Garibaldi Italian Restaurant and Bar

I've always like this restaurant.  My friends and I decided to go there for lunch and I have not been here for quite a while.  It was Restaurant Week when we were there and they had a set menu.  As usual, the staff was very polite and service was good.  We were greeted and our orders were taken promptly.

The first course was a veal tongue salad.  One of my friends did not quite like it as he did not like the texture as he said it was slightly slimy.  My girlfriend and I thought taste wise it was ok but not outstanding.

For the main, I picked the Seafood Soup dish and my friends ordered the duck pasta dish.  One of them thought the pasta was fine while the other one said it was disappointing.  So I had a taste and I must say while it was not bad but it was not exceptional.  It could have been tastier but we all agreed that the texture of the pasta was good.

 

Fortunately, I ordered the Seafood Soup.  It looked good and tasted good.  It had just the right seasoning and the flavours are from the natural juices of the seafood.  With such dishes, it is best to season ligthtly to enhance the natural juices without overpowering the dish, which they did.  So I was rather happy with mine.  The only thing is that the toasts that came with it could be a tad crispier.

My two friends were very happy with their choice of dessert.  Actually, they mentioned it was their best course! Lol!  It was basically a chocolate cake but I could not remember it's fancy name.  It was super tasty without being too sweet.  Even I thought it was good...

I picked the white chocolate dessert.  The outer layer texture reminded me of jelly but once you cut into it, it is soft and creamy.  It's delicious and the fruit pieces in it cuts the richness of the dessert.  The pastry at the bottom adds the necessary crunchiness to this sweet delight.

I somehow feel that the food was not as good as the few previous times I was there.  Perhaps, they were full but I don't see that as a good reason.  Service is always good here.  The staff are helpful and friendly without being intrusive.  I will just go back there one more time to try their food again to confirm whether I should still include Garibaldi as one of my favourite restaurants...  but then again, who cares what I think.. :D

Veal tongue salad:  7/10
Duck pasta dish:  7/10
Seafood Soup: 8.5/10
Chocolate cake: 9/10
White chocolate dessert: 9/10

Service:  9/10

Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar

36 Purvis Street #01-02
Singapore 188613
Tel: (65) 6837 1468 Fax: (65) 6337 3770
Email: garibaldi@garibaldi.com.sg

No Menu (2nd review)

Decided to head to No Menu again with a bunch of friends. As usual, it was full. Luckily I managed to reserve a table two days earlier.

I decided to try their Lamb Shank this time. When it came, I thought it was too big for me but after the first bite, I knew I picked the right dish :P. The meat fell off the bone and the sauce was light and perfect. The natural juices of the lamb and my delicious saffron risotto had just the right amount of flavour and did not taste too "rich". The Veal Milanese was good but the breaded bit was not as crispy as I expected. I am not sure if it is their style and meant to be that way here but another venue has better Veal Milanese in our humble opinion... The pasta with simple tomato and cheese (can't remember which one they substitute it with as the one on the menu was delayed from Italy) was yummy. It was simple yet so good. Personally, I think that is the mark of a good chef, making excellent simple dishes. The dessert was full of chunks of apple and it was not too sweet. This sort of dessert would suit me as it's not too heavy on sugar or cream. Tiramisu was good too, it doesn't look fancy but that's what I like about this place, authentic home-style good food.

They were extremely busy so occasionally they overlooked a couple of things that we wanted. However, we did not really mind as it was not like they were twiddling their thumbs or chit chatting in a corner somewhere... and they were genuinely friendly and welcoming.

Please make reservations and better still, do not drive as there's hardly any parking around that area unless you don't mind walking.

Oh! and my friends were wondering why were they serving their coffee in little soup bowls... I told them possibly to make it easier for left handed people too :D

Ratings:

Lamb Shank: 9.5/10
Pasta with Tomato & Cheese: 9/10
Veal Milanese: 8/10
Tiramisu: 8.5/10
Dessert: 8/10

Service:
8/10

23 Boon Tat Street
Singapore 069621
Tel: +65 6224 0091

Open for lunch and dinner from Mon to Fri
Open for dinner only on Saturdays
Close on Sundays

La Villa

This restaurant is very interesting as it is within huge grounds that is not common in Singapore. I would think this would make a great venue for birthday parties or even private launches.

The staff was very helpful and my friends and I ordered a variety of dishes to share. The beef carpacio was fresh though they should put a bit more cheese with it. The calamari was crispy and the sauce that went with it has a very interesting flavour to it, slightly spicy but not overpowering. The pasta was done just right and I think they use fresh tomatoes as it still has a slight tartness to it, which is nice. The lamb could be more seasoned and the mash potato that went with it had "water retention" to quote from one of the ladies as it was too frothy and could do with a bit more taste. The veal milanese was very good, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and I think it is one of the dishes you must have here. Only one of us ordered dessert and I must say it was delicious! The melted chocolate on the inside oozes out and it was not too sweet. You have to wait 15 minutes for this and for those dessert lovers out there, I am sure it will be worth your wait...

Ratings

Calamari: 8/10
Beef Carpacio: 8/10
Lamb: 7.5/10
Pasta: 8/10
Veal Milanese: 9/10
Dessert: 9/10

Service rating: 9/1o

341 River Valley Road
Singapore 238372
Tel: 6836 5286

Open Mon-Sat 12pm-10:30pm; Sun 11:30am-10:30pm

Bonta

I have not been updating as been really busy lately. Anyway, I decided to check out Bonta one evening for dinner.

I suggest you make a reservation as it is quite a small-ish restaurant. When I got there, I was greeted by a lady hostess who tried to sound polite but came across quite abrupt and not very tactful.

The bread that came was straight from the oven and it was delicious! There were bits of nuts and goats cheese in the bread. The foie gras was done very well and it was tender, moist and not stringy. It was really good. The pasta was tasty and not too creamy. The prawns had a bit of crunch to it just the way I like it. My main was the tenderloin and even though the potion was a bit small, it was enough for me. It was perfectly done and seasoned well. The potatoes that went with it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The asparagus were also well executed. I must say that every item on my plate was cooked very well. My dessert was mango gelato covered with chopped pistachios. It was decent and it is good enough for me as I am not a dessert person.

I think the food was good though the service lacks soul. It was just execution with no personality... hence, my daughter told me to include service ratings for restaurants from now on.

Ratings:

Bread: 9/10
Foie gras: 8.5/10
Tenderloin: 9/10
Mango gelato: 7/10

Service rating: 6/10

207 River Valley Road, #01-61 UE Square River Wing,
Singapore 238275
(junction corner of Mohamed Sultan Road and Unity Street)
Tel: (65) 6333 8875
Fax: (65) 6333 8655

Operating Hours:
12.00pm to 2.30pm daily for lunch (closed for lunch on Sat)
6.30pm to 11.00pm daily for dinner
http://www.bonta.com.sg/

Oso Ristorante

A good friend was asking me where to go for dinner and I suggested Oso as I had not been there for a while.

It's a 2 storey restaurant opposite the Chinatown area surrounded by quaint old shophouses. As I entered, there was a singer at the lounge and a cigar bar. The restaurant upstairs also has a balcony area which I find rather pleasant.

My friends ordered veal, risotto, crabmeat pasta, while I ordered the 2 week old aged beef. The veal was tender but somewhat lacking something in the taste department. There was "something missing" and it was just "ok ok" according to him. The crabmeat pasta looks nice and creamy but tastewise it could have been better. My other friend's risotto was decent, it's done well but we had forgotten to take any shots. My 2 week old aged beef was tender but I find that it lacks seasoning. There's nothing much you can do with steak but I think good seasoning is a must. The asparagus that went with it was crunchy and tasty.

As we were sitting at the balcony area, the photos turn out a bit dark due to minimal lighting. On the whole, I think it is a nice restaurant with very good service. Though I remembered the food being better before than this visit.

Ratings:

Veal: 6/10
Crabmeat Pasta: 6/10
Risotto: 7/10
2 week old aged beef: 6/10


46 Bukit Pasoh Road
Singapore 089858
Tel: 6327 8378
www.oso.sg

Forlino

On a Sunday afternoon, a friend from KL wanted to meet up for lunch. I couldn't decide where to go and some restaurants are shut during Sunday lunch. So we decided on Forlino as it was open.

We were given a table with a view of the Merlion and the river, so I think this would be good if you are entertaining visitors. We shared an appetiser as I wasn't that hungry and I ordered a roast pigeon while my friend ordered a prawn dish.

The roast pigeon tasted slightly "gamey", so I think it could do with a little more seasoning or marinate. It was perfectly cook on the outside but it was slightly underdone inside. The sauce was also a tad sweet for my liking. My friend's plate of prawns looked good and he polished off his plate clean.

Roast Pigeon Rating: 6/10
Prawn's Rating: 7.5/10

Service: Good

Forlino
One Fullerton
Singapore
http://www.forlino.com/

Porta Porta

On Christmas Eve, my friends and I decided to find a restaurant that is a) not in the city as we do not want to fight with the crowd b) a cosy restaurant. We decided on Porta Porta.

It is a smallish restaurant run by their own family members. I was told that the owner is a Singaporean Malay lady and her Italian husband is the chef.

It was perfect for us as we did not want to be in a busy and "commercial" restaurant for Christmas Eve. All of us enjoyed everything that was served: the antipasti, soup, cheese rice balls, lamb, salmon... the list goes on. A vegetarian friend of ours, enjoyed her meal tremendously too. They served honest good food, not much frills but definitely worth going. We had such a great time that I had forgotten to take any food shots :) Will definitely take more shots on my next visit...

*No pork, no lard

Rating: 8/10


971 Upper Changi Road North
Singapore