Rosso Vino @ Robertson Quay

For this year's Christmas Gathering, Ivan suggested Rosso Vino for Italian fare plus, reasonably priced wine. We readily agreed and reservations were made immediately.

Our dinner was at 730pm on a weekday and the place was not too busy yet. There are alfresco dining area if you prefer but for us, we like the comfortable air-conditioned indoor seats.

interior

Festive Specials

Have to wait a bit for the rest of the party to arrive, so started with a Rose IGP (Negramaro) from Puglia.

Rose IGP (Negramaro), Puglia 2020 @$14

When the rest arrived, we made it a point for each person in the party to order one dish of their choice. Mine was the Gnocchi alla Sorentina. Reason is, I wanted to try the different gnocchi in Singapore. Thus far, the best one was at Club Street but unfortunately, can't recall the name of the restaurant. Next was from Gattopardo (but the gnocchi was only an accompaniment on a meat dish).

Appetiser

Started with Buffalo Mozarella cheese with Parma ham. And here, I was wondering why there's so little greens on this plate. Because there is another meatless option called Burrata fresca di Andria. Keke!

Buffala e Prosciutto @$22

let's start

Next appetiser was fried calamari. Thin batter and still tender. Fried to a nice golden hue. Good with the tartar sauce.

Fritto di Calamari @$17

Main Course(s)

Since we are celebrating the festivities, we picked 2 items from the Festive Chef's Special menu; pizza and the cod fish dish.

Gourmet Pizza al Vitello Tonnato

Didn't read the menu before I sank my teeth into the pizza and the dominant flavour turned out to be tuna! Now I know why. Because there's tuna sauce!

veal slice, white pizza with mozzarella cheese, tuna sauce

It's interesting to have veal as pizza topping. The dough has a nice chew to it. White-based pizza is usually not my first choice.

Tracy requested for a simple tomato based spaghetti and it came before the fish dish was served. We had a quick bite each for the spaghetti and it was lovely.

Spaghetti in tomato sauce

wholesome

The cod fish was served to our table only after we enquired about our missing orders. 

Filetto di Merluzzo Su Purea di Patate e Crema di Aragosta

Loved all the seasonal vegetables in there and the mashed potatoes were so yummy! Fish as expected, was smooth and had a good mouthfeel to it. My favourite dish for the night.

Baked Black Cod Fish on mashed potatoes and Lobster Bisque

But where's my gnocchi? I was ready to give it up but we enquired from the staff again and it arrived almost together with our dessert. Served piping hot, the cheese pull was incredible!

Gnocchi alla Sorentina

look at that cheese pull

The gnocchi texture was good, despite being baked. Everyone in the group enjoyed all the tomato-based pasta dishes. Lovely.

Dessert

The group went all out and ordered 3 desserts when everyone was already feeling full. But that's us.

Tiramisu @$16

Torta agli Arumi di Sicilia @$14

Tiramisu was ok, and I preferred the Traditional Italian Cream Pie more. The homemade citrus jam was good. 

hello chocolate gelato

But my absolute favourite dessert that night, was the Affogato. Simple espresso coffee that's strong with a nice aroma (not burnt!) and topped with vanilla ice-cream that melts faster than you can say Affogato. Hahaa! Thank you guys for not wanting to share this. All mine!

Affogato @$9

My table was attended to by Cyan and Eva. Both are friendly and doesn't mind the intermittent orders for wine top-ups or that random pasta. Plus, one of them is quite proficient in helping guests to take group photos, with multiple shots from various angles.

We also had the friendly owner/manager dropping by to say hello and to offer us limoncello to end our meal. Grazie!

limoncello

Overall, Rosso Vino is a good choice for dinner and for a good time with family/friends. I spied other diners having penne pasta, so next time it is.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rosso Vino

Address: 15 Merbau Rd, Singapore 239032

Website: https://www.rossovinosingapore.com/

Contact:  6733 7735

Business Hours:

Mon - Sat: 3pm to 12am

Sun: 11.30am to 12am

[Tasting] Celebrate Merriment at George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer 乔治 海鲜 with Festive Delights and BBQ Favourites

Beer On-Tap

What would you like to drink today? How about a cold Japanese draft beer? Tried for the first time, a Mosaic Lager.

Hitachino Nest Mosaic Lager

It is so named as the beer was brewed from mosaic hop pellets, and is known for its complex floral, fruity bouquet.

Festive Delights

Festive Dual Flavoured Turkey 双味火鸡  @$28

Fancy having turkey at a Tze Char place? Well, it was certainly my first time and what an interesting experience. The turkey was done two-ways; deep-fried and braised (with Guangxi sauce).

Happy to report that the turkey meat was not dry nor tough. In fact, I almost forgot that I was eating turkey meat. The braised version tasted like steamed chicken but of a firmer texture. The Guangxi sauce tasted of scallion, onion, ginger oil mix.

脆皮炸火鸡与 广西酱炖火鸡

crispy skin

The deep fried version was of a golden brown with crisp outer layer. Pretty good.

For those who enjoys stronger flavours, the Hotplate Black Pepper Wagyu with Parmesan Butter would definitely be right up your alley.

Am a fan of the black pepper sauce at George Town Tze Char and to top it with Parmesan Butter just screams out tasty, in flashing neon. Now, I need a bowl of rice.

Hotplate Black Pepper Wagyu with Parmesan Butter @$28

In-line with strong flavours, one could try the Garlic Fried Tilapia. Loads of minced garlic, that'll surely scare off any vampires.

Garlic Fried Tilapia 蒜炸尼罗红 @$35

The fish was expertly deep-fried till nicely golden and we sure enjoyed the extra crispy (garing) bites! But do be careful when biting down as some bones are harder than the other parts.

Metal Jacket Drumlets was quite a favourite dish for my table. Was impressed by how tender the meat was. Sauce tasted pretty similar to Mongolian pork ribs sauce.

Metal Jacket Drumlets 铁公鸡 @$18

Now, let's eat some vegetables. There's the usual kailan, or dragon chives so today we had the choy sum. Actually, after having it that night, this vegetable dish is now one of my favourite. So flavourful and just enjoyable.

George Town Choy Sum 乔治菜心 @$12

We also had the Penang Fried Kway Teow, and this plate was gone in no time. Well-fried, and tasty. The kway teow here is of the smaller type, more like sar hor fun type.

Penang Fried Kway Teow @$10 (small)

BBQ Favourites

assorted BBQ skewers 

BBQ vegetable skewers

BBQ beef, mutton, intestine skewers

tasty

The BBQ skewers are priced from $1 upwards, depending on which meat/vegetable item of your choice. For us, here was what we had:

• Wagyu Beef - $5
• Mutton - $1
• Beef Tongue - $3
• Pig Intestine - $2
• Taiwan Sausage - $2
• Potato - $1
• Brinjal - $2
• Mushroom - $2
• Asparagus - $2
• Long Bean -$2

Thank you Jennifer for the invite and Charles for hosting the dinner. Always a pleasure to dine here.

George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer 乔治 海鲜

Address: 81 Boat Quay, Singapore 049869

Website: https://george-town-tze-char-and-craft-beer-boat-quay.business.site

Contact: 6535 6277 

For bookings: Whatsapp 96823826

Business Hours:

Daily 12pm to 11pm

[Tasting] Chef's Christmas Tasting Menu @ Grissini Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel (4 Dec 2020 to 1 Jan 2021)

For the festivities this year, why not indulge in a Chef's Christmas Tasting Menu? Each course in this set menu from Grissini was a treat, for the visuals as well as for the tastebuds.

One could opt for the 8-course, or the 6-course menu at $98++ or $78++ per pax. Book 3-days in advance to enjoy 10% off.

Come during dinner time and guests will be served with complimentary bread basket comprising of foccacia and multigrain breads. A trolley of olive oils and balsamic will presented to diners, and one could choose the dip of their liking. I had the house-infused olive oil with black balsamic.

of balsamic and olive oils

bread basket (served warm)

I enjoyed the warm breads and preferred the soft foccacia. The first course was served fairly quickly. One of the item from the 8-course menu is the Fresh Oysters, served in trios (yay!). The oysters were good.  Served in red wine vinaigrette, shallot, chive and lemon juice. High tangy.

Fresh Oysters (part of the 8-course menu)

plump, juicy and saucy, no need for extra lemon

Next, we had the tuna tartare. I had two variations of tuna tartare from Grissini before and this would be version 3.0. This version was the daintiest of all. 

Tuna Tartare

Not sure if I should mixed the tuna tartare but did that anyway. End result, was a genteel taste and loved the extra crunchy savoury lift that the croutons provided.

lovely starters

Next came the hot starter; Pumpkin soup. Sweetness was prominent, and liked the addition of orange in it. If you are worried if the soup will make you very full, the verdict was, it didn't. 

Pumpkin Soup

Then, we had the Eggplant Parmigiana. Now, I've had this before and looking forward to enjoying it again in this tasting menu.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Look at that. So so cute. Was fairly impressed when I started on the eggplant parmigiana. Maybe because of its smaller portion, the parmesan and mozzarella cheese became more pronounced. Loved the chewy, smokiness from the cheese and the softer texture of the aubergine.

For the next course, Gamberi e Caviale was served, on a bed of orange celeriac purée.  This is part of the 8-course menu. Enjoyable and finished in a few bites.

Gamberi e Caviale (part of the 8-course menu)

Before we dived into the main course, we were served the Lime Sorbet. 

Lime Sorbet

For main course, one could opt for the Josper-grilled Ribeye Steak or Kurobuta Pork Collar. I'd choose Ribeye Steak. Loved the smokey flavours and texture of the beef.

Josper-grilled Ribeye Steak

gorgeous

Had a burst of flavours with the Kurobuta Pork Collar too and that's when I happen to chew on a piece with fats. So good!

Kurobuta Pork Collar

go for the ones with fatty bits

And for the finale, we must have dessert and we're getting baked Alaska. If you loved the baked Alaska version served at the alfresco dining, you will be impressed by this special version served as part of the Chef's Christmas Tasting Menu. Tableside service to flambe this dessert, so get your camera ready.

Baked Alaska (before flambe)

light it up~

Chocolate ice-cream with passion mango compote and a marshmallow-like texture of the outer layer. 

dig in

For reservations, please call 8168 1539, email dining.gcw@millenniumhotels.com or click here 

Book 3 days in advance for 10% off, and do enquire by contacting the hotel/restaurant directly.

Have a Tasty Christmas, my friends!

Special thanks to Gilbert Ong, Lee Ji Cheng for the invite, and team Grissini at Grand Copthorne Waterfront for feeding us.

Grissini

Location: G/F Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, 392 Havelock Rd, 169663

Website: http://www.celebrateatgcw.com/xmas2020

Business Hours:

Daily - 12.00pm to 2.30pm, 6.30pm to 10.30pm