Lunch at a Chinese restaurant near work.

I didn’t get pictures of our first dinner, which was at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant and included such memorable dishes as the jumbo chili crab, deep-fried beancurd, steamed fish, liang ban jellyfish, prawns with cabbage, and seafood fried rice.

Dinner at Otto, an upscale Italian restaurant, the next night.

Dinner at an Italian pizza joint.

Dinner at Stella, a fine-dining establishment on the 62 floor of a building downtown. One floor up is the world’s highest al-fresco bar, with stunning views of downtown Singapore.

I’ve never enjoyed foie gras, but these were quite good, and the pastry was unbelievably light.

These were the best maki rolls I have ever had. The combination of flavours and textures was almost overwhelming.

The scallops unfortunately tasted a bit funny to me, probably because they’re not fresh enough. The prawns in the risotto was overcooked, while the risotto itself (the rice grains) were undercooked. The cream base was quite good though.

The desserts were to die for. The creme brulee was just perfect, with bits of macadamia on top. My favourite was the hazelnut mousse, although the toffee cake and pistachio tart were both surprisingly good – both were a little bit different than the norm. I was impressed by the creative use of ingredients.

I arrived at the restaurant early and before I knew it, I was waiting at the bar with the most aromatic coffee I have ever had, on the house. Although this restaurant was more modern than homely, Italian servers almost always end up treating you like kin no matter where you are. Service was impeccable.

When my friends arrived, it took us a long time to order, but the server’s interruptions were well-timed and warranted. It took a while for everything to come after we ordered, or maybe that was just my hungry stomach talking. The cold, awkwardly-sliced bread with olive oil and vinegar was barely enough to share at our table and not nearly appetizing enough for me.

We shared an antipasto plate to start, which I forgot to take a picture of. The cured meats were average, the marinated vegetables a little over-marinated, but the bocconcini was quite nice.

When the food finally came, I knew I had ordered exactly what would satisfy me on this cold winter night.

The rigatoni was, of course, made in-house, and it was quite firm and chewy, although slightly over-cooked. The rose sauce was perfect, not too strong and not too bland. The sweet sausages were heavenly, and the portobello mushrooms complemented every ingredient. I was unsure whether I would enjoy the rapini, but they turned out to be all right. There was a nutty flavour to it that contrasted with the sweetness of the rest of the dish, and only a hint of bitterness. The portion size was just right, and I enjoyed every bite.

One of my friends ordered the Roasted Chicken Breast, which was aromatic in an entirely different way from my dish.

The chicken breast turned out to be more of a chicken quarter plus breast. The skin was glistening, golden, and lightly crisp. As always, my complaint regarding the chicken was that it was too thick. While the meat under the skin and around the bones were tender and flavourful enough, the rest of the white meat was bland. The peppercorn jus was a very interesting complement. Roasted vegetables were well-done, and lightly flavoured. The mashed potatoes had clumps in them, which is how I like them, but no hint of garlic.

Our other friends ordered the Insalata di Bresaola and Capellini. No complaints there, although the Capellini seemed a little bland. It was basically a salad sitting on top of capellini, with barely any sauce. (No, olive oil is not a sauce.) Am I the only one surprised that this is even a dish?

For impeccable service, not kicking my friends out even though we lingered far beyond what would be considered polite, and my satisfying Rigatoni, I would definitely recommend this restaurant. Not sure how I feel about the Capellini, but there are certainly plenty of other great options on the menu.

Rating:

Before I get into the details, let me just say that the moment I walked in, I felt like I was transported to Italy. The atmosphere of the restaurant could not have been more perfect. There were fake grape vines hanging from the ceiling, the walls were a rich cream colour, and there was a large party happily celebrating someone’s engagement. I could not have asked for a better scene. The restaurant was small so it was hard not to notice the noise of the engagement party next to us, but I didn’t mind at all. Just seeing their laughing faces as they bent towards each other to share some funny anecdote was enough to lift my spirits. The waiter was attentive and friendly to the perfect degree (i.e. not annoying), gave us plenty of time to make our choices, and never interrupted us in the middle of a conversation.

And the food! Oh! It was superb. We started off with the insalata di casa (house salad), which was a unique mix of fresh greens with red onions, mangoes, gorgonzola, pine nuts, and sweet Marsala vinaigrette. The Marsala vinaigrette was amazing. The best vinaigrette I’ve ever had by far. And the pine nuts were a great touch to add that subtle crunch.

Then came the entrees. Oh, my, God. My veal marsala was topped with the most amazing, juicy sauteed mushrooms. There were two pieces of veal, one of which was a little on the thick side, but overall, cooked to perfection.

My friend had a salmon entree:

For dessert, we picked tiramisu. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. A little bit too sloppy and more cream than coffee flavour.

We were the last ones in the restaurant, and the waiter was very patient even though we were there past closing time. Conclusion: I will definitely be going back for more!

Rating: