So, Ricciotti's new menu delivers to diners authentic yet quite affordable Italian cuisine. I was fortunate enough to be invited by openrice for this tasting. Here's what we had for the evening:

Eggplant Parmigiana Easily one of the better appetizers of the night. Ain't an eggplant person, but this lasagna styled baked eggplant with tomato and cheese was excellently done. Good for sharing due to the richness of the melting cheese. Scoop up a portion, spread it on the focaccia bread, eat it.

Nizzarda SaladA mix of mesclun, green beans, cherry tomatoes, cumcumbers, anchovies and quail eggs. Freshly seasoned tuna slices were placed on top and drizzled with sherry dressing. The tuna was indeed fresh, but the highlight would be the quail egg. The quail eggs were done to perfection - well cooked yet having that eggy yolk (the eggs were wiped out within the minute).

Cioppino Soup This is basically a seafood stew. Walter shares that back in south Italy, families would head home after a long day out a work/sea to have this warm tasty dish. The mussels and squids are freshly flown over from Italy. No wonder the group loved the stew alot. The tomatoish broth coupled with that fresh seafood taste; i will crave for this during rainy days here.

Carpaccio Di Polpo Freshly cut octopus with lemon and fennel dressing. Thinly sliced orange for that fruity flavour. The combination of the flavours were good but the octopus was somewhat alittle too chewy.

Risotto Ai Frutti di Mare The first of our main course - Seafood Risotto. It is rare to find good tasting risottos around in Singapore. I was initally skeptical if the dish would turn out well, but it did. The arborio rice was cooked perfectly - flavours of the seafood soaked within the grain of rice, where the grains can be pluck out individually. Possibly the best dish of the evening.

Orecchiette Broccoli Acciughe A simplistic dish - ear shaped pasta, anchovies, broccoli and cheery tomatoes. Tasted kind of average but the broccoli in it was cooked jut right - ain't overcooked nor undercooked. A bite of the broccoli brings out that veggie flavour, yet you don't taste the rawness of broccoli.

Grilled Seabass Probably the most non Italian looking dish of the evening. The seabass was tasty. That drizzle of the sauce gave the seabass a tint of flavour. Accompanied with baby potatoes and spinach, this southern Italian dish is worth a try.

Pollo Alla MilaneseAka breaded chicken, I personally felt that the meat and the crumbs tasted very separate. The seasonings did not blend and mix well with the chicken breast. At $22, it would probably not be a justifiable order. Nonetheless, the dish can be credited to be not oily at all. The crumbs were well seasoned and crisp.

Porcini E Scamorza Pizza I always say that pizzas are always best left to the italians. Am told that Porcini e Scamorza Pizza is one of those unpretentious italian food. Slices of Porcini mushrooms and cow cheese, baked in the oven over that bready tasting pizza crust.

Al Tartufo Pizza Black Truffles, Quail Eggs, Mushrooms. Three key ingredients to a pizza and what came out from the oven is a dish that serves to delight our taste buds. I dare say that it was one of the best dishes of the evening. Need i say more? Time to head back for a second visit!

Tiramisu A classic tiramisu - served in the bowl just like back in Italy. The use of mascarpone cream, espresso and a bottom layer of lady finger. Good but have certainly tasted better.

Nutella Sweet Pizza Rejoice nutella fans! HAHA yeah! Thin crusted pizza with a ton of nutella spread and a healthy portion of hazelnut. I felt that the dish would be perfect if there is sauteed bananas together. Sounds good right?

Panna Cotta And for the our last dish of the evening - the Panna Cotta. For the not so sweet dessert lovers, this Panna Cotta was made just right. Look at all the vanilla seeds in it. The taste of vanilla and cream. That seasonal fruit sauce complimented this silky comforting custard really well. Hands up anyone?

overall review:  There is no doubt that Ricciotti has the dishes to attract foodies in Singapore. With a wide range of offering on its menu, there would be that one Italian dish for everyone. I personally prefer their pizzas here - the doughy yet crispy crust when served. The reminiscent of the homemade seafood stew made by belly happy. Ricciotti setting - classy yet ready for a drink any evening by the river. 

Read my full reivew@ http://shauneeie.blogspot.sg/2014/11/ricciotti-pizzapastagrill-riverwalk.html

Yes probably one of the best cafes around the area - Sarnies.


1. The Churros 

So fortunate that we were the first few to taste this dish new on the menu. I guess trying to ride on the hype of item. Served with chocolate sauce (VERY GOOD), the churros are crispy on the outside and more doughy on the inside (like ban jiang kuey). Very different yes, but i liked it because it wasn't oily at all. 1. THE COFFEE 

Yes, the item which constantly draws me back to Sarnies is their mocha. At S6.50, the mocha served here is slightly charred yet having a sweet after taste, the blend of coffee mixing well with the chocolate. I can truly say it is one of the best around the area. 2. Sarnies Chocolate Brownie 

You gotta try it to believe. Rich, super chocolaty and moist. Every bite almost melts in your mouth and is complemented by a vanilla ice cream. It's best to share due to its richness. Nonetheless, the must order if i want a sugar rush3. Risotto 

When the cafe first started with a dinner menu, i was quite hesitant to try. Seldom do cafes serve good dinner items. It took me probably a few weeks later to finally succumb to temptation.

Yep. served only during dinner, this dish was the highlight. Their risotto is amazing. Its tough to even think of places in Singapore selling good risottos, but the chef made it look real easy. Just how it should be done - saucy in texture, flowing almost like a lava when tilted. Grains are soft yet different from hard enough to differentiate one grain from another. A must try!! I dont think its on the menu - mushroom risotto (i cheated and asked for bacons to be added as well).Chicken and homemade pesto with mixed greens 

served during lunch, Sarnies has a variety of salads and sandwiches. It may be alittle pricey, but the portions are large and very healthy. Good for sharing in my opinion.

 

Cajun spiced kampong chicken in a brown bag 

juicy and tender. the spice goes well with the chicken. the only downside - the portion was too small. Belgian mussels in sauvignon blanc the iced chocolate

 

Read my full review @ http://shauneeie.blogspot.sg/2014/08/around-cbd-and-looking-for-place-pass.html

Gæst
is finally having a dinner menu, and i was fortunate enough to tag along for this
Gæst-edmic dinner tasting. Serving fresh, handmade pizzas for dinner, this predominantly
alfresco dining cafe is much to be hyped about.

So here goes:

Cold smoked salmon & Fennel  smoked salmon spread over a thiny crusted dough with creme cheese. topping off with some rockets and fennel, really a treat and can do no wrong. one of the must trys!

Zucchini & Potato never knew potatoes could go with pizza, but here it is. the zucchini gave the pizza more texture during a bite. if you're a fan of potatoes, do try it.

Black forest salami & pickled cherry tomaotes $18 interesting mix of ingredients imo. the roasted hazelnut was the perfect compliment of the salami and tomatoes, giving this pizza a crushy feel when you eat it.

Green kale & roasted pork $18 Personally, the best of the lot. roasted pork cracklings! yes they have brought over their pork crackling sandwich and made it into a pizza. how brilliant! the red apple, generous sprinkling of black pepper ensured that there were sweetness and spiciness to subdue the salty pork. Every bite is a charm. The crackling of the pork with the crunchy apples. yes i have gone back a couple more times after that.

and lastly, we come to desserts.

another pizza? Yes! and i love every bite of it.

Rhubarb & strawberry $12 Have always loved good dessert pizzas but they are hard and far to come by. This is one such dessert pizza which is so yummy. spreading rhubarb and adding strawberries, the slightly salty dough does so well with their sweetness. worthy of a try.

For my full reivew: http://shauneeie.blogspot.sg/2014/08/gaest-place-for-guests.html

Serving 6 flavours: Dark Chocolate, Earl Grey Lavender, Roasted Pistachio, Madagascar Vanilla, Summer Straberries, SeaSalt GulaMelaka through a tin walled dispenser, you get to choose to eat it from a cone, waffle or cup. like i said, the soft serves really comes out from this tin like looking wall.

Roasted Pistachio actually liked it. pistachio wasn't very overpowering and the stick was crunchy. However, like i have been saying since my first visit here, the cones were super meh... almost to an extent lao hong(stale) texture.

Earl Grey Lavender Probably its my preference that earl grey is not my cuppa tea, but this soft serve lacks flavor and melts far too easily on the waffle.

SeaSalt GulaMelaka (5 Hands)personally, my favourite flavour of the lot. I already liked it over at creamier, but this soft serve style is really good too, better than the original imo.

Summer Straberries we added some seasalt honeycomb($1.90) toppings (yes, we thought it was really overpriced) and it really helped to enhance the flavour of the somewhat dull tasting strawberry ice cream.

Read my full reivew: http://shauneeie.blogspot.sg/2014/08/sunday-folks-sunday-peoples-ice-cream.html

Located at Jurong Point's Mong Kok Street, the familiarity of the walkway reminds you of the streets in Hong Kong buzzing with neon lights. Legendary Hong Kong's interiors are almost reminiscent to the ones in Hong Kong, but one thing's lacking for sure - the waiters who will rush you to order, eat and leave (which is a good thing). The menu too looks Hong Kong styled through and through. Varied selections and you got to be there a few times to know their specialties.The food:

There were definitely hits and misses in my opinion, and here's shauneeie's review of Legendary Hong Kong, in which i will share below:century egg congee : was alittle too watery. there were plentiful of ingredients though, thick strips of and large chunks of century eggs. XO carrot cake: was expecting much from their XO fried carrot cakes but was left wanting more elsewhere. Still, worth a try as such a dish can rarely be found nowadays char siew pau: i felt the char siew paus can't compete with the delicious ones sold in other dim sum places. unless you are a pau fan, probably save your stomach space for the hits below roasted pork: good, but not the best, we found the skin to be a little tough and not crispy enough. i know of other places selling much better roasted pork. The duck: this duck. specially flown from ireland, roasted by a chef with almost 10 times working experience than me. really tender, fatty and that duckish odour wasn't apparent. i will say a must try!Har gao: one of the best tasting har gao (chinese shrip dumplings) around. The skin was pleasantly thin and the filling of whole prawn was as delicious as it can get Bo Luo Bao (Pineapple Bun): after coming back from Hong Kong recently, i was craving for this! however, the ones in singapore really pales in comparison with hong kong's. how i was wowed by this unpretentious looking bun. So crisp on the outside, yet moist in the inside. Adding the butter in it was a bomb. Milk tea: to get a hong kong barista to singapore just to make drinks, the drink should be awesome. This hong kong styled milk tea really did justice to his reputation. Really liked it and comparable to those in hong kongHong Kong maggi mee: maggi mee directly from Hong kong. cooked the same way as in Hong Kong. wanton mee: felt that the noodles were mehhh. but the wanton totally made up for it. really one of the best around. wanton at its best you tiao in chee cheong fun: personally one of my fav dishes of the day. rarely can you get such a dish in singapore anymore. The thinly wrapped chee cheong fun complements the crispy you tiao. the soya sauce adds depth and saltiness into the dish. (4Hands)french toast: to think the french makes the best toast ? Ney you are wrong. the Hong Kongers do it best. Fried with butter, topped with even more butter and splashing it with lotsa maple syrup. noodles with shrimp roe: when i first sighted this dish on the menu, i thought that for sure it would be a replica of the one at Mak's Noodles. a dish i would go back for in hong kong at Mak's. however, i left disappointed feeling very disappointed this does not do justice to the original in hong kong.  

Overall verdict: read more on my blog

Read my full review @ http://shauneeie.blogspot.sg/2014/08/lengendary-hong-kong-jurong-point.html