Pietrasanta

Here I am, once again on my quest for the best Italian food in Singapore. Wearing my Italian hat, I grabbed my courage to try another Italian restaurant which might hopefully be a wonderful new discovery. My full review can be found at: http://foodieah.blogspot.com/2008/12/pietrasanta.html

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!

A quaint, tranquil neighbourhood nestled in the course of lush greenery off Portsdown Road, Wessex Estate is a colonial-style residential area with charming black-and-white houses.

As a unique heritage area in one-north, Wessex Estate is slated for development into a creative enclave in the years to come while preserving a haven of old world charm.

And it is at the converted ex-Judo Federation Clubhouse at Wessex Village Square that you will find Pietrasanta, The Italian Restaurant – named after a town on the coast of northern Tuscany in Italy.

Opened by Jennifer Tan and her husband, Loris Massimini, an experience Italian chef who honed his skills in Italy and Singapore, this restaurant will be officially opened on Saturday, 12th April. One of the things I like about this place is the simplicity of the décor and furnishing. Diners have a choice of sitting in the spacious dinning area inside or dine al fresco outside the courtyard.

For a start, we were given Home-made Breads and Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinaigrette to dip with. The bread was well flavoured with herbs though I preferred them to come hot instead of served cold.

For appetisers, we started off with the Carpaccio Di Manzo Con Grana Padano E Ruccola, or Thinly Sliced Beer Tenderloin with Rocket Salad and Shaved Parmesan with Lemon and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dressing. I mentioned here before that I am a huge fan of rocket salad and shaved Parmesan (not powder, or thin strips but SHAVED!), but even with biasness aside; this is one of the best rendition I have ever tried. The beef was very fresh and the lemon and olive oil dressing harmonise with a refreshing sensation to this dish. Serving was also generous at $15.90.

The other appetiser we had that evening was the Saute Di Cozzae Al Pomodoro Fresco, or Black Mussels in White Wine and Fresh Tomatoes ($18.00). This is another dish I find it irresistible – in fact I preferred this version much better to the tomatoes-based Chilli Mussels one finds in Perth. The mussels were fully infused with the wine, thus enhancing the sweetness of the meat, and the tomatoes add a lovely sourness touch to it. However either due to overcooking or me taking my time to capture the perfect shot, some meat from the mussels actually shrunk to a pathetic size – nevertheless, the serving was still ample for the both of us.

Risotto Ai Porcini, or Italian Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms ($19.90) was my choice for main and was it excellent! The risotto was satisfactorily done al dente and the grains came fully flavoured of the mushrooms that produce a pleasant nutty taste with a smooth and not too overbearing aftertaste. Somehow, I also like the texture of the onions in the dish, which produces a delightful crunch with every bite.

My friend picked the Gnocchi Di Patate Con Salsa Al Gorgonzola, or Home-made Potato Gnocchi tossed with Blue Cheese Sauce ($18.90). I am not a big fan of gnocchi to be honest, what’s more one mixed with potato, as I often find them too filling for consumption but I have to comment that the sauce is pungently brilliant! One would either love it or hate it – and as for me, I simply love it.

For desserts, we felt we have to order the Tiramisu ($8.90), since no restaurant will dare to proclaim themselves as an Italiano Ristorante if their tiramisu isn’t any good. The classic dessert was good, though not the best I have tried, with the cream well whipped and the biscuit soaked in just the right amount of liquor.

The Semifreddo Cioccolato Bianco e Muscato, or White Chocolate and Muscato Wine Parfait ($8.90) though was disappointing. The only blemish of the night – the frozen custard was icy and difficult to scoop – my guess is that it was over-chilled. We also couldn’t make known of the wine in this dessert and the almonds sprinkled over was too overbearing for this light dessert. The only thing I like about this is that it wasn’t too sweet.

Overall this meal was truly satisfying and I will definitely be back for their Home-made Ravioli and their meat dishes. Also know it from me that given time, I foresee this place to be a hit in town – so make your way down before it gets too crowded.

You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.