The best meal of the first half of 2011 - OTTO

Who said it was all about the food?
I just had the most wonderful meal of my life last week, at none other than OTTO Ristorante.

Delectable yet unpretentious food aside, I particularly loved their elegant decor and dimly-lit interior; perfect for a nice, quiet meal with a loved one.

Their service was tip top. Staff were warm and sincere, attentive and never intrusive.

A server came around with a bread basket with a selection of four types. I loved the onion foccacia; the tip of the bread was rather sweet and tasted like melted cheese. Yums.

Up next was an amuse bouche of vegetable ragout of tomato and zucchini which was slightly tart; a simple start to a scrumptious meal.

And my boyf is the sweetest. It's the white asparagus season again and he knows how much I wanted to have it. Despite him being anti-greens, he still ordered it as a starter for me. We were spoiled for choices by the number of white asparagus dishes on the menu. It ranged from safe options like white asparagus risotto, tagliatelle, to interesting ones like white asparagus souffle. After obtaining the opinion of a server, we decided on the Montasio cheese gratin white asparagus with sunny side up egg (price forgot. should be either $18 or $24).

Three giant white spears arrived on our table shortly. It was so soft that I had a hard time picking it up with my fork, but who's complaining? The fruity flavour of Montasio cheese further enhanced the natural sweetness of the prized delicacy, and the alluring smoky aroma from grilling it was simply enchanting. Together with balsamic glaze and a sip of champagne, I had more than a few moments of ambrosia.

My main: Pan roasted "halibut" fillet wrapped in Parma ham with baby spinach and langoustine sauce ($38). This was a little less spectacular than what I had preconceived in my head. The parma ham encompassing the fish was so thinly-sliced that it had the barely there effect, as though it was there merely to add a touch of savoriness to the fish.

To be honest, I had zilch experience with halibut fishies and the boyf told me that it was not the real thing as the latter had an unmistakably firmer and meatier texture. Fair enough, the menu stated clearly that it was "halibut", instead of just halibut.

The unidentified fish was a teeny little dry, but that's coming from someone who likes her fishes slippery and oily. This may just be the characteristic of that particular fish. The blandness of it was overlooked as I happily dipped it into the creamy langoustine sauce; think lobster bisque. Paired with a glass of Pinot Grigio, I'm still a happy girl.

 My boyf's main was my personal favourite of the night. The Crispy "suckling pig" lacquered with acacia honey and balsamic vinegar ($48) was so incredibly delicious that I half-wished that it was mine instead. Ultra-crispy skin that remained status quo throughout plus crazily soft meat with just the right amount of fat sandwiched between. Drizzled with my favourite balsamic glaze(again), this was absolutely divine.

The research findings about us humans having second compartments for dessert? Certified. We were stuffed after all the food and booze, but nothing could stop us from ordering the Haitian vanilla creme brulee served with Vincotto marinated berries ($14).

I am not hard to please when it comes to creme brulees, and this one scored with me. The fun part of eating this is cracking the hard sugar crust which gave way to creamily smooth custard innards. The aromatic waft of Haitian vanilla engulfed my palate with every bite; it was sheer pleasure.

Sigh. A round of applause for OTTO please. With such finesse and dedication, they are the ultimate pride of contemporary Italian cuisine.

OTTO Ristorante

28 Maxwell Road, #01-02 Red Dot Traffic Building

(S)069120

6227 6819

Open Weekdays 12pm-10:30pm; Sat 6:30pm-10:30pm

Coffee Stars by Dao @ Wisma Atria

Dinner time with the soulmate at this newly-opened cafe-restaurant opened at the first level of Wisma Atria. This is its first foray into our sunny shores and proven to be successful, judging from the constant queues forming outside the cafe. We were fortunate that the queue wasn't that long when we arrived, because the queue lengthened soon after we were seated.

photo credit: Sparklette

Isn't it comfy to just spend your whole lazy afternoon in these comfy chairs?

It's open-spaced concept is great for people-watching too, if that's your thing.

Chances are that you'd have thought that this was a chichi high-tea/brunch spot, judging from its elegant, yet trendy decor and wide array of cakes(so tempting) displayed outside.

photo credit: TheFoodNomads

 In fact, they offer international cuisine such as western food, pastas, snacks, as well as Thai dishes and desserts.

This was a wrong order served to me which I failed to realize until the server came by and whisked it away.

If I'm not mistaken, this dish is actually Phad Thai. Smells great btw.

 The correct order of mine: Fried Flat Noodle with Shrimp and Crabmeat in Yellow Curry Egg Sauce

The flat noodles looks like our local hor fun noodles, only a little broader. Rich in flavours, as the aromatic curry had infused the moist noodles and eggs; it made the whole deal rather appetizing.

My friend initially ordered a salmon cream-based pasta but it came in aglio olio-style instead. Teething problems in new start-ups are unavoidable, I guess?

This tasted quite decent, albeit a little on the oily side. And I thought it would be yummier if the salmon came in a whole slab or at the very least, in chunks; instead of the thin slices that she got.

We also ordered a Pandan Coconut Roll to share.

This was so incredibly delicious, you'd just have to try it for yourself!

The flavours of pandan and coconut were superbly balanced; every mouthful was pure pleasure.

Do I even have to tell you that there were bits of coconut flesh evident in every bite?

*sighs in pleasure*

Being so conveniently located, it gives us more reasons to return to Coffee Stars by Dao for more! It's a good place for a casual lunch/dinner/hi-tea and its huge menu would definitely please everyone. One thing though, it's probably not too good for big groups as seats are limited here.

Coffee Stars by Dao

435 Orchard Road

#01-37/41 Wisma Atria

Singapore

Tel: +65 6733 3881

Website

Opening Hours

Daily: 11.30am – 10pm