Located at Level 2 of Scotts Square, this restaurant is very recognisable by its rustic redbrick facade. Was there on a Saturday evening, for a birthday celebration.
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| exterior |
Made prior reservations a few days earlier, and upon arrival and identification, we found ourselves being whisked towards a private dining area. Nice. Although one of my dining companion did comment that she didn't get to see the rest of the restaurant...
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| decor in the private dining area |
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| our table |
Service from our courteous
maitre d' (sorry, didn't get your name!) was excellent. Friendly, informative and un-intrusive.
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| menu |
Was glad that their dining menu is consistent with its online version. Ordered two starters, and seven mains to share. Iced/warm water, is served here. No issue.
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| iced water, preferred beverage of the night |
As in most Italian restaurants, complimentary bread (refillable, should you wish for more) was offered.
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| foccacia and walnut bread |
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| aromatic olive oil |
The bread was served warm and has a nice thin crispy crust. Do request for balsamic vinegar, if you like them with the olive oil.
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| foccacia |
The starters came just a minute or two after the bread.
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| Prosciutto with buffalo mozarella |
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| closer view of prosciutto with buffalo mozarella |
First time ever, trying the buffalo mozarella and actually, it tasted rather.... plain. Had read of others who exalted the creaminess of this, and thus, probably had unrealistic expectations. Ate it with bread, and prosciutto, and this combination was quite nice.
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| Smoked magret duck breast, kuri, marinated mushroom salad |
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| closer view of duck breast salad |
Didn't get a chance to taste much of the duck breast, as it was gone almost in a flash! Think my table liked this dish better than the buffalo mozarella. Personally, I felt that the kuri (chestnut) and tangy mushroom tasted quite nice with the creamy cheese.
Both starters are priced at $26++.
Took our time to enjoy the bread and starters, and once we were done with those, our mains arrived.
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| table-full of mains |
For mains, we had five pasta dishes and two meats. Pasta dishes that we ordered were the Arrabiata, Tagliatelle Bolognese, Agnolotti, Sakura Ebi and Carbonara. The meat dishes were Iberico pork loin and Guanciale (braised beef cheeks).
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| Arrabiata (spicy tomato sauce penne with garlic) |
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| close up |
Arrabiata was a pretty simple dish that tasted good. Pasta done al-dente and coated with tangy sauce that packed some heat.
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| Carbonara spaghetti with pancetta, asparagus and black pepper |
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| closer view of carbonara with pancetta |
Being the only cream-based pasta on our table for that night, Carbonara became the top favourite amongst the pasta dishes. Its sauce was rich and creamy, pancetta was fatty and salty, and the asparagus gave some respite amongst the richness in taste. Good.
The arrival of the Tagliatelle was accented by the strong whiff of black truffles that floated in the room. An appetising fragrance.
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| home-made tagliatelle with wagyu bolognese, black truffle |
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| close up |
The wagyu bolognese has a good hint of beefy taste but it gets tiring after a while. Good thing that there's truffle to jazz up the taste a little.
Was surprised by the Sakura-Ebi spaghetti. Came in a hearty portion, and tasted familiar. Kind of similar to the Chinese hae-bee sambal belacan without the spice.
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| Sakura-Ebi (tomato cream spaghetti wth dried shrimp and brocolli florets) |
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| can you spot the ebi eyes? |
The Agnolotti Astice, was a dish of ravioli stuffed with Lobster, bisque sauce. It looked pretty colourful but sadly, the taste just didn't match up. This dish could've been better.
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| ravioli with lobster, in bisque sauce |
Maybe it was the ravioli skin that was a tad too thick. Maybe it was the ravioli filling, that wasn't as imagined. Maybe it was the bisque, that was too salty. Maybe I was expecting a lobster bisque kind of soup instead of a sauce...
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| ravioli and lobster meat |
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| some vege inside the ravioli (was it turnip?) |
Then, we had meats. The carnivorous moment. Nyam nyam!
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| Iberico - Spanish Iberian pork loin, Acorns fed |
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| juicy and fatty |
Acorns, aren't those the favourites of chipmunks? Anyway, Spanish Iberian pork loin tasted soo good here! Pricey at $36++ for 180gms, but it is worthed it. Had it done at medium well (or was it medium?), and it turned out beautifully. Slightly fatty, oily and very much tender. Yums.
The Guanciale (@$30++), beef cheeks braised in red wine with acacia honey, elicited very vocal responses from two guys in our group! Compliments to the Chef!
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| Guanciale, beef cheeks braised in red wine sauce with acacia honey |
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| tender, gelatinous meat |
Beef cheek was very tender, quite gelatinous and mildly sweet. Very likeable texture, good portion but one could get 'jelak' of it after a while, especially when it turns cold. Better when shared.
The restaurant had graciously allowed us to bring our own cake. They even sang to the birthday girl, and helped us take our group photo. It was also very sweet of them to print-out of the photo, and gave it to birthday girl for keepsake.
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| Happy Birthday! |
Had enjoyed the food, the ambiance and the impeccable service rendered. Thank you!
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