Ristorante Pietrasanta @ Wessex Village

Ristorante Pietrasanta occupy a section of a old building in Wessex Village just next to the Temasek Club. They are run by two Italian brothers from Tuscany. The place exudes a rather relaxed atmosphere, since it is surrounded by the leafy surroundings of Wessex Village. Dropped in for dinner on Saturday, and had a 6 pm sitting, since it was fully-booked for the 8 pm sitting (there was a dinner party).

Our party of five started with a combination of starters, as well as a ham and mushroom pizza. The selection of Italian cold cuts were spectacular, as was the pizza.





For the mains, we had a variety of pasta and risotto. Each won praise from the dinner party.





For dessert, we decided to try a sample of their favourites. The La Torta di Pistocchi is imported from Italy and is a chocoholic's dream, and the Coffee and Cream Panna Cotta is an interesting take on the classic Italian dessert. The infusion of coffee takes off some of the richness of the cream.





I have to say that it is Italian food, wonderfully executed. The surrounding is also casual and relaxed, which makes it a wonderful restaurant. It is a place to drive to, even though parking can be a little difficult at times, but that is because the bus only travels down that stretch of road once every half an hour. Perhaps it is this lack of public bus connectivity that lends the place its unique charm.

Rating: 7.5/10
Website: http://www.ristorante-pietrasanta.com/
Address: #01-03, 5B Portsdown Road
Phone: 6479 9521
Hours: 1145 hrs - 1430 hrs
1800 hrs to 2230 hrs (Monday to Saturday except Tuesday)
1145 hrs to 2230 hrs (Sunday)
Price: $$1/2

Royal China @ Raffles

Those who know the Chinese restaurant scene in London, will know that Royal China is considered one of the best and most accessible Chinese restaurants, and the queues for their dimsum lunches.



In their migration to Singapore, they also decided to borrow the most famous dish from their Queensway competitor, Mandarin Kitchen, Lobster Noodle. As the name of the dish suggests, it is a lobster-based dish, and is not cheap. In fact, the price for just that dish would set you back about $100.

The dimsum at the restaurant is good, especially the steamed items. The chefs have the skill and finesse to keep dumpling skins paper-thin, and yet firm enough that it does not break when you pick them up with chopsticks.



I think Royal China at Raffles is one of the best dimsum restaurants in Singapore, although there is quite a bit of competition at its location. Wah Lok at the Carlton Hotel and Lei Gardens at CHIJMES are both good and only a short walk away. Perhaps that is why the restaurant continues to not be overly crowded, and manages to exude a quite charm.



Rating: 8/10
Website: http://www2.royalchinagroup.biz/?cid=38
Address: #03-09, Raffles Hotel Arcade, North Bridge Road
Phone: 6338 3363
Hours: 1200 hrs - 1500 hrs
1800 hrs to 2230 hrs
Price: $$$1/2

Hu Hu Udon @ 1ON Orchard

I noticed that the turnover of stalls in the Basement Food Hall at 1ON Orchard is quite quick. I am not surprised, since not many people seem to patronize the stalls there, and rents must be prohibitively expensive. Many of the vacated stalls have stayed empty.

Anyway, I decided to try Hu Hu Udon, as I continue to try to get a grasp of udon eating. Since I started eating Curry Udon, I have been quite addicted, so I decided to get a Katsu Karai Udon.



There is a large piece of chicken katsu, served on top of the curry udon. The katsu was a little disappointing, since the meat looked a little too processed. The curry udon, however, was much better. Bits of meat are apparent in the curry sauce and is well complemented by the thick strands of udon.

As with the other stalls in the Food Hall, ambience is lacking, but prices are slightly cheaper than in restaurants. Perhaps people do not mind paying more for the ambience, and that is why the restaurants in the building are better patronized than the Food Hall.

Rating: 5.5/10
Website: none
Address: #B4-56/57, 1ON Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn
Phone: 6509 3256
Hours: 1100 hrs - 2200 hrs
Price: $1/2

Yoshimaru @ Holland Village Revisited

I was pretty happy with Yoshimaru the last time I visited, so I joined my friends there for a late dinner. Ordered the Toasted Seaweed Ramen.



Everything looked normal until I tucked in. The ramen noodles were clumped together and uncooked. Obviously, the ramen was not even loosened when it was cooked. The experience was bad enough to downgrade this institution. I am even left wondering if I will ever come back, considering there are so many ramen-ya around in Singapore...

Original Review for Yoshimaru at Holland Village

Romankan Yokohama

Romankan Yokohama is a tonkatsu joint at the revamped Basement Food Hall of Takashimaya that also houses Tsuru-koshi Udon and Baikohken. They boast of a handmade katsu sandwich, so I was interested to see how it stacks up against the sandwich made famous by Ginza Bairin.



At $3.20 a pop, the sandwich is not cheap. What it has over Ginza Bairin is the lettuce and tomato that they add to the sandwich. If you ever try the sandwich, make sure you get a fresh one, since they make their sandwiches in batches and the katsu can be cold and toast, soft, by the time you buy your sandwich.

Flavour is good for the sandwich, and I realize that Romankan Yokohama does not serve the lettuce and tomato in their katsu sandwich in other countries like Hong Kong. Is it better than at Ginza Bairin? I am not sure, but their sandwich is slightly healthier with the greens. Will return to try their tonkatsu one day.

Rating: 7/10
Website: none
Address: #B202-04, B2 Takashimaya Food Hall, Ngee Ann City Tower A, 391 Orchard Road
Phone: 6738 2505
Hours: 1000 hrs - 2100 hrs (Sunday to Thursday)
1000 hrs - 2130 hrs (Friday and Saturday)
Price: $1/2

Tomi Sushi @ Millenia Walk Revisited

Went back to Tomi Sushi to try the fattier cuts of tuna. So, this time, I ordered the Omakase Sashimi, which is $92++ for two.



The sashimi platter came shortly, and not only had maguro, but also chutoro and otoro, amongst the other cuts of fish. The fish was as fresh as fresh could be, and the cuts were generous and succulent. I guess that $92++ for dinner for two (not including starch and such) is not exactly cheap, but I will say that you pay for what you get. In this case, lovely fresh cuts of fish, served with pride and care. Will definitely be back.

Original Review for Tomi Sushi at Millenia Walk

Kazokutei @ Plaza Singapura Revisited

Was quite interested in what the Curry Udon at Kazokutei would turn out to be like after tasting the one at Tsuru-koshi Udon, so I trekked to Plaza Singapura to give it a try.



Also decided to try the kakiage and ebi tempura while I was at it. The curry at Kazokutei is definitely meatier than at Tsuru-koshi Udon, with slivers of meat in the sauce. It did have a slightly sour tang to it that took some getting used to, but the flavour was good.



The kakiage was done in a tower-like piece, resembling the tahu telur in Indonesian restaurants. There were shrimps on top, and the rest of the tower consisted on slivers of vegetables, including pumpkin, carrot and long beans. While there was a lot of vegetable for the money, there was too little tempura batter, and the overall product was not as crisp as one would expect from a tempura. The ebi tempura here is much better than at Tsuru-koshi Udon, with a light batter.

Overall, I rate Kazokutei better than Tsuru-koshi Udon, the other specialist udon eatery. It is cheaper, and in a proper sit-down restaurant environment, and produces better food too!

The Original Review for Kazokutei at Plaza Singapura