Duck.

5 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 0122

North Border Bar & Grill

A friend told me that North Border Bar & Grill’s serves very value for money set lunches. With choices like lamb shank and steak on the menu, the 2 course set lunch at $21.90++ looks like a good deal. Folks working in the area can come here when you have a long lunch break.

2 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6777 6618

Onaka

Unless you walk right to the end of Rochester Park, you will probably not see Onaka Cafe. I only found out about it when I was surfing online. Has anyone tried the food here?

44 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6778 0246

One Rochester

One Rochester is under the same management 1 Caramel Patisserie and 1 Twenty Six at Big Splash East Coast Park. I have tried their Communal Coast menu at the latter. While it is rather expensive at $70++ per person, One Rochester restaurant is well known for their ambiance.

1 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6773 0070

Rochester House

The newest kid on the block, Rochester House is a 3-in-1 concept. Rochester Park Cafe is a kids friendly restaurant which has an indoor and outdoor playground (called The Playhouse) for patrons to keep their kids entertained while they enjoy their meals.

7 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6773 1312

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If you are a big fan of green al fresco dining in Singapore, I believe you will like the Rochester Park Restaurants that are housed in Colonial buildings. Now, tell me: which restaurant in Rochester Park have you been to, and which one are you going to try next?

Dining Guides of Restaurants in Singapore:
Chip Bee Gardens Restaurants
Dempsey Road Restaurants
Greenwood Avenue Restaurants
Holland Village Restaurants
Orchard Road Restaurants
Sunset Way Restaurants