foodieah's Reviews
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Located at the second floor within the Regent's hotel, the restaurant entrance and interior is spacious, sumptuous and grand, as only a hotel can offer. A very large hall is dominated by a central buffet table with dinner tables on one side and a pizza counter, a desserts counter and a wines and spirits bar surrounding it.
As we seated and ordered our food, we were served a warm loaf of bread with homemade pesto. The pesto was very good indeed, freshly made and aromatic, with coarse bits of pine nuts rather than too finely ground.
I thought the Tavolo of antipasti ($26), or buffet or starters, had to be tried and so I did.
I tried an assortment of 'affettati' or hams and cheeses. I thought the 'aromatzzzato al tartufo' cheese was of particular relevance: a very interesting medium cheese with a pungent truffle smell and flavour. Out of all the hams/salami I tried, the pancetta was amongst the best you can have, and the Parma ham was lean, soft and sweet.
I then tried some scallops topped with parsley sauce. They were meaty and juicy. I would say excellent, except I would have preferred them warm/hot which I realise is hard to do with a buffet. The beef carpaccio was also well done. Thin slices of tender and lean beef laid on top of a rocket salad base and topped with bits of grated Parmesan cheese. Olive oil must be added at your own discretion.
Finally, the prawns and mussels were rather uninspired and had no particular 'Italian flavour'. It seemed to me that they were available simply for those who expect seafood to be present at hotel buffets.
I ordered 'Orecchiette with scallops and broccoli' ($25) as my main. I wasn't incredibly impressed with this dish, although it was technically well made. I just thought that the fish flavour wasn't a good match with the rest of the ingredients, including the orecchiette. It was a but overwhelming after a few mouthfuls.
The 'Maltagliati with tomato sauce and polpettine' ($27) was definitely nicer. The homemade maltagliati were superb in texture, perfectly matched by a classic tomato sauce and small meatballs that had a very classic southern flavour.
I ended my meal with an 'affogato al caffe' ($11) which was properly served with espresso coffee on the side, poured on the ice cream right in front of you. It was topped by whipped cream and a crunchy "cantuccino" biscuit, to dunk into the hot coffee.
The bill came to a total of $170 including 2 large bottles of water. The service was impeccable, with an Italian waiter who was knowledgeable and attentive.
We were finally served a complimentary nonalcoholic 'Strawberry Puree with Italian nougat', which I thought was a very nice gesture.
I was not disappointed with Basilico. I would be curious to try more of their dishes, including their a la carte 'antipasti' and 'secondi' to form a more accurate opinion of the quality of their cooking. I can say that their starters buffet is good value for money as it offers a variety of quality Italian products that would be otherwise hard to access in Singapore.
Their cooking style is very classic and the pastas I had were well prepared. Basilico is not cheap, but considering the good service and the fact that it's located within a hotel in a prime area, prices are easily justified.
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Their Brunch Menu includes a good variety of French-style dishes with a selection for kids and it's reasonably priced at $25 for 2 courses and $32 for 3.
The mushroom salad was served with warm mushrooms, goat cheese and rocket. The mushrooms were quite juicy and tasty, and overall the dish was ok although not outstanding. It lacked of that extra touch to distinguish it from the rest.
This deep fried squid was served on a bed of rocket and cherry tomatoes and topped with mayonnaise. The squid was crunchy and non oily, although not particularly soft. Once again, an OK dish, although nothing you couldn't have at a regular cafe'.
The Eggs Benedict with bacon were the highlight of the meal. Two poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce on toasted soft bread, accompanied by 4 rolls of nicely roasted bacon and a rocket and tomato salad.
Finding a good egg benedict is not easy, and I have to say this was very well done. Excellent sauce, well balanced in sourness, perfectly poached eggs and crispy bacon to go with. Out of the dishes I had, this is the only one I would come back for.
I ended with a Pavlova accompanied by fresh fruits and topped with raspberry sorbet. This dessert was light and refreshing, with a good combination of fresh fruits including rhubarb and topped by a moderately sweet custard cream. The sorbet topping contrasted the rather sweet meringue with its cool sourness balancing the overall result.
The bill came to a total of $78.86, including a bottle of sparkling water, 1 x 2 course and 1 x 3 course meal. I would be interested to try this restaurant in the evening to taste what their regular menu is like. the brunch menu is nothing outstanding apart from the eggs benedict, but you still get your value back in terms of attentive service and relaxing environment. You probably wouldn't come back for the food itself, but I still believe that the price is reasonable when related to the whole package.
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Pietrasanta is located in what I consider one of the best locations in Singapore. Portsdown road is a long, dark and isolated road with some new interesting establishments (Klee and Laurent Bernard), and Pietrasanta is one of them. Housed within a colonial property, the restaurant has a large hall with high ceilings, a long terrace and a wonderfully relaxing courtyard. All three are dining areas and they offer a slightly different ambiance.
The restaurant claims to serve Tuscan food (Tuscany is a beautiful region in Italy, notorious for its culinary specialities). Will it deliver its promise?
We were given the menu and a long vocal selection of "specials" by the waitress. Shortly after, the order was professionally taken by one of the owners. He was knowledgeable and very helpful with the food selection and recommendations.
The Grilled Scamorza with Parma ham ($18.90) was incredibly gnummy. This is a real classic. I love scamorza and I was delighted to be able to have this in Singapore! This was a special and it might not be available on a regular basis, depending on availability of the cheese. For those who don't know, Scamorza is a typically Italian medium matured smoked cheese. Particularly nice when grilled and accompanied with ham.
The Acciughe fritte (deep fried anchovies, $22.90) is a typical home cooked dish. My mother used to make it often, and I was beaten by the temptation of having home food. I would rate it ok, although not the best. The anchovies were tasty, but slightly soggy and not as crispy as I would have hoped for. Overall I was quite pleased with the starters, enthusiastic about the fact that they had some typical Italian products, not always available at your average Italian restaurant. I was eager to get to the pastas!
The Squid-ink tagliolini with tomato sauce and crab meat ($24.90) were quite amateurish. This was a deep disappointment, after the nice starters. The tagliolini were not very professionally made, and they were totally overcooked. Soft and soggy, they were served with a tomato sauce that I would only expect from a beginner trying to cook Italian food! The sauce was messy, with an excess of garlic and tasteless, runny tomato. It hurts when you are paying $22.40 for pasta you could have at any average cafe'.
The real scandal was the spaghetti with prawns ($24.90), another special of the day. I really don't know where to start... beginning with a positive note, the prawns were succulent and juicy. Besides that, the pasta was what I would consider shameful to any Italian chef. Just looking at the spaghetti lying on a pool of oil (without even tucking into it) I could visibly tell that they were precooked. Precooked! I can accept having precooked pasta at TCC, but not at a "Tuscan restaurant" where I am paying such prices! Not only it was precooked, but badly cooked the second time, as the texture was quite raw and just weird. It has been ages since I had precooked pasta, and it did bring back memories! What a shame... the sad thing is that obviously people can't tell and chefs can get away with such shameful shortcuts.
Luckily, we only ordered one main dish. The Grilled Swordfish ($28.90) was served with salad and potatoes on the side. One of the potatoes was undercooked, and the fish would have been fresh and tasty if it wasn't so excessively greasy. Perhaps a twist of lemon would have helped, but as it was every mouthful felt oilier and oilier...
After the bad experience with the pastas and main, we weren't in the mood of investing into desserts and decided to end the meal. The bill was $150.05 in total, including a bottle of water and no wine. I never mind spending for good food, but given the amateurish quality of what we had, I felt totally ripped off.
Au revoir Pietrasanta, shortcuts might do magic with some naive customers, but not everyone!
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Their menu is incredibly vast, and I must admit that I was almost never disappointed by anything I picked from it. Their cooking is consistently of very high standards, especially their dumplings and noodles. I love the open kitchen concept, which adds a twist of action to a comfortable, softly lit and spacious environment. Service needs a bit of work to match the food, but considering the fairly reasonable prices it's something that most would be prepared to accept.
A snack is regularly served as you sit at the table. It is either steamed peanuts with tofu or this pickled vegetable. I love the steamed peanuts, while I find this pickle slightly salty.
My all time favourite, and one dish I must order every single time I visit this restaurant is the shaved noodles. They are served both dry or in soup with beef or seafood. I recommend the dry shaved noodles with beef ($6). These noodles, as the name suggests, are shaved directly from the dough and they have an irregular, rough texture.
The Shenyang combination dumplings ($8) are filled with vegetables, pork and prawns and they are very juicy and tasty even without the sauce provided, which is quite strong in garlic.
The Fried french beans with pork ($13) is one of my favourite Chinese vegetable dishes, and Silk Road serves a very authentic version of the dish as opposed to the sweeter version that is more commonly served in Singapore. The savoury and crispy pork accompanies well fried and textured green beans.
Out of all, the Sichuan eggplant with bean sauce ($13) is the one I enjoy the least. I find that the flavours are too overwhelming and they cover up the delicate aroma of eggplant. Although the dish might be authentically done, it wouldn't be my first choice.
I ended the meal with 2 Chinese desserts. The Yam paste with Gingko nuts ($5) was very smooth and delicate, served warm and well balanced in sweetness.
I love the cotton cake with coconut ($6), consisting in extremely soft and fluffy textured squares of steamed egg white lightly sweetened and dusted in dry coconut flakes. This dessert is recommended if you are feeling full after the meal and you need to end it with something sweet. It is so light that you won't feel aggravated by it!
The total bill was $102, including an Eight Treasure tea ($3) and 2 soft drinks. There is very little to argue about this restaurant. Their food is consistently top notch, offering a variety of regional dishes that are not commonly served in Singapore, the ambience is pleasant and quiet and it's reasonably priced.
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The Steamed Beancurd with Prawn and Shrimp Roe ($16.80) didn't taste as good as it looked. It was slightly under salted and I just felt that there was nothing there to bind the flavours together.
The Poached Noodles with scallion and dried shrimps ($7) were quite special. These noodles are very simple, but tasty and delicate. Making a parallel with Italian food, they make me think of "spaghetti alla bottarga" for their subtle fishy flavour.
Although they are not a Shanghai speciality, I ordered the Long Beans with minced pork ($12) only to complement the meal with some vegetables. These were well prepared and tasty as I would have expected.
I was particularly interested in the Sauteed Diced Chicken with Diced Asparagus in Spicy Sauce (served with pancake) ($14 ) because of the way it's served. The dish is a fairly normal stir fried chicken with corn and mushroom, with a subtle smoky flavour. Very tasty on its own. This is served with some thin pancakes that look like mini-tortillas, comparable to the ones used for Beijing duck. I felt like I was eating a Chinese version of Mexican fajitas, and a healthier one too.
The total bill was $71.30 for 2 people, including drinks, peanuts and towels.
Overall, this restaurant serves some interesting, well priced food and you wouldn't regret trying it. Obviously the atmosphere isn't the coziest due to its location, in the middle of the terminal, but it is quite relaxing due to the spacious and quiet surroundings.
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