Tucked somewhere amidst the Garden Wing of Shangri-La Hotel, you may just find yourself in a cosy Southern Italian trattoria serving the freshest ingredients and exquisite selection of wines. The place is known as
The Waterfall, and the man responsible for this transformation, is its Executive Chef Marco de Vincentis, a native of Naples. Naples is also considered as the birthplace of pizza.
Was invited to taste Chef Marco's Heirloom Signatures at The Waterfall with the good folks of HGW.
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| menu |
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| cosy dining |
The vibe was of ease and relaxation. Diners could choose to have their meal indoors or alfresco by the pool. Of course, smoking is not permitted in The Waterfall.
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| pool side dining |
Walking into the restaurant, felt akin to walking into someone's kitchen. Guests would be greeted by the sight of the handmade pasta, and all the typical kitchen gadgets. Perhaps, our dinner components were prepared right here at these countertops?
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| pasta heaven |
For wine lovers, The Waterfall has an extensive selection of wines and they might just have your favourite bottle. We know, because we found ours.
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| a Tuscany red |
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| these glasses are made for drinking |
Did you notice those barrels as you strolled into the restaurant? They are
not just decorative, though it adds to the charm. In fact, those oak barrels contained Nero d'Avola,
their house red. The black of Avola, is said to be the most important red wine grape in Sicily. [
wiki]
Interestingly, the house red is served in the traditional ceramic Boccalino mugs, instead of the usual wine glass.
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| Sicilian Nero d'Avola from the oak barrel |
Think I asked too many questions till the friendly (and probably amused) service staff, whom was pulling the wine for other guests, offered a small mug for a quick taste. Accepted with much thanks! Keke. The wine tasted mildly fruity and clean, and of warm berries. Nice as a starter.
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| Nero d'Avola served in cute Boccalini ceramic mug |
Chef Marco took pride in explaining the items in our menu for today and we looked forward to his creations. Meanwhile, we started nibbling on the complimentary breads. Loved the balsamic and olive oil.
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| bread basket |
For antipasto, we had the Insalata di Granchio Aranche e Finocchi (Crab Salad with Oranges and Fennel). It felt like a colourful summer dish that was refreshing to the taste buds. Very lightly dressed, tasted of tangy citrus, sweetness from the cherry tomatoes and cold crab, and that slight bitterness from the leaves.
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| Insalata di Granchio Aranche e Finocchi @$23++ |
Next, was the Primo (first) course of Spaghetti alla chitarra con Ragu' di Crostacei, served in a pan. The serving size was good for 2 pax.
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| Spaghetti alla chitarra con Ragu' di Crostacei @$29++ |
The handmade egg pasta was served with plenty of sauce, cherry tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, shrimps, prawns and lemon. Subtle taste that was more of tomato sweetness and with just a hint of seafood goodness.
Next, the main course was the Spigola all'acqua pazza. A Neopolitan-style seabass with cherry tomato, olive, capers, wine and parsley. The flavours of this dish was good, somewhat similar to asian-styled steamed fish until that bite of olive came through. The fish was done perfectly, retained its moist texture with some lovely fish oil to taste. I think the carrots were lovely too.
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| Spigola all'acqua pazza @$36++ |
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| lovely seabass |
The final main course was a dish that we waited quite a fair bit for. Somethings are worth waiting for, and this may be one of those things. Roasted lamb rack, served with potatoes, thyme and sautéed vegetables.
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| Agnello Arrosto con Timo e Patate @$36++ |
The meat was easy to slice through, with an attractive pink center. It was a joy to bite into these morsels as the smokey flavour of the grill swept through the palate. The texture was gentle. Mellow wine and good meat, that would be a good way to enjoy a pre-holiday evening.
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| hard to resist |
Indeed, Chef Marco had expertly transformed the fresh produce and allowing them to shine into beautiful flavours.
Alas, all good things will come to an end. Thus, we bade our farewells but not before we had the sharing platter for desserts that was beautifully plated.
The pannacotta looking item was the Biancomangiare or almond pudding. Chef Marco added a hint of orange blossom water to this nicely wobbly dessert.
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| Desserts - Sharing Platter - Biancomangiare N @$12++ |
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| Desserts - Sharing Platter - Tiramisu A @$15++ |
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| Desserts Sharing Platter - Ricotta @$15++ |
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| Profiteroles N @$15++ |
My personal favourite would be the simple Ricotta. Cheese cake made from Puglia region's fresh ricotta cheese. Paired with a cup of bitter coffee. Hmmm.
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| coffee to end the night |
Thank you to Wen Xian and Shangri-La for hosting the dinner, and the HGW team for the invite. Once again, thank you to Chef Marco and to the friendly service crew at The Waterfall.
The Waterfall Ristorante Italiano Shangri-La Hotel
Location: Level 1, Garden Wing, 22 Orange Grove
Road, Singapore 258350
Website:
http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/waterfall/
Contact: (65) 6213 4138/ 4398
Operating Hours:
Breakfast
6.30am - 11am
Light Snacks
11am - 12noon
3pm - 6pm
Lunch
12noon - 3pm
Dinner
6pm - 10.30pm
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