Florian Italian Restaurant & Bar @ Naumi Hotel

Was staying at Naumi over the weekend, hence decided to try out Florian, located on the first floor of Naumi Hotel. How convenient! Plus, hotel guests enjoy 10% off the total bill.

Loved the space at Florian. Its alfresco seats looked so comfy but I'd still prefer dining indoors, with airconditioning.

indoor

outdoor

menu

online menu

Most of their food items are on its online menu except for the full wine list. For dinner, I opted for '60 days dry-aged ribeye' steak, medium rare with a glass of Baby Amarone. Not often, does one get to see amarone option with per glass option.

Montresor Urban Park Rosso(Baby Amarone), 2018 and 60-day Dry Aged Ribeye (200g)

Montresor Urban Park Rosso(Baby Amarone), 2018 @$18++

Loved the taste of the baby amarone. Less sweet than its sibling, but just as appealing with ripe red fruit taste.

60-day Dry Aged Ribeye (200g) @$29++

The ribeye were more of a medium than medium rare, and served without sauce. Loved the asparagus and baby potatoes. Natural tasting and enjoyable with the wine. Portion was alright and that left some room for dessert.

The pasta here is also quite good. I tried their signature Collatura di Alici which is essentially, pasta aglio olio style with essence of anchovies, parsley and lemon.

Collatura di Alici @$22++

The two staff that I met at Florian; PY and Shermaine, recommended the King Prawn pasta. I spied other guests having it, and it looked good. Perhaps, next time.

Traditional Tiramisu @$15++

sweet finale

Loved the plating of the tiramisu and its portion. Sweetness was just nice. There were only 3 items to choose from for dessert, and naturally, it was just between tiramisu and panna cotta. Hmm, I don't think I'll order lava cake from a restaurant if I could help it. Just not my thing.

The cocktails were delicious too. Managed to try Verdant and Grey's Orchard. 

Verdant @$19++

Verdant, is my kind of drink. Made of gin, elderflower liquer, lime, honey and cucumber. Can't go wrong with gin and elderflower. But the taste that intrigued me was the saltiness in the cup. I was wondering if salt was added but was later informed that the saltiness came from the cucumber.

Verdant, side view

Grey's Orchard has orange juice in it, hence it reminded me of brunch. The earl grey flavour was too mild to be detected. 

Grey's Orchard @$21++

Grey's Orchard - bourbon, earl grey, orange

Thanks to PY, I found out that there are seasonal appetisers and one could enquire for it. For example, the amberjack carpaccio.

Amberjack Carpaccio @$28++

Wow, after having a plate of this, I'd be returning for more. For sashimi and truffle lovers.

There is a rooftop bar at Level 10 of Naumi Hotel and staff at Florian does a good job recommending it to guests.

Unwind with a couple more drinks, pool view and our cityscape's night lights.

Peach Bellini

night view

It was fun checking out the place, and nice getting to know Shermaine, PY and friendly Chef (sorry, didn't get your name though).

Florian Italian Restaurant & Bar

Address: Naumi Hotel, 41 Seah Street, 188396

Website: https://www.florian.sg/

Contact: 9863 6361

Guccio Ristorante by Chef Marco @ 20 Gemmill Lane

Am a supporter of Restaurant Week organised by DiningCity for a while now and recently made reservations for their Chef's Signature event at Guccio. It is actually within 2 minutes walking distance from The Clan Hotel, which I was staying for that weekend. Events such as this, would be a nice opportunity to try new places without having to think too much about what to choose as the set menu is usually pretty limited choice and is meant to showcase the specialty cuisine of the selected restaurant.

I arrived on time for the 1.30pm slot, which I think would be pretty late for lunch? A quick look revealed that most diners were nearing the end of their meal.

Was given a choice of sparkling or still, but I am with Bernice and the choice is clear, because why pay for still when you could get sparkling? Hahaa!

sparkling @$10++

Chef's Signature Lunch Menu

Wendy arrived shortly after I had quenched my thirst, with refreshing taste of sparkling with a slice of lemon.

Bread was served after we placed our orders. Requested for balsamic as it was not offered by default. The bread was cold when served.

Was happy when our appetizer was appeared. The Calamari, came looking colourful and succulent. The olive coloured blobs were actually eggplant puree. The poached baby calamari was tasty and soft but not mushy. Each component on the dish played a part but the star of the dish was still the unassuming yet flavourful calamari.

Calamari

  

Next, was the Gamberi - New Zealand prawns 'tartare'. I think this would be my first time having any prawns 'tartare'. The sprouts on it was rather cute. The green pea puree was fragrant (because I do like green peas~). Not sure why but there was a light hint of citrus on this dish and it was a refreshing taste with mild sweetness.

Didn't enjoy the trout roe as much because it was of an awkward size. Was bothersome (for me, not sure if anyone else shared the same sentiment) because it was not big enough to 'pop' nor was it small enough to ignore and swallow.

Gamberi (supplement $10++)

Next, was our main course. Pork and fish.

Salmone

The pan-fried Norwegian salmon was Wendy's choice. The blobs of red that I thought was tomato, was actually beetroot cream. The seasonal greens on the plate was tasty. Fish was good although we would have preferred it to be slightly more pink.

Salmone - side view

I had the Maialino, slow-cooked Spanish suckling pig belly. Lovely plating. There's red apple compote and berry sauce.

Maialino (supplement $10++)

lovely layers

The skin was not of the crispy crackling kind, but the meat inside was lovely. The downside, was that the meat had stronger flavours of pork, hence a glass of wine would help. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the flavourful meat with lovely textured layers of lean and fats.

And then, we were at dessert. The choice was obvious. Of course, we got to try Chef Marco's mom's signature Tiramisu.

Tiramisu

Just be careful not to inhale while trying to get that spoonful in. I was careless and choked a bit on the cocoa powder. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed the tiramisu.

The Chef's Signature event menu is a good way to try some of the signature dishes on their regular menu without doing too much damage to the wallet. Guccio's Set Lunch Menu @$38++ had similar mains offered as well.

The Chef's Signature lunch set was good value and portions were adequate. Compliments to Chef Marco and his team.

Spent about $68 per pax.

Guccio Ristorante 

Address: 20 Gemmill Ln, Singapore 069256

Website: https://www.guccioristorante.com/

Contact: 6224 1684

Business Hours:

Tues to Sun: 11:30am–2:30pm, 5:30–11pm

Closed on Mondays

Rubato - Italian Kitchen & Bar @ 12 Greenwood Ave

I remembered being here before, and I was right! But that was a long time ago with Cherlyn. Back then, she was my wine buddy. Now 2021, am here again with the wine gang on a Friday night.

back here, after 7 years

In 2021, still seated at alfresco area. Deja-vu. Reservation was definitely necessary on Friday evenings. The place was a tad chaotic, with a few people waiting at its door, for the hostess to be avail. Staff are friendly but they have pre-assigned tasks.

It was a short 15 minutes wait, before we were assigned a table. This is a place with sparkling or still, so sparkling it shall be.

Ferrarelle 750ml @$3.90++

World's US Finest Oysters @$57.60++

Let's start with fresh oysters, and can't say no to that! We got a dozen to share amongst the 5 of us. That worked out to be $4.80++ per piece. Plump, briny and creamy.

closer look

Terre Gaie Prosecco DOC @$66++

We had Prosecco with the fresh oysters. The house curated Prosecco bottle price is reasonable.

cheers!

Lovely start. Ivan recommended the "Gift from the Angels" (cold angel hair pasta with scallops and truffle oil) and when asked if would like to top it with uni (sea urchin), the answer was yes. We do atas that night.

Cold Angel Hair Pasta @$88++

It was really good. Perfect harmony and so tasty. Would we care for more? Why, yes! And, we ordered one more when Bernice arrived. Am opined to think that this is one of those things to eat before we die, if one could afford it.

Come to think of it, we started with seafood so let's move on to meat. We gonna have chicken and tenderloin to satisfy the meatatarian in us.

The chicken was nice and pleasant, and the sauce was a tad spicy. Not sure what's in there, but pretty good combo with the cauliflower.

Chicken alla Diavola @$28.60++

Tenderloin @$44.60++

The doneness of the steak was incorrect initially, and we informed the staff. Service recovery was fast, and a new plate was brought for us without a fuss.

Tenderloin - medium rare

Time flies when you're having fun, and soon, it was time for dessert. "How about some gelato or sorbet?"

chocolate and pistachio gelato, mango sorbet

My favourite was the pistachio gelato. But it melted too fast! Keke, no worries 'coz am gonna have an affagato all by myself. Yay!

Affogato with vanilla ice-cream @$9.90++

But that's not all, there's more! The chocolate fondant took quite a while to arrive, and we got a complimentary pistachio gelato. Wow, that's a nice gesture. It warmed our hearts.

Chocolate Fondant @$14.90++

"Do you think it'd flow?"

Lovely meet up with Elle, Hoong Ann, B and Ivan. Thank you Ivan for arranging the dinner! 

RUBATO - Italian Kitchen & Bar

Address: 12 Greenwood Ave, Singapore 289204

Website: https://www.rubato.com.sg/

Contact: 6252 3200

Business Hours:

Daily: 10am–2am

[Tasting] Brand New Dining Experience @ Grissini Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel

Grissini by night, transforms into a cosy, romantic place. Lovely flower decor on the table too. Was invited to try the Grissini Menu Degustazione , curated by new Head Chef Kenny Huang.

The menu is available at $128++ per pax, and likely to be refreshed on a quarterly basis.

cosy ambiance

you know it's fine dining by the number of cutleries laid out

While waiting for the meal to start proper, we could munch on the super crunchy Grissini breadsticks, or enjoy the soft sundried tomato bun or focaccia. I liked the soft bun with the tasty olive oil.

bread, baked inhouse

AMUSE BOUCHE

amuse bouche of prosciutto con tartufo e mascarpone and roselle pomodorino

Hmm, must have been too engrossed and must had misheard the sequence of which to eat first. Hence, I tried the prosciutto con tartufo first. Strong truffle savoury taste. Chased that with a pop of roselle pomodorino. Oooh, tasted sweet with hint of sour plum.

Appetite opened, and ready for more!

GAMBERO DI MAZARA

Paired with Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Reims Champagne France NV.

cheers to friendship with Ruinart Blanc de Blanc

Gambero Di Mazara

The Italian Mazara red prawn, comes from the waters around Mazara del Vallo, a small town on the south-western coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea.

For the Gambero Di Mazara dish, one could devour the head as Chef had cleaned it, coated it with semolina flour and deep fried till crunchy. Love the bright colour of the green pea puree. That squid ink cracker was so good. Umami with a crunch. The prawn itself was very tasty with savoury sweet briny taste.

Having this with Ruinart Blanc de Blanc, was a luxury I didn't know I needed. The wine was smooth, creamy with a touch of honey.

RISOTTO CON FEGATO GRASSO

Risotto Con Fegato Grasso

Oh my! Risotto with foie gras. If that doesn't scream rich, how about adding a 24K gold leaf onto the foie gras? Well, this dish has it all!

I thought I had tasted enough risotto but this one, was an eye-opener, or rather, tastebud opener! That first spoonful without the foie gras was already so, so good. 

golden

With the foie gras, it was pure decadence.

Capon consomme, white truffle oil, sweet onion confit melded so well together. Kudos to Chef Kenny and team. This is now my current favourite risotto.

TORTELLI DI ZUCCA

Paired with Marques de Caceres Gran Reserva DOC Rioja Spain RV

Tortelli Di Zucca

Truth be told, I was starting to feel full midway through the risotto. But finished all, because it was just too good. Next, was this tiny parcels of bright yellow tortelli. This dish is only available via the Degustation Menu.

Marques de Caceres Gran Reserva DOC Rioja Spain RV

handmade tortelli, butternut squash, parmesan fondue

So easy to pop these into the mouth. Loved the burst of gentle sweetness from the butternut squash, and countered by that salty-crunchy cheese. Then, complement it with the deliciously red Marques de Caceres Grand Reserva.

YUZU SORBETTO

yuzu sorbet with champagne konnyaku, lemon confit

Palate cleanser of refreshingly sweet yuzu sorbet.

For the main course, one could choose either the fish or the beef. I went for the A4 Wagyu but that bite of Branzino, almost had me converted. Almost.

Farina Amarone Classico della Valpolicella DOCG Veneto Italy RV

BRANZINO

Paired with Farina Amarone Classico della Valpolicella DOCG Veneto Italy RV

Branzino - European seabass, wild mushrooms, spinach and thyme jus

A4 WAGYU

Paired with Farina Amarone Classico della Valpolicella DOCG Veneto Italy RV

A4 Wagyu, purple artichoke, celeriac puree, veal bone marrow jus

The seabass has a crispy skin that tasted of fish oil, which I liked. Lovely. A4 Wagyu was good as expected. Amarone wine was full bodied, juicy and tasted of cherries and spicy hints.

FRAGOLE ALL'ACETO BALSAMICO

Paired with Huber Riesling Eiswein Traisental Austria 2018

dessert - lavender gelato, strawberries, aged balsamic, rumble

Huber Riesling Eiswein Traisental Austria 2018

It was a lovely dinner. I had enjoyed all dishes and all glasses of wine that night. Food portion was good and the wines complemented the dishes. Kudos to Chef Kenny, Sommelier Uzair Yaacob, and team. 

Petit Four, cr to handmodel

mini treats

Degustation Menu at $128++ per pax, and top up $70++ for wine pairing.

Thank you Ziqing for the invite, special thanks to Chef Kenny and Uzair for sharing so much with us and Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Grissini for hosting the dinner.

Grissini

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

Website: http://celebrateatgcw.com/grissini

Contact: 8168 1539 or email: dining.gcw@millenniumhotels.com

Business Hours:

Lunch: 12pm to 2.30pm (last order at 2pm)

Dinner: 6pm to 10pm (last order at 9.30pm)