IL Piccolo (Bedok)

Sourcing for more good food at affordable prices. This quest led me to a place i have passed by on a lunch meal with my colleagues. The irony of it all is, this is located in the exact same cafeteria as Botak Jones in Bedok. And the second interesting part of it is, its appeared on television before and their not shy to air it too, as evidenced by the constant looping of the episode on the television housed in front. I've always been skeptical about television reviews and so far, little to none has been accurate. I wonder if this is any different.

Chocolate Mousse ($3) Panna Cotta($2.50) Tiramisu($3) - This was actually the last part of our first meal there but i'll write about it first. Basically, having the dessert meant we were pretty satisfied with the mains. The Panna cotta is overly overly overly sweet and had an overwhelming milky taste to it that simply didn't agree with me. The tiramisu has too little cake and too much mascaponi cheese which also gave an overwhelming taste. The only dessert that was vaguely good was the chocolate mousse which was thick and slightly bitter and sweet for a good finish. In terms of dessert, there's definitely room for improvement.

Seafood Baked Rice ($8.50) - The seafood baked rice came rather quickly and the memorable thing about it is its sourish tomato based sauce which made the rice very very appetising. Not to mention the clams, mussels and squid were pretty generous, as can be seen from above, and that the seafood used is very very fresh and sweet. In fact, its one of the few places with extremely fresh seafood ingredients i've came across. And at a budget price no less.

Il Piccolo Pizza ($15 for the bigger version) - I'll just go out on a limb and say this pizza is worth it. For $15, i'd say this is a steal. Simply check out the generous smattering of cheese and ingredients to know what i mean. Pepperoni, beef, ham, olives, pineapples and some onions round up the roster. However, its the stretch of the cheese and the crust that really made it a winner. Normally, the worst part of the pizza is its crust, but over here, the crust is soft and crunchy in all the right places. Not to mention the fragrant dough its made from simply compliments the ingredients so well, its perfect. The cheese is worth mentioning as well. We have all seen commercials of pizza with cheese that stretches for a long a savoury journey into our mouths, however, few places have managed that feat. This here, manages that well even when its cold. Its awesome.

Bruschetta ($3) - The bruschetta is rather normal but for $3, i was surprised at the quantity and size of the serving. $3 nets you enough bruschetta for 4 people to share a piece each. The bread is lightly toasted and soft on the inside unlike other bruschettas i've had before. The chopped tomatos were lightly drizzled with olive oil and assort condiments for a light and fresh taste. Pretty good.

Vongole ($7) - The vongole was surprisingly good. Al dente spagghetti, ultra fresh and sweet clams and a nice, light white wine sauce that hooks you in and never lets go. A light and enjoyable main course.

Amattricia ($6) - Mf gf's order, the amattricia is basically tomato based spagghetti with ham. I had a little and it was an authentic sourish taste with again, very springy and chewy pasta. Likeable but not perfect.

I have to say, i'm surprised and impressed with this place. In fact, i'm definitely returning for more. My only gripe is that almost everyone came to the coffeeshop for Botak Jones which i've had and found the quality of food wanting. Its sad to see a less worthy franchise getting all the attention when a gem like this is left in the dust and underappreciated. I highly recommend a try to judge this place yourself. I'm sure it'll be a surprise for you as well.