Sopra Cucina & Bar

This is a revisit to Sopra Cucina Italian Restaurant.  This restaurant offers a menu that serves up Sardinian Cuisine, and boosts of a beautiful decor which is an ode to the glamorous days of post-war Italy. Service alternated between warm and cold - depending on who you were dealing with, and during peak or non-peak hours.The complimentary Bread was very delicious - fresh, utterly crispy, and went absolutely well with the olive dip. I usually abstain from consuming much bread before a meal, especiaBoth of us coincidentally settled for the Seafood Fregola (SGD$28.00) - a conscous-like roast semolina pasta with seafood. In my last review, I described the grainy pasta to bear similar texture to barley grains, and the feeling remained the same even as I was consuming the delicious pasta now. The gravy was rich in flavour, infusing the pasta sumptuously with its goodness; the seafood consisted of scallops, prawns and squids- generous portions that served only to enhance flavour and texture of the interesting pasta.For full review and more detailed information, please feel free to visit:http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2016/01/dinner-at-sopra-cucina-italian.html…Read More

I had a 2pax dinner at sopra cucina on 10.9.2014.sopra cucina & bar had great ambience. the inside was like a large private drawing room with chesterfield deep-buttoned leather seats. it had a charming facade & there was an open patio bar area & live music. the bread basket was poor (or like a pizzeria or fast-food serving) & not really consistent with the furnishings & ambience of the restaurant.we ordered the octopus salad. it was not chef’s recommendations but apparently quite popular with customers. it was quite a large helping. the steamed octopus were ok not tough, like the ones at vicoletti at stresa, but not the standard of the grilled octopus at alle darsene at bellagio. still it was pretty good for an antipasti. sopra cucina served sardinia (second largest island in the mediterranean after sicily & before cyprus) cuisine. we ordered the pregola frutti di mare. the prawns were fresh. the scallops & squid were so-so. the tomato flavours were ok but felt more like an average sauce than that from nice fresh tomatoes. the pregolas looked like “barley risotto” but pasta in texture. i would rather have a spaghetti or linguine or fettucine anytime. it’s a personal preference i guess. somehow the dish did not give me the same satisfaction & enjoyment of a good pasta.See full review at: http://chefquak.com/2014/09/11/so-so-dinner-sopra-cucina-on-10sep2014/…Read More

Having enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at 10 Claymore before, I looked forward to heading to Sopra Cucina & Bar located at 10 Claymore Road #01-02 Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore 229540 and the number for reservation is 6884 6884. It is the first restaurant in Singapore to serve Sardinian cuisine (a type of Italian fare).I was there for an event, but got to taste their cuisine, which was absolutely divine!The interior is furnished in a sleek, contemporary and slightly rustic style, bringing out a very classic Italian flavor to it. A giant bar counter is nestled in front, and there is an assortment of bar counter seats, low dining tables or high tables for the diners to choose from. The ambience is cosy, comfortable and hearty.Uniformed waitresses and waiters were circulating tables with trays of delicious canepes - so I helped myself to a skewer of Grilled Squid - finely sliced and utterly tasty (even succulent despite its chewy texture) amongst celery and olives. It was flavorful, needless to say, and a fine item from Sopra's main menu itself.Next, the Fregola pasta (tasted like barley) and bouncy, fresh prawn cooked in a delicious gravy - another delicacy from Sopra's ala carte menu. Taste-wise, it was a good savoury-sweetish combination and the roasted semolina pasta were actually rather fun to chew, like pearls (in bubble teas).The other food item that was being offered was a slice of thin-crust pizza - while the ingredients were not distinguishable, the pizza was crispy, and inducive with the sapid aroma of cheese. The crust was crispy as well, so this item (also from Sopra's menu) deserved some taste merits too.For more detailed information and photos, please visit:http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/05/event-pan-pacific-orchard-hotel-sopra.html…Read More

It is Singapore’s first and only Sardinian restaurant, located at five-star hotel Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel, which is just behind Orchard Tower. Sardinia is a Mediterranean island just off the West coast of Italy. With its 1840 km of coastline, Sardinia is the Italian region with the largest coastal development; the sea is clear and practically preserved from every kind of pollution. Sardinian culinary tradition goes hand in hand with its natural variety: deeply tied to the past and based on genuine food and home-made products. The 230-seat restaurant has broadway look with its huge signage. Inside it is vintage looking with classy bar, plushy green leather armchairs and plushy black leather seats against the wall. The restaurant also has quite a wide range of wines display on the shelf. Nice and slow songs are played to enchance the broadway feel.Tonight 3 of us are having the Restaurant Week Dinner Menu, which costs $35++ per person. We are showed to a booth seat table which is quite wide and comfortable, with lots of space for girls to put their bags. Another thing which we notice is that the table which we are sitting around is actually a old sewing machine with a board on top. Quite unique.We start with a basket of bread and sticks, served with olive oil. The bread is quite soft. The staff also refills for us when we request for another serving of bread.StarterBurratina E FaveFresh Burrata Cheese Accompanied with Warm Mint Fava BeansThe cheese tastes quite light and soft in texture, which balances off the saltiness of the mashed beans.Zuppa All' AlghereseSardinian Seafood BisqueThe seafood in the soup is quite fresh, especially for the scallop. The soup is very flavourful.MainCulurgiones OglisatriniStuffed Pasta Pockets of Potato, Mint and Pecorino Tossed in Butter and SageThe dish is actually dumplings stuffed with mashed potato, lying in a pool of melted butter. Quite oily, looking as if the dumplings are swimming in a pool of oil. The dumpling tastes quite nice with a hint of mint. The skin of the dumpling is quite thin.Fregola Ai Frutti Di MareSeafood and Semolina Pasta in a Tomato Based Seafood SauceIt looks like a risotto dish when served. The pasta is like little chewy balls with a QQ texture. It tastes quite flavourful, but also quite similar in taste to the soup in the starter.Tagliata Di ManzoGrilled Beef Tenderlion with Roasted Potatoes and Mixed GreensI am surprised that the dish is served on a wooden board with the meat covered by the greens. The meat is quite tender for middle rare. The dish is served with a choice black pepper or red wine sauce. The red wine sauce which is selected is quite thick and flavourful. DessertSeadasTraditional Cheese Filled Fritters with HoneyIt is served piping hot and looks like a crispy deep fried chinese pancake, drizzled with honey. Inside the crispy pancake, there is the melted cheese inside. Feel like eating cheese pizza, topped with honey. A balance of sweet and saltiness.SemifreddoSemi-Frozen Ricotta Cheese and Fennel Parfait with Mirto Ice CreamWe order 2 servings of this dish, with one in blood orange sorbet and other in strawberry sorbet. Both look the same when served. I prefer the blood orange sorbet as it offers a more tart taste.Overall the food is not bad, although a bit too oily. Quite a nice and relaxing place in Orchard area.…Read More

The place looked set to be promising with its chic and modern cosy decor, but the food was disappointingly lacklustre, from the cold (!) bread basket we were served upon ordering to the nothing-to-shout-about desserts. The only food item worth mentioning was the roasted beef tenderloin which was cooked to perfection. Service staff were highly attentive but felt like newbies with their unnecessary prolonged fussing over table setup before every dish. There would most probably not be a return visit for us.…Read More

When we talk about Italian cuisine, the first that comes to mind would probably be pasta or pizza. But there is more to Italian food than just that. I think that as we travel more and become more refined in our palate, we are now ready to explore the lesser known regional flavors. Sopra Cucina & Bar is where you can be educated on the lesser known Sardinian cuisine, which is influenced by many cultures such as the Arabs, Spaniard, Romans and Phoenicians.Hidden just off the main stretch of Orchard Road, Sopra Cucina & Bar is Singapore’s first Sardinian restaurant. The exterior reminded me of old school Hollywood and the decor an ode to the glamorous days of post-war Italy. The menu features dishes unique to the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, together with great thin-crust pizzas, wines and cocktails.There are many dishes to try here and the best way to sample the Sardinian classics would be to go for the Menu Sardo, a set meal which allows you to try many traditional dishes. The 4 course meal is priced at $98 with a minimum of 2 pax. The dishes that i'd be highlighting are also available in the a la carte menu should you feel not up to it for a full meal.Pecorino cheese is a staple in Sardinian cuisine and we saw a repeat of that in many dishes to follow.Even though Sardinia is an island and many would expect seafood to be a staple but lamb plays a huge role in the food scene due to its mountainous region.The Zuppa Gallurese ($26) is a traditional Sardinian bread soup with lamb stock and Pecorino cheese. There is only 2 tablespoons of rich lamb stock and it was soaked up by the bread and cheese. It smelled pretty gamey but i thought the taste wasn't that bad. Then again i think my tolerance for gaminess is pretty high. W thought otherwise but the Zuppa was still acceptable for her.Other highlights include Agnello alla Sassarese ($35), a slow-cooked lamb and olive stew. The lamb was very tender and the gravy salty and flavored by the olives. W thought this to be gamey but again i was good. I wished that there were crusty bread to mop up the sauce though.The Porcheddu Sardo ($48/pax) is a traditional Sardinian roasted suckling pig with roasted potato. (Additional $15 to set menu). I didn't enjoy this at all. There was too much fat that weren't rendered enough to melt in the mouth. The skin wasn't crispy enough and the meat was bland. Honestly i would rather have my Chinese sio bak over this anytime.We also tried the Sopra pizza (not on the set menu) ($26 for personal 9"). The pizzas are made by co-founder and award-winning Pizza Master Chef Luigi Gianni. These traditional pizzas have a thinner, crispier crust than Neapolitan pizzas. The light fluffy dough with savory Parma Ham was addictive enough for me to come back with a bunch of friends to have this again. Oh yums.For full review and more photos, please visit visit www.ms-skinnyfat.com…Read More