noms.: italian

italian

Showing posts with label italian. Show all posts

went back to ah bong's italian exactly one week after my first visit, mostly because R was tempted after seeing my instagram post. my previous visit was good enough that i didn't mind a return- especially for the comfort eggs. so that was what we got for starters, and happily enough, R liked it a lot as well. missed out on the burrata with homemade bread ($14) the previous time, because they were out, so this time, we got it to share.

i loved it. the burrata itself was generously portioned- i wish there was more bread to go along with it, to be honest. the burrata was creamy and delicious, pairing really well with the crusty, crispy homemade bread. it even came with roasted cherry tomatoes, which were warm and added a pop of acidity. i loved the dish in its entirety- it was hearty, delicious and comforting.

our mains came after a short wait. R got the angus beef pasta that C got previously, and loved it as much as C did. i decided to go with the day's special- a grilled chicken in light broth ($16). i know it's weird that i go to ah bong's and not have pasta, which is what they're known for, but the chicken sounded good.

turned out that my decision was a good one. they'd used the thigh, so the chicken was succulent. best of all, it was grilled so well that the skin was rendered to a golden brown crisp- utterly delicious. the dish also came with potato and spring vegetables, all of which were in a deceptively light-looking broth. the broth was packed full of flavour, and was a comforting eat. i'd go back just to have it again.

at the end of the meal we were both stuffed and fully satiated. each time i eat at ah bong's i leave satisfied, vowing to return again. it's awesome that they've opened a new, more accessible branch at bugis, and that they now are open for dinner.

ah bong's italian
103 beach road
#01-02
https://www.facebook.com/abitalianTQL#

having been to the original outlet at tiong bahru, i've been wanting to visit ah bong's second outlet at tan quee lan since it opened earlier this year, but somehow i only managed to earlier this week. i have to admit that the pull factor was mainly that they were offering porcini filled tortellinis as a special that day, and that sounded really good. i was supposed to meet C at suntec for dinner, so finally, the stars aligned and i managed to visit ah bong's.

they've taken over gastrosmiths' old space, and having been to gastrosmiths, it was kind of weird to know that it's now not there anymore. the decor was very no frills- simple and clean, with a chalkboard up on the wall displaying the menu, which changes day to day. the space was small and cozy, with most of the tables taken up.

ordering and payment was done at the counter. C wanted the atas duck ragu ($16) as her main, but they were out, and were replacing that with angus beef instead. i, of course, went for the giant tortellini in truffle cream ($18).

we got two starters to share- the comfort eggs ($8) and the cauliflower gorgonzola soup ($6). the soup came first after a brief wait. it looked nondescript, but turned out to be deliciously creamy, with a slight hint of the cheese. the comfort eggs came slightly later, and was indeed worthy of its namesake. mangalica sausage and mushrooms formed the base, topped with two perfectly poached eggs and dusted with parmesan and a drizzle of truffle oil. we wiped it clean in minutes.

our mains came a while later. my giant tortellini came first, and at first C was startled by the seemingly small portion, and was joking that i'd probably need to go have another main. there were just five large pieces on the plate. strangely enough, i was really full afterwards- i suppose the size of each piece made it a substantial eat. the tortellini were quite delicious- i particularly liked the porcini filling. the pasta itself was on the thicker side, though. i found out later that it wasn't handmade, but i suppose at $18, that's too much to ask for. i liked how light and minimal the truffle cream sauce was- i hate it when pasta is swimming in sauce.

C's angus beef linguine was hearty and delicious as well. she actually commented that there was too much beef (!) for her liking. happily enough she tasked me with finishing it, and i willingly obliged.

we also got a 73% dark chocolate orange cake ($6) for dessert. interestingly enough, it came dusted with sea salt flakes, which we really liked. i'm a sucker for desserts that aren't too sweet (though admittedly that sounds ironic), and even better if there's a sweet-savoury contrast, which was exactly what this was. it was also the perfect size for sharing, given how stuffed we were after the pastas.

service was friendly and personable. at the end of the meal, the owner himself came up to talk to us and ask how we found everything. it was kind of like having a meal at a friend's place, in a good way- there was a homely, comfortable vibe that you just don't get most places. i'll keep an eye out for their daily specials- definitely going back again soon.

ah bong's italian
103 beach road
#01-02
https://www.facebook.com/abitalianTQL#

to be honest, i would never have made my way to rubato if not for restaurant week. it is just so out of the way! thank goodness for the downtown line, though; else i would never have considered going for restaurant week as well. located at greenwood avenue, it's one of those places that people drive to, not take public transport to. we walked about 10-15 minutes from the nearest train station, which wasn't too bad.

i've never been to that part of bukit timah, so rubato is a restaurant that i've never been to. it's one of those places that are just slightly under-the-radar (coupled with the fact that it has a not exactly convenient locale). decided to try it for restaurant week because well, restaurant week is about trying new places, after all. adventure spirit!

we went with basically no expectations, but the food pleasantly surprised us. it was a three course meal, with two appetisers. they started us off with focaccia, with an accompanying olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip. because of whole 30, i haven't had bread in a month. to break the bread fast over this focaccia was completely worth it. it was toasty, warm and just slightly dense, giving it excellent texture. i've never had focaccia that i liked this much. upon enquiring, we were told that the bread was made in-house. of course we had seconds- the bread basket was replaced almost instantly after we'd finished. it was so good that we asked if we could buy a loaf of it back, and they did let us, charging $15 for quite a large loaf.

it was a good start to a meal, and the rest of it didn't disappoint as well. the first appetiser was angel hair pasta in truffle cream (the menu said scallops, so i wasn't expecting pasta- but i guess they are an italian place, after all). served cold, it was an excellent starter. it reminded me of indo mee, actually, but in a good way. i especially loved the salty kombu bits.

the next appetiser was a chicken consommé. it was served plainly, but its taste more than made up for it. warm and comforting, it set us up for the next part of the meal.

two choices for mains, but both of us decided on the wagyu flank, medium rare, instead of the barramundi. premium japanese wagyu flank over truffled potato purée and grilled vegetables, drizzled with veal jus. the menu described the veal jus as "intensely flavourful", and they were right on all counts. it was deliciously thick and caramelised, reminding me a bit of char siew sauce. awesome paired with the wagyu flank (i'm usually the type to cut out the fatty bits, but the fats were so melt-in-the-mouth and flavourful i ate them with no regrets). definitely the highlight of the meal.

the meal ended with dessert. i'd initially asked if they could replace my dessert with coffee, but they didn't allow that. no regrets though- the dessert was a small piece of tiramisu that i easily finished, because it was so good. the ladyfingers were soaked with liquor, cutting through the creaminess. loved that it wasn't too sweet as well.

service was attentive and pretty good. when we asked to buy the loaf of focaccia back, they charged it separately from our main meal, just so we wouldn't have to pay service charge on the bread! that was something they didn't have to do, and it was really nice of them to go the extra mile. the descriptions of each dish were also given, and the timings between each course were surprisingly quick.

loved the place and the food, though i would've liked more of the wagyu flank on my plate. i did end up surprisingly full, though. checked out their normal menu, and prices seem quite reasonable as well. would probably come back to try their main menu- i spied mussel pots on other people's tables that look good!

rubato
21 greenwood avenue
https://www.facebook.com/rubato.sg/

we're at city square mall every week, and finding food to eat there has become some sort of a challenge. as with most malls, most things there are chain restaurants, and i generally don't take to chain restaurants, which leaves us with limited options. also, dinnertime for us is kind of late, which limits our options even further, since most restaurants there close at nine.

decided to try the lasagne that night, because the smell of baked cheese tempted us as we were coming down the escalator.

in the display case there were rows and rows of different lasagnes- not good for indecisive people like us. but on closer inspection it was just different variations on the same theme, and we quickly decided on the super dario plus ($9), which was beef and mushroom.

felt slightly guilty from the amount of sweet calories that we'd consumed during tea time, so we shared one. turned out to be a good decision, because it was actually quite a sizeable piece. don't think i'd be able to eat one by myself, actually, unless i'm ravenous.

after a short wait, it came piping hot, which is the way all lasagnes should be. no service charge, but they served it to us and even asked if we needed sharing plates and chili flakes.

it's hard to go wrong with lasagne, because: CHEESE and meat. so of course i liked it well enough. the ratio of cheese, pasta, meat and sauce was also just right, making it not too overwhelming. that being said, while it was tasty, i didn't like the gristly bits in the beef- don't like gristle, unless it's in tsukune. that was probably the only minus.

will probably be back to try their other offerings. my friend seemed quite drawn to their tiramisu, so probably that next time.

super dario lasagne café
#04-17 city square mall
http://www.superdariolasagne.com

i've been eyeing their big plates lunch menu for a while now- in fact, every time i walk past on my way to the gym. i've heard good things about their small plates. my friend particularly recommended the sea urchin sabayon (mm...). did want to try it when i went for lunch, but the friend who went with me wasn't particularly hungry, so sharing was out of the question.

in the end we both just got stuff off the lunch menu. i was initially eyeing the grilled beef sirloin steak, but it didn't look very appealing on our neighbours' table. their pasta, on another table, did look really yum, but i wasn't in a carbs kind of mood, so i ended up with the slow cooked beef stew ($12.90).

our food arrived after a short wait. my friend got the salmon escalopes with grilled mushrooms ($12.90), which i tried bits of. the salmon skin was super crisp- really really good. the plate also came with grilled mushrooms and a salad.

mine came slightly later. i expected it to be more... stew-like. the plate that came, though, was more mashed potato than stew.

it wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything spectacular as well. the stew was tasty enough, as was the mashed potato, but i would've liked the beef to be cooked till tender. it wasn't tough, but it had more bite than i would prefer.

wouldn't go out of my way to come back for the beef stew, but the pasta looked really good, so might come back to try those instead. should've gone with my instinct and chosen the pasta- they are an italian place, after all.

&sons bacaro
#01-19 china square central
http://www.sons.com.sg

didn't quite know what to have for dinner at suntec city. after some discussion, i suddenly recalled that there's alt pizza! always wanted to return to try their other pizzas, so that was as good a time as any. i tend to forget that there's alt pizza, because it's located not in the main restaurant stretch, but outside.

for a public holiday night, it was pretty quiet. at almost eight, there were only two other tables occupied besides us. then again, suntec is generally quiet.

we decided to share the philly fanatic ($19). we were both starving, having just come from the gym, so it was awesome that the pizza arrived within what seemed like ten minutes.

and it was just as awesome as i remembered! thin, crackly crust that makes me feel less guilty of a carb overdose, topped with just the right amount of ingredients. skirt steak, roasted mushrooms, caramelised onions, peppers, and a generous amount of cheeseeeee. so so good- especially when one is starving.

was contemplating getting another pizza or burger to share, when i spied that they had a specials board. that day's special was a peanut butter bbq sauce burger ($16). they basically had me at peanut butter, because PEANUT BUTTER. the first time i had peanut butter burger was at relish, and i quite liked it, though i remember thinking that they should've been more generous with the peanut butter.

alt pizza's version was generous with the peanut butter sauce. it made for an awesome, saucy burger, especially when combined with the cheese, bacon and fluffy bun. the beef patty was slightly overdone, but borderline enough to not annoy me. we also topped up an extra $4 to get calamari as a side for the burger, but it was so so. didn't finish it because it was way too greasy, and i didn't quite take to the batter. aside from that, i liked the items we ordered very much.

they seem to have increased prices marginally though. then again, since the food was just as good, i didn't mind. will be back for more!

alt pizza

suntec city tower 4 #01-602

www.altpizza.com.sg

finally made it to ah bong's italian! i've been meaning to for a long time, but somehow always don't make it. rushed down today with my sister and managed to reach at 1.30. by then, two of the four pastas were sold out, sadly. :(

we got the two remaining pastas to share- cauliflower puree pasta ($7) and roasted tomato and pea shoot ($7). both came with linguine, which i was happy about because it's my favourite type of pasta. the roasted tomato one, which also came with pine nuts, was quite different from the usual pastas, lighter in taste and was coated with olive oil.

i much preferred the cauliflower puree pasta that came with bacon and almonds though. the sauce was reminiscent of carbonara. hard to believe that it was actually cauliflower puree.

we polished off both pastas easily. maybe because we were starving after the gym, it seemed that portions weren't very substantial. i did like that both pastas weren't very heavy; was just nice for lunch. will be back again to try their other pastas! can't wait. only wish tiong bahru was closer to me.

ah bong's italian

#01-46 block 56 eng hoon street

https://www.facebook.com/abitalian

i'm not a fan of thick crusted, doughy pizzas, so that is probably one of the reasons why i liked this place so much. then again, i'm also not that much into pizzas, so how much i liked this place surprised me- i already want to go back. but i'm getting ahead of myself.

was there for an early dinner (6-ish) so there were only a few other tables occupied aside from us. by the time we left though, the place was bustling.

liked that they put their menu online- part of the reason why we got tempted into trying this place.

took quite a while to decide, us being indecisive and the menu having more than a couple of tempting items. for sides, we eventually decided on the wagyu short rib meatballs ($12), which came piping hot and with six juicy meatballs.

wanted two different sauce based pizzas, so we got the truffle shuffle ($14) and buffalo bill ($16).

this was the truffle shuffle. white sauce, caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, fennel sausage and truffle oil on a skinny crust. the moment it arrived, i could smell the truffle oil. so good it didn't even need the fennel sausage. especially loved the roasted mushrooms- i could easily inhale a whole bowl of that. the crust was crispy and chewy at the same time; really good.

the buffalo bill came with buffalo sauce, mozzarella, roasted chicken breast, red onion, blue cheese, smoked bacon and parmesan. surprisingly enough, i didn't manage to taste the blue cheese at all; perhaps the buffalo sauce was too strong. it provided a good contrast with the milder truffle shuffle though, so i suppose the two were good complements.

so many other things i want to try on the menu! also they seem to be doing a pretty good deal of having 1 for 1 on pizzas from 5 - 6 pm mondays to fridays. even without the deal it's reasonably priced- we spent about $25 each. the pizzas were also surprisingly filling, given that we're both bottomless pits. will absolutely be back.

alt pizza

suntec city tower 4 #01-602

www.altpizza.com.sg

noms.

ah bong's italian, tan quee lan, 2.0.

ah bong's italian, tan quee lan.

rubato, greenwood avenue.

super dario lasagne café, city square mall.

&sons bacaro, china square central.

alt pizza, suntec city, 2.0.

ah bong's italian, tiong bahru.

alt pizza, suntec city.

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