My girlfriend texted me one day to ask if I heard of Da Luca. “No”, I replied. After which, she sent me many pictures of their signature sea urchin-scallop-truffle pasta dish. And I was sold!

Reservation was made for Wednesday because my girlfriend shared Da Luca receive their seafood supply on Wednesdays and Thursdays. And we really wanted to try their cold pasta. Keke.

And on the day of our dinner, my girlfriend and I managed to meet early at 6pm. Which was a very good thing cause our meal lasted for 3 hours. o_O Hahaha. We had a lot of catching up to do. =p

Upon arrival at the restaurant, we were brought to our seats before who-we-think-is-the-wife-to-chef-owner-of-Du-Luca shared with us the specials. And frankly, I think the specials should be made into permanent items on the menu. Cause based on what have been shared on instagram, most of the specials seem to be offered almost every night. Save the staff from repeating paragraphs of introduction. No? =)

And from the menu (pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) and specials, my girlfriend and I ordered:-

1) Bread, Complimentary (above) – This was really good. Focaccia with dried cranberries and herb was nicely toasted such that its crust was crisp. All while maintaining a fluffy, stretchy texture within.

2) Cold capellini in truffle emulsion, $85 (above) – With raw Hokkaido scallops and raw Hokkaido sea urchin. The dish which my girlfriend and I specially came for. Do give the restaurant a call to check as this belongs to the specials, and its availability is dependent on their seafood supply. One could also add shaved truffle (minimum 5 grams). We decided not to cause another appetiser of ours had shaved truffle in it. And this was so good! The highlight of our dinner. It’s misleading to say it’s an appetiser though, cause the portion was that of a main. Do note the restaurant would also automatically assist to portion the dish. I requested for them not to for my photo-taking sake. Haha. =p A must order.

3) Pan-seared Spanish octopus, $40 (above) – With squid ink puree and Sicilian tomato confit. Another dish ordered from their specials.

4) Slow-cooked egg with burrata cheese and black truffle, $38 (above) – This was also from their specials! And what’s photographed has been portioned for 2. This came with (pork) salami too. Absolutely tasty!

5) Homemade broad egg pasta with braised duck, $25 (above) – With Italian parsley. This plate of pasta was cooked to perfection; Al dente! I am in love with handmade pasta. I reckon I should try my hand at making pasta soon! My pasta maker is collecting dust. Keke.

6) Warm almond-studded apple tart, $16 (above) – Served with vanilla ice cream. I felt the tart was a little too thin. It could do with more filling of caramelised apple. And yes, they assisted to portion our dessert into 2.

7) Chocolate fondant, $15 (above) – With pistachio lava and hazelnut gelato. My girlfriend and I didn’t like this. The chocolate sponge cake was good on its own, but the green lava tasted weird. Full-sized (soft) nuts were also included in the lava which I didn’t like. I guess I am traditional in the sense I preferred my chocolate lava cake as chocolate sponge cake with melted chocolate within.

Would I recommend Du Luca? Definitely. I can’t believe it took me so long to know of their existence. Apparently they commenced operation way back in October 2010.

But make sure one gets to hear their specials cause the specials were more interesting and tasted great. At least for the ones we ordered! =)

I wanted to try their seafood risotto (another special) but we were too full to stomach anymore. And I’m glad it was Mrs-to-Chef (should have gotten her name) who personally assisted us with our order taking. Cause it was her who advised us against ordering the seafood risotto as she felt it would be too much. And she was absolutely right! Looks like I will be back soon!

And read from their website, chef Luca Puccian worked for 3 years at Gunther’s. Which explained the similarity in some of the dishes. Like the angel hair pasta. But thankfully chef Luca Puccian differentiated his by adding seafood. A good move, I say!