Pietro

While big crowds was heading to the city to watch the annual F1 Grand Prix, we headed to the opposite direction for an Italian restaurant in the North area.
Pietro is a casual dining restaurant opened by a Chinese chef. Although not located at the most accessible street, the place was at least half full on this particular Sunday evening, which I took as a good sign. The menu was quite extensive, with more than a dozen dishes recommended as chef specials written on a blackboard on the wall.
While we were still deciding what to have, our complimentary bread was already brought to the table. By the time we finished placing the order and started digging in, the bread was already half cold. Instead of olive oil or butter, it was served with a creamy dipping sauce, which strangely reminded me of canned mushroom soup. The bread itself was sliced unusually thin and its taste (or the lack of it) and texture quite resembled cardboard paper. If it is true that you can judge the culinary standard of a restaurant by their bread, then my expectation for the meal to follow had definitely been lower.

I have never been a fan of lobster bisque. There is something in the combination of the thick liquid and its flavours that I find nauseating.  And my opinion remained unchanged after trying Pietro's creation, which was slightly lighter on with consistency and flavours.

The Pizza Romana was served next. The thin base was covered with tomato sauce, ham, slivers of mushrooms, melted mozzarella and chopped parsley. It was claimed to be baked in a wood fire oven. There was nothing about the dish in which I could find fault, or to praise really. The crust was baked just enough to crisp up without being burnt but it lacked the smokiness produced from a wood fire oven.

The ravioli with seabass and scallop in seafood sauce was one of the chef's specials. It was not for this dish I would not think it was worth the journey to come here at all. The tender seabass was wrapped in pasta sheet cooked perfectly to al dente, which was served in a creamy tomato-based sauce containing slices of scallop (so small it was almost unnoticeable) and tiny flakes of chilli. The pillows of pasta was flavourful and the sauce was rich and creamy, with sweetness from the seafood and a mild kick from the chilli. It was a much better job than the pizza. 

Attention to details does not seem to be the forte of the owner of Pietro. None of the serving plates was warmed up. The pizza was cut off centre to present slices of different sizes and shapes. A picture of the Eiffel Tower was hung on the wall in a restaurant serving Italian cuisine. The dishes lacked a sense of genuinity and pride that would have to originate from an Italian chef cooking food from his home country. 

Given the affordable pricing range and the wide variety of main course, Pietro may just survive as a family style restaurant. 

Pietro

12 Jalan Kelulut 

Jamie's Italian in Singapore & The Addams Family Musical

Having lunch at Jamie's Italian at Covent Garden was one of the highlights of my trip to London. After years of watching his cooking shows and repeated attempts of replicating his recipes, going to one of Jamie Oliver's restaurants was a dream come true. That meal was such a wonderful experience so I was thrilled to know that he decided to open his first outlet in Asia in a country I'm living in!

After watching the musical, the four of us headed to Vivo City for an Italian treat at the newly opened Jamie's Italian.
The interior and the vibe of the restaurant is consistent with other branches. Wooden sturdy tables, metal outdoorsy chair, lots of natural lighting during the day and candles for the night and cans and cookbooks stacked up to the ceiling created a casual and comfortable dining environment. 

It would be wrong not to start the meal with the Italian bread selection. Warm crusty bread with fragrant extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Enough said. 

Jamie's walnut salad was a crunchy combination of salad greens, baby beets and chopped walnuts. The bitterness from the leaves was well balanced by the sweet balsamic dressing.

Honeycomb cannelloni three-ways was filled with aubergine and sun-dried tomato, pumpkin and spinach and ricotta cheese and baked in a tomato-based sauce. The cannelloni was creamy and delicious. Pumpkin was my favourite!

Prawn linguine was my favourite pasta dish of tonight. The prawns were juicy and the thin pasta, cooked to al dente, was perfect for the delicate sauce of tomato, fennel and chilli. 

This was the tagliatelle bolognese. The flat pasta had a slightly rough texture and had absorbed the intense sweetness from the mince and aromatic tomato sauce. The generous serving of Parmesan cheese gave the sauce extra richness. 

Vongole tagliolini was slightly bland when compared to other pasta. The clams were a bit small and dry and the sauce was a bit spicy. 

The smooth and creamy tiramisu was an unbeatable dessert. The orange flavour lightened the heaviness of the mascarpone cheese and the bitter espresso. I enjoyed every bite of this. 

Brioche con gelato, quitely literally, consisted of lemon and strawberry ice-creams sandwiched between two brioche buns. Despite the lovable presentation, this was just an average dessert. The ice-creams were melting quite quickly and the brioche became soggy after absorbing the melted ice-cream. The best part of the dish was the lemon ice-cream, which was refreshingly sour and icy.

Although the menu was not as extensive, the standard of the food here at the Singaporean branch was comparable to the one I tried in London. Their pasta, made freshly on site, is definitely something I would come back for. I had expected better customer service after reading several reviews complimenting their waiting staff. The server for our table was absent for most of the night and we had trouble locating a waiter for ordering and the bill. I look forward to my next meal here (which I am sure won't be long), hopefully with more variety on the menu.

Jamie's Italian
1 Harbour Front Walk, Vivo City
#01-165-167

The Addams Family Musical from Broadway was on tour and we bought tickets to watch it on their last day in Singapore. Without much expectations, it turned out to be one of the most entertaining stage performance I have seen.
The songs were catchy and energetic and filled with comical lyrics. There were a lot of dance routines and all the choreography was amazing. Jennifer Fogarty who played Wednesday had an incredibly powerful voice and the sweetest face. Keleen Snowgren and Jesse Sharp shared great dynamics as Morticia and Gomez. Jeremy Todd Shinder who played Pugsley probably had the weakest voice among the cast and struggled with some high notes. 
In this production Wednesday introduced to the Addams her "normal" boyfriend and his parents, who came to visit the family from Ohio. It is definitely an experience that most of us can relate to and the father-and-daughter scene had even made me shed a few tears. 
From the cast to the costume I have thoroughly enjoyed this musical. I have yet been able to stop playing the soundtrack on my phone.

Cugini Trattoria Pizzeria

I love Italian cuisine. In fact almost everyone does. No wonder Elizabeth Gilbert chose Italy as her gustatory destination in Eat, Pray, Love.

Nested in one of the colourful Peranakan shophouses on Club Street, Cugini Trattoria Pizzeria is a 2-storey restaurant serving Southern Italian cuisine. With an awning bearing its logo and furnitures beautifully painted in ocean blue, it stands out from the neighbouring pubs and bars.

I certainly am no expert but after a little bit of research, I have learnt that Italian food is extremely diverse with different regional fare. It seems that fresh pastas made with eggs, rice, beef and speciality sausages and more commonly found in Northern Italy due to their fertile soil. Whereas the southern regions enjoy lighter flavours with olive oil, anchovies, seafood and lamb. I am not sure if Cugini bears the authenticity of Sardina and Sicily as their owner claims, but the food was surely delicious. They also put in a lot of effort into decorating the venue. Even the plates have all been beautifully hand-painted.

The complimentary bread was served with a Spanish dressing made with carrot, garlic and olive oil. It was light and creamy but I preferred my foccacia with olive oil :)

The pizza had a thin base and a mildly smoky crust. Tomato sauce went very well with the squid and the fish but they were not very generous with the toppings!

This was the special pasta of the night and the portion was rather small. But the freshly made pasta cooked to al dente had a bouncy texture and the beef sauce was amazingly sweet and juicy!

The squid ink fettucine was beautifully presented but unfortunately too spicy for W's taste. The pasta had just the right thickness and every inch was coated with the delicious creamy sauce. Again I wished the serving was a big bigger.

Their tiramisu was incredibly rich and smooth. I could not get enough!

Cugini Trattoria Pizzeria
87 Club Street Singapore