Fun and lively place just a short walk away from Hillview MRT, we decided to celebrate a birthday here as the birthday girl was craving italian food and this had been getting lots of social media buzz lately.
Started off with the Porchetta ($9 for small) which was sooo delicious - luxuriously fatty with a decently crackling skin, with fennel rub inbetween for a mild sweetness. Dip it in the accompanying sharp mustard sauce to cut through the greasiness! Small portion was just nice for 3 pax surprisingly, and you wouldn't want to eat too much of this fattiness.
Next was the Traditional Stuffed Roman Schiacciata ($10 for small) which looked assuming on first glance but was sooo addictive and I couldn't taking bite after bite of it. Think a simple cheese sandwich but with a rich truffle layer inside. The crustiness of the bread paired with the earthy gooeyness of the truffle cheese was just heavenly.
Of course, Burrata has to be a staple whenever we visit an italian restaurant, and the simple Burrata ($19) with parma ham, rucola, and cherry tomatoes didn't fail to disappoint. My only gripe would be that the burrata portion could have been larger for its price.
Couldn't resist more carbs so we ordered the Bruschetta ($8) with Sicilian fresh tomatoes and italian basil. A simple italian classic, but done so well here. Tomatoes were especially sweet and tart, and were what made this dish so delicious. However, birthday girl didn't really enjoy the sharpness of the garlic cubes, but she made do by mashing them up and spreading it onto the bread. Improvise, adapt, overcome!
At this point, we realised we didn't have a vege dish so we settled on the Baked Eggplant Parmigiana ($14) which was layers of eggplant in a hearty tomato stew. Loved the sweet nuttiness of the eggplant, and the tomato stew was equally rich and packed with umami. Wished we had saved some of the Schiaciatta to dip in the sauce.
Loaded with the small bites and starters, onto our one pasta main - the Cacio e Pepe ($20). Pretty decent, creamy sauce that wasn't stringy, but I would've chosen a more exciting pasta on a return trip.
Finally, we've reached the end of our meal and what better way to finish with the italian classic desserts - Pistachio Tiramisu ($14) and Cannoli ($12). The tiramisu was a banger; can't think of any other words to describe it. Loved it, you got to try it for yourself. As for the Cannoli, it was my first time trying it and I liked the sweet ricotta filling with chocolate chips and pistachio crumbs to give it a pop of nuttiness and sweetness. I thought the pastry shells were going to be crisp but they were more flaky, but I also liked it.
Overall, loved the vibes of the restaurant but it was pretty packed on a Tuesday night and I thought the service staff could be a little bit more friendly and attentive. Would have been nice to be shown some welcoming gestures, and we were disappointed that there was no birthday surprise even though we specified it in our reservation (another table got a cake with a candle). Still, loved the food and prices are pretty value-for-money as well. Would return!
