La Cantina In Venezia

Most people think of Changi Village as a rustic spot still relatively untouched by modernisation, with its lush greenery and long sandy beach. What most people don't know is the existence of an Italian semi fine dining restaurant, La Cantina, at the only "modern" building there - Changi Village Hotel.

Hidden from sight on level 8 of the hotel, La Cantina offers a splendid view of the ocean as well the surrounding greenery through the vast windows that stretches all the way up to the second floor, which incidentally happens to be the private dining area I believe. The decor revolves around simplicity with a touch of Victorian elegance through the addition of Roman pillars and crafted figurines. For people who prefer the outdoors, there's the more romantic (but warmer) al fresco option as well.

I didn't think too much of the Bruschetta, which was decent but not the least bit outstanding. It was essentially garlic bread with diced tomatoes on top, in which case the tomatoes looked a tad tired but managed to retain its juiciness fortunately.

Billed as the specialty for the week, the grilled scampi was nice with a smoky grilled taste but did come across as a tad too salty for my liking. Another grouse was that the meat was minimal. And at $29, it certainly didn't come cheap.

Linguine Al Granchio - Crabmeat Linguine in Creamy Tomato Sauce - A most decent dish save for the fact that the creamy tomato sauce overwhelmed the taste of the crab, which was a pity really. They could have added chicken and there would be minimal differences except for the texture. Pasta was al dente however and overall the dish didn't come across as too heavy on the palate.

Quattro Stagioni - Pomodoro, Mozzarella, Ham, Artichoke, Mushroom & Olive - First looks, the pizza looked huge and was literally spilling off the sides of the plate. However it was more of an eye full than anything else. The crust was a little limp and not the least bit crispy, while the ingredients tasted rather bland with neither cohesion nor contrast of flavours.

Coffee Creme Brulee - I had thought the coffee creme brulee would have been an interesting dessert but it didn't really live up to expectations. The creme brulee was very sweet on the first mouth but slowly became better. The coffee taste was unique but a tad too strong for my liking.

Chocolate Bitter Tart - Contrary to its drooling inducing appearance, the chocolate tart was merely average with its crust being too hard and the chocolate not being rich enough. Never ever judge a dish by its appearance.

Chocolate Souffle - Probably the best dessert of the evening, the chocolate souffle was not too sweet but small and didn't come with ice cream which would have complemented it very well. The crust could have been a little firmer as well but no complains about the oozing chocolate though. I would say its a slightly above average rendition.

Dinner for 2 cost almost $125, which isn't too expensive considering the quantity of food we ordered. Sure, the quality isn't top notch but its still decent Italian fare with huge portions to boot. Throw in the excellent ambience and service and there's no question if a revisit is on the cards.

See all my pictures here