Otto Ristorante

Regular readers will know I have a weakness for pasta and sushi. So when I read about the delicious lobster pasta from Otto Ristorante, an Italian restaurant that had been established for about a year or so now, I made a mental note to visit because the recommendation came from the imp, a lady whom I have never met before but am quite positive our taste buds more or less synchronise.

It made the perfect lunch spot when a girlfriend surprised me with her shout-out to meet for lunch. There, I found good service from Shar, a familiar face previously from Garibaldi Group, who was very accommodating with our various requests when placing the orders. In the end, I opted for the set lunch just so I don't have to think too much given I knew I had to have the pasta as my main course. The regular set lunch costs a reasonable $35++ but I topped up some to make a switch.

Now, I shall not waste too much time talking about the appetizer and dessert, both of which were average at best. Onto the main course that I had been wanting to try, while I cannot proclaim the pasta to be the best that I had, Otto's was quite well executed. I would have preferred it spicy as stated in the description, but what I was served, definitely had no heat at all.

Having said that, the al dente linguine pasta, a generous serving at that, was coated with a most moreish sauce and there were fresh lobster chunks dotted all over though I did find myself wishing there was more! I was stuffed after all that carb but I am already eyeing the other pastas on the menu!

28 Maxwell Road
#01-02 Red Dot Traffic Building
Singapore 069120
Tel: 6227 6819

Itacho Sushi

The perpetual long queues and the surge in reviews by food blogs piqued my interest to visit Itacho Sushi located at Ion Orchard. Given my appetite for anything Japanese, I eagerly awaited for an opportunity to go for lunch on a weekday, as I figured it would probably be less busy then. The restaurant was definitely doing brisk business though I could immediately get a seating upon arrival.

Sad to say, I was not impressed at all. It was not as cheap a meal that I expected from a sushi chain. The anagao looked impressive in its entirety but tasted mushy and much too sweet from copious amounts of sweet sticky teriyaki sauce. The fresh scallop sushi was good though.

However I must admit that the restaurant has got some unique selling points going for them - individual sushi to allow variety, a good selection of "roasted" sushi, better known as aburi sushi, and a relative larger variety of sushi. Kudos to the good service as well. Maybe the original stores in Hong Kong fare better but for now, I will stick to my regular Japanese chains.

Saint Pierre can be affordable

On weekdays, Saint Pierre offers good value set lunches comprising of either two, three or four courses, with prices ranging between an unbelievable $28 to $45. Unfortunately it is a little out of the way but on this visit I enjoyed the food that was based on classic French cooking techniques that were well executed. If you are looking for new age / progressive cooking, this may not be your cup of tea. But if all you want is simple, well cooked food, then you have an option here.

On this occasion, we had:

amuse bouche: warm, roasted tomato cream soup

appetizer: tuna sashimi, roasted cauliflower puree

appetizer: artichoke soup with bacon

main course: roasted cod, fennel salad

main: pan fried sea bream, potate ratte with crab
(loved the crispy skin and fresh firm taste of bream)

dessert: any 3 kinds of cheese with condiments below ($8 supplement)
(my favourite is comte!)

Overall the meal was satisfactory, bar the mini baguette served alongside the meal that was cold and chewy. My highlight was the cheese platter because the selection was great and I got to eat my favourite cheese :D.