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Pastaria Abate
there are not many Italian family restaurants with a native chef operating in Singapore. the popular Italian restaurants based here are also likely to be rather damaging to the wallet. so for those who are looking for a no frills, authentic family-styled Italian fix, it is welcome news to discover Pastaria Abate that is located along Craig Road. Opened by an Italian chef and his Singaporean wife, the restaurant aims to bring the taste of home-cooked dishes to the local clientele at very affordable prices..
the restaurant is located within a shop house along Craig Road, the interior carries a very simplistic and homely fitout with shelving showcasing their various pasta sauces and wines that are up for retail sales as well. though the place is entirely packed, it has a cosy and vibrant atmosphere and it wouldn't be surprising to find the couple meeting up with patrons to introduce their best dishes and ask about their cooking. to keep costs low, the no frills concept involves requesting diners to collect their food from the kitchen window when their buzzer beeps, a small activity before enjoying quality home-style Italian food. 
before even going to the pastas, this appetizer dish is seen to be popular amongst the customers here. Fried Mozzarella that comes with an abundance of cheese and a crispy exterior served with a unique red sauce. We saw many younger patrons working on their Boomerang photography by taking a short clip of themselves stretching the Mozzarella cheese ball. the dish itself was great and it went well with the signature red sauce. 
Moving on to their specialty which would be their pastas. In particular, due to the owner's family history, the focus is on their red sauce or tomato based pastas. we tried this Linguine served with bacon and cherry tomatoes, it was splendid. as with good Italian pasta, the tomato based sauce was not overpowering, light but flavourful with a tinge of olive oil. the pasta itself was of a silky but harder texture which I personally liked very much, and it carried a strong savoury taste that many local pasta places cannot deliver. we enjoyed the pasta very much. 
Upon the owner's recommendation we also went for their Ravioli dish that contained mushroom and cheese filling. not a particularly heavy dish with an ample serving of Ravioli but extremely flavourful and certainly a good suggestion. we topped off our meal with Italian Spritz (soda water served with Prosecco and Aperol) and enjoyed a very hearty session for less than $20 per person. No fireworks or jaw-dropping food in a family-based diner afterall, but we felt it was good value-for-money and we would gladly come again. 
Pastaria Abate 43 Craig Road Singapore 089681 Opening Hours Daily: 10 am to 10 pm freshly handmade pasta in Singapore at prices that won’t break the bank.. Labels: #craigroad, #familyfriendly, #familyrestaurant, #italianfood, #mozzarella, #pastaplace, #pastariaabate, #ravioli, #redsaucepasta, #sgitalianfood Aura
the page has enjoyed quite a few visits from Italian friends in recent weeks, so a big shout-out to and grazie to all. in the spirit of Italian fare, we had the opportunity to visit Aura at the National Gallery recently. established by the ilLido Group under renowned Italian restaurateur Beppe De Vito, Aura adds to their profile of quality Italian restaurants in Singapore.
Aura's brass and bronze colour theme brings about a sophisticated and elegant feel to the restaurant, and probably blends in well with the atmosphere of the National Gallery. we went for dinner and decided to try their degustation set menu. probably the best way to check out some of the chef's best interpretations in bite-sizes. before the courses was served, dinner came with complimentary Focaccia bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. the bread is really unique, very spongy in texture with a smooth skin crust drizzled with black olives. from the picture, it looks like traditional Chinese pastry. 
dinner itself was a 4 course meal that started with this Hokkaido Scallop Tartare served with sea urchin and Sevruga caviar. raw dishes are always tricky but Aura passes splendidly with fresh scallops that were soft and chewy, well accompanied by the explosive bits of caviar. this was followed up with a tasting portion of Fettuccine pasta with spanner crab, Prosecco and pollen. personally, i'm a big fan of authentic Italian pasta and i found the texture of this just right, with good spices and a reasonable portion of crab meat. 
there were a couple of choices for mains and we selected this Smoked Duck with Foie Gras, young spinach and Marsala Wine Sauce. Duck meat is probably one of the tougher poultry types to bite through and we found that the dish could be made a tad more tender. so we were a little torn with this one as the first impression with the wine sauce, the dash of hummus and first bites were great, but it somewhat became a jaw-bone exercise as we laboured to bite into the whole slice of duck. Our other main selection of Chilean Seabass with spicy Broccoletti and lemon potatoes was certainly a much safer choice. the fish was fresh, meat was tender and very easy to lap up. 
we kinda liked the dessert very much, this Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart served with Whisky Cream and Amarena cherries is just tops. and coming from someone who isn't a big fan of chocolate pastries, this is a huge compliment. post dinner activity for the romantics can adjourn to the sky-lounge bar where this is a fantastic view of the Padang and the Marina Bay skyline. in all, a hefty price tag for semi-fine-dining but a great experience of quality Italian food with good ambience. 
Aura 1 St Andrews Road #05-03 and #06-02 National Gallery Singapore Singapore 178957 Opening Hours Daily: 12 pm to 2 pm; 6:30 pm to 10 pm Skylounge is open from 11.30 am to 1 am daily an elegant and modern multi-concept dining destination... Labels: #aura, #degustationmenu, #illidogroup, #italianfood, #nationalgallerysingapore, #scalloptartare, #sgitalianfood Otto Ristorante
Nestled in a quiet corner of the refurbished Maxwell Chambers building, Otto Ristorante provides the Italian option for corporate lunch within the CBD of Singapore. not quite a Zafferano, even though this institution has been around since it was originally located at the nearby Red Dot building, only moving over to this new premises in 2015. In all, Otto makes it a convenient place for business set lunches within the Tanjong Pagar area..
placing quite abit of emphasis of liquor to go with their meal offerings, the new design of the restaurant comes with a wine bar that carries a good selection of wines and spirits. the set lunch menu appears to be extremely popular amongst the office workers within the area as it comes in a 3-course set at very reasonable prices. 
kicking off the set lunch menu, popular choices would be their crab meat with avocado salad, or the daily soup. we had cauliflower soup on the day of our visit that turned out just right, freshly prepared and served warm to accompany a wide selection of bread that formed part of the starters. 
the choice of mains come in very ample portions, of which the lamb shank and the grilled Japanese squid came out as regular preferred choices. the grilled Japanese squid comes with Borlotti bean and onion salad, the texture of the squid is grilled well to ensure it is not overly chewy and seasoned to make it really flavourful. the lamb shank came with mash potato and seasonal vegetables, though the meat could have been a little bit more tender and the rich taste of lamb better masked. 
the desserts were pretty good with their very own interpretation of sorbet served with white chocolate and jelly a very popular choice. judging from the daily turnout especially during weekday lunches, advanced reservations should be made before visiting the restaurant. overall, Otto Ristorante whips up pretty good Italian fare and its set lunch menu would be a good choice to assess some of their main dishes at a very reasonable rate. 
Otto Ristorante 32 Maxwell Road #01-02/03 Maxwell Chambers Singapore 069115 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 12 pm to 2.30 pm; 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm Saturdays: 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm (closed on Sundays) quality Italian food and amicable service in a sophisticated environment.. Labels: #italianfood, #maxwellchambers, #ottoristorante, #setlunch, #sgitalianfood |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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