Alkaff Mansion

So it’s Restaurant Week and I had to restrain myself from making too many reservations. “Keep-to-2” was the rule and trust me, it wasn’t easy eliminating and finally settling on the two places I most wanted to check out – Alkafff Mansion and the new Bistro Du Vin on Zion Road.

I have not been to the “old” Alkaff Mansion but my oh my, the restored premises was simple lovely! So grand and chi-chi- I especially love the wood-paneled 1920s second level setting and the outdoor bar – I wanna hold an event here!

Service was fantastic the moment we stepped in. Warm and friendly, the service staff made us feel at home straight away. Maybe it was them, or more likely it was the romantic setting – B ordered a bottle of prosecco (*swoon*).

The restaurant week lunch was at $36++. We looked at the normal menu and noticed that the normal executive set lunch was similarly priced and had the same courses too. No matter, what a wonderful (and, can I repeat, romantic) lunch!

For starters, both B and I ordered the tuna tartar served with avocado and passion fruit dressing. Doesn't it look gorgeous? I really liked the freshness of the tuna and the tanginess from the passion fruit. This dish really opened up our tastebuds for the main courses.

First up, my lobster ravioli in its own bisque. I absolutely love (who doesn’t) lobsters so this dish really hit the spot for me. The ravioli was well made and the bisque was robust yet not too over-powering. I could have had a second serving of this haha.

B had the beef short ribs in porto wine sauce and it looked delish too. I thought the serving size was a bit small for him so it was very kind of him to offer me a sliver to try – yums! Very tasty and well-marinated. We saw some people ordering the cod fish and that looked good too.

For desserts, we both had the blueberry cheese cake. Although not mind-blowing, it was the perfect ending to an elegant (romantic!) lunch.

I’m glad I decided to check out Alkaff Mansion for restaurant week. Watch this space for my review on the new Bistro Du Vin!

La Barca

First there was Bruno’s along Tanjong Katong Road. Then, came Antoinette and Kilo, nestled in the Lavender and Kallang area. Yippee now, there’s a new “Katong Kia” in town - La Barca at the Goodman Arts Centre – it’s literally in my backyard, 10 minutes’ slow stroll tops.

I had jumped at Vino Shifu’s invitation to attend Luce Della Vite winery’s dinner at La Barca. It was the perfect opportunity to check out the new neighbourhood Italian joint.

I was struck by how out of place La Barca seems in the middle of, well, nowhere. Almost like an elegant woman seated on a haystack at the back of a truck (erm, no idea why that came to my mind). It’s the same concept as Hosted on the Patio and District 10, but for some reason I think La Barca’s setting is much lovelier.

La Barca means “the boat” – check out the multi-layered roof that resembles flattened sails. The indoor dining space is warm and inviting, but I prefer the covered outdoor deck – It was so surreal hanging out there sipping the welcome glass of Attems Pinot Grigio 2010, nibbling on the amuse boche of Salvia Fritta, Verdure Fritte, Crocchette di Patate (Fried sage leaves and vegetables, potato croquettes) the wait staff came around with. Service was excellent, efficient and personable.

I wish the lighting was better so I could have taken some food pics. The cuisine at La Barca is Tuscany-based and I thought all 4 courses were quite unique. The starter of Le Quaglie Brasate con Uva Fresca (Braised Quail with Fresh Grapes) was a tad cold (some guests were late) but I liked how the grapes, quail went beautifully with the Lucente 2007 (50% Merlot, 35% Sangiovese and 15% Cab Sauv) – a soft explosion of cherry fruit. Some parts of the quail were a bit tough though.

The pasta dish was I Ravioli di Manzo con Salsa di Cipolle (Beef Ravioli with Genovese Onion Sauce). Now, THIS, was delicious. Generous pockets of beef and pasta was done perfectly. The Luce 2001 (45% Sangiovese, 45% Merlot and 10% Cabernet) was a much bigger wine and complimented this well – deep rich cherry and oak. I will definitely be back to try other pasta dishes.

At this stage I was already stuffed. But the main course sounded too good to resist - Il Controfiletto di Manzo al Forno, con Salsa di Vino Rosso e Timballino di Funghi (Oven-roasted Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce and Mushroom Flan). OMG. The beef melted in my mouth. The mushroom flan too, was so flavourful. This dish definitely stood its own. I took my time savoring every bite. The Luce Brunello Di Montalcino 2005 they poured with this was simply delicious. Ripe fruit and pepper bouquet, sexy deep ruby colour, it evolved in the glass - I was impressed!

Dinner ended with dessert of Marquise al Caffé & Cantuccini con il Vin Santo (Coffee Mousse & Almond based biscuit). I surrendered after a bite – it was nice but I was so stuffed! There I was, holding my stomach and the nice waiter comes around with a bottle of grappa. “Some dessert wine, Miss?”

Heh, you know I don’t say no to wine.

Osteria Mozza

I really wanted to be swept off my feet.

It was a much anticipated meal. KC was back in town from Shanghai and offered to buy me a nice Italian dinner. In true food nazi fashion, I did my research and narrowed my choices down to either Osteria Mozza or No Menu. A quick toll on Facebook turned up a resounding “Mozza of course!”, so reasonably assured, I made the reservations.

We were a bit early so we had a quick drink at the bar first. Very good ambience, I love the dark wood décor and semi-dim lighting. The restaurant was busy enough to create a buzz but quiet enough for a proper conversation. They seated us at one of the best tables in the house – happy! The service staff were also very warm and attentive, full marks for that.

The wine list was intimidating. It was extensive yes, but fwahh pricey. Even though KC was buying and he asked me to splurge, I couldn’t bring myself to order from the menu. Instead, I (ok, very “uncool”-ly) requested the sommelier to recommend us a bottle of red under $200. He brought us a bottle of 2004 Gattinara, Antoniolo. Made from the same nebbiolo grape as Barolo, the wine had a nice nose with notes of almonds and cherries, medium-full body – quite a good choice for the food, it turned out, but eh, markup is too high lah.

After choosing the wine, we turned our attention to the food. They had served us bread (choice of white and multi-grain) but this was cold and unimpressive. The amuse bouche of ricotta on crackers too, was mediocre. Hmm, we hoped the other food would fare better.

We ordered two starters to share – the Grilled Octopus with potatoes, celery & lemon ($25) and the Bufala Mozzarella with prosciutto di Parma ($25). The octopus was nicely charred and soft inside, but though tasty, it was way too salty. I had to wash it down with a lot of wine and water. I liked the parma ham with the mozzarella - fresh and flavorful – we should have skipped the octopus and just ordered this because it was quite a sodium overload.

Next up, the mains. KC’s main of Linguine with clams, pancetta & spicy chiles ($29) was recommended by the waiter and it did look good when it was presented. Unfortunately, they were too heavy-handed with the spices and poor KC didn’t look like he really enjoyed it.

My main of Duck al Mattone with pear mostarda & corn ($55) fared a bit better. The serving was huge and I liked the nice crispy skin. The meat could have been juicier but the pear mostarda helped some. The corn was slightly spicy and I thought that gave a nice kick to the dish. I would suggest ordering this to share though.

I was stuffed after the duck but KC looked unsatisfied so we ordered the Piccolo Budino Caldo di Cioccolato with candied almonds & bourbon gelato ($17) to share. This was probably the best dish of the night. Then again, the desserts I had at the Pizzera the last time were excellent too – loved that olive oil gelato.

The bill came up to around $300, not as bad as I thought but seriously, it wasn’t worth it. I’ll be back at the Pizzeria but the Osteria just doesn’t cut it. It was lovely catching up with KC though, the last time we met was a year ago when I was back in Shanghai on business. Glad to see you doing well, Mr M

Pizzeria Mozza

It was a long planned dinner date. We heard the rave about Pizzeria Mozza and were all psyched to check it out. The place is not big so we made our reservations well in advance (erm 3 weeks) and managed to get a slot for 7.45pm on a Friday night. Well worth the effort because the food was absolutely delish!

Kev is an ardent fan of Mozza and we let him do the ordering. Feed us please, we cheered. He did not let us down. The combination of creamy buffalo mozzerella cheese and the warm, crusty bread they served was amazing. I love the texture of the bread, slightly chewy - it made me excited about the pizzas. We also shared a big platter of mixed ham, omg I can't get enough of the lardo ham! Diets took a backseat, that evening.

We were happily "appetized" and happier from the bottles of very palatable Rosso Montalcino by the time the pizzas came. We expected the pizzas to be bigger (there was seven of us) so we quickly ordered one more. The meat lover's pizza was incredible, so glad I took a large slice haha. The salami pizza was good too. I was stuffed!

We went all out on desserts and got the caramel copetta , the banana gelato pie and (Kev insisted) the olive oil ice cream. I was a bit doubtful about the olive oil ice cream but it turned out to be a hit!

The food at Pizzeria Mozza is fantastic, well worth the hype. But I'm pretty certain it was the excellent company of my homies which made the dinner such a "wow" experience. Passionate about food. Passionate about life. You guys inspire and keep me going :)

Go with a big group to sample more of what Mozza offers. Now, can someone please take me on a date to Osteria Mozza? It's on my radar next!

Limoncello Pizza and Grill

I like this new Italian joint. Valentino’s is still my all time favourite with Bruno’s a close second but Limoncello has its charm – not to mention great value, taste, and an excellent riverside location right behind Rivergate condominium. Yay another Robertson joint to hang out at.

It was a dinner to celebrate “the beginning of the rest of my life” – it’s a long story – and I had 4 of my dearest friends with me.

We sat at the alfresco area and it was nice, with a slight breeze, view of the river and nostalgic (think 80s and Tommy Page) music from the adjourning bar (looks hip) at a comfortable volume. We ordered the second cheapest bottle of wine at $58 a pop and it was pretty good.

For starters, we shared the antipasto combination dishes, and wow it was huge for $39 – large chunk of burrata cheese (oohh so milky), parma ham, grilled mushrooms, vegetables and salad. My only complain is that the bread they served it with was lack luster, no love there.

We also shared a parma ham pizza, the mascarpone cheese and mushroom ravioli and the seafood pasta. The pizza was really good! I like the good balance of cheese, sauce and chewy crust. The ravioli impressed us too. The seafood pasta on the other hand, was quite a disappointment, don’t order it.

The bill for the 5 of us with two bottles of wine came up to $50 each. Pretty darn good value if you ask me. Thank you darlings, for being here for me!

Basilico

One last food post before I fly off to Beijing/Hong Kong for my cheenah holiday. My hungrygowhere 50%-off-buffet-dinner-for-two voucher was expiring soon so I grabbed my reliable makan buddy NDee along for a mid-week gorge. Sorry, limited pics as I was too busy stuffing my face.

It's normally $65++ for a 3-course dinner with a choice of main course and semi-buffet of (i) cold cuts, marinated seafood, salads and cheeses and (ii) desserts and gelato. 50% off with the coupon was a freaking good deal lah.

Just like during the Sunday champagne brunch last year, the cheese and condiment spread last evening was AMAZING. I was like a kid in a candy shop, spoilt for choice! So I did the logical thing. I took some of EVERYTHING. Wet cheeses - mozzarella, buffalo ricotta, burrata. Soft cheeses - ricotta (original and truffle flavoured - love). Semi/Hard cheeses - asiago, pecorina, fontina. Nuts - almonds, pistachios. Quince paste - 2 flavours. I drizzled truffle honey, lemon honey all over my cheeses - lovely!

By the time my main course of seabass came, I was stuffed! Nonetheless, the fish was good. For desserts, the glutton in me sampled the cannoli, panna cotta, fig tart and the vanilla and expresso gelato. The gelato was the best of the lot.

Burp. I still felt full this morning when I woke up. Definitely one of the better priced and quality (thumbs up) dinner buffets around. Don't miss out on the Sunday brunch too - I don't care what they say but foie gras (station) this good has to be ethical. It's $128++, worth the splurge! I so need to hit the gym later.