Dinner @ inITALY

March 18, 2015 in Italian by thywhaleliciousfay

My girlfriends and I met on Saturday for dinner at 6.30pm. However, as I only made our reservation on the day of our dinner, we were told we would need to return the table by 7.45pm. Wanting to have Italian cuisine for dinner (and me being lazy to find another place), we agreed.

Upon arrival, we were led to the high tables which I felt were the best seats in the house as it gave us a good view of what’s happening within the restaurant. Ideal for nosy people like me. Haha! The high tables were also placed such that the next high table was separated by a column which gave us privacy where our tables were not too close for discomfort.

However, it being the Restaurant Week, there was a slight confusion when we wanted to place our orders. We wanted to order from the a-la carte menu, but the staff insisted we could only order the set menu that was tailored for Restaurant Week. Thankfully, chef Mario Caramella came out at the right moment and gave us the go ahead to order from a-la carte menu.

And from the menu (pages 1, 2, 3, 4), we ordered:-

1) Bread, Complimentary (above) – Upon seated, we were served a basket containing 2 types of bread and a plate of cheese (not pictured). And I was really impressed with the beer bread which was served warm. I tried it with the salsa verde too, but I preferred it alone. Cause it was that good. Slightly thick, slightly chewy, slightly oily and so tasty.

2) Burrata, $28 (above) – Creamy buffalo milk burrata cheese, parma ham, heirloom tomatoes & capsicum chutney.

3) Polipo, $26 (above) – Octopus & cannellini beans, pink peppercorn dressing. The octopus was unfortunately a little overcooked.

4) Risotto, $32 (above) – Smoked eel, tarragon, beetroot & red berries. And we were surprised to be served risotto that was as bright as bubble gum! Haha. Chef Mario Caramella even came by our table and asked “You like my bright colours?” However, I would only order this if I was sharing a few mains. The risotto was of smaller grains, which meant we did not need to chew much. And that psychologically made us feel as though we did not eat much to fill up our tummies.

5) Risoni al nero, $38 (above) – Risoni pasta, squid ink, lobster & gold. Almost similar to risotto, but softer in texture. I guess I should have chosen a proper pasta dish, but I was drawn to the ‘gold’. Ha. Superficial me.

6) Trenette alle vongole, $25 (above) – Ligurian long noodle with imported Mediterranean clams, garlic & parsley. With the generous serving of clams, this was not too bad except that it was slightly salty. But my girlfriends and I finished this dish clean, nonetheless.

7) Tiramisu classic, $14 (above)

8) Limoncello souffle, $20 (above) – Lemon liqueur souffle. This was good for photo-taking cause it did not deflate quickly like most souffles do. Ha. This was more egg-y than how I preferred my souffle to be.

9) Cannolo aperto, $16 (above) – Sheep’s milk ricotta cheese mousse with Sicilian candied fruit, layered on cripsy Cannolo biscuit & pistachio ice cream.

Food was decent and the restaurant provided a really cosy ambience for us ladies to eat and catch up. However, it was the service that won our hearts. During the midst of clarifying that we could order from the a-la carte menu, chef Mario Caramella mentioned he would need the table back at 7.45pm. However, he added on that we shall play by the ear. And we managed to stay till 8.45pm! Haha.

The group only came in at 8.30pm cause of the rain. And instead of chasing us (to quickly finish our desserts) or relocating us to the alfresco table, it was nice that the staff only hinted us that they needed the table back (as earlier informed over the phone) by passing us the bill after our desserts were served. Of course it helped that we were also 自动 (automatic). Haha.

I am also not sure if it was because it’s Restaurant Week, but I noticed chef Mario Caramella comes out to the front a lot to make sure everything was going smoothly. So yes, it was definitely refreshing to see the chef so ‘hands on’.

INITALY BAR RISTORANTE
38 Craig Road, Singapore 6423 0918, Website, Facebook
	Overall: 7.5
Opening hours:-	Food/Beverage: 7
Mon – Sat : 12:00 – 14:30 (Lunch)	Ambience: 8
Mon – Sat : 18:00 – 22:30 (Dinner)	Value: 7
	Service: 8

* Closed on Sun