Pasta Stylo

From the name, you would have guessed that this place serves pasta. Well, the cafe is located at the corner and the gloomy and dark interior made the cafe mysterious.

Fowl of Arabia ($9.90++)
Original price ( $14.90++)
Whole chicken breast marinated withMoroccan spice and BBQ till the meat fully absorbed the flavour. The flavour is pretty strong and despite being BBQ-ed, the meat was tender and juicy. Personally, I like the strong flavour of herbs being used in the chicken breast , some of us might find it a little strong and taste weird. A light sesame mustard dressing is drizzled on the chicken breast ( not mayonnaise !)The salad served alongside has pasta too! Fafalle, fusilli and different shapes of pastas.


Crimson Sea ( $6.80++)
Original Price ( $9.80++)
Fancy some salmon sashimi? The presentation looks lovely but I was deceived by it’s looks …
The Salmon sashimi was icy cold, I guess they just took out from the fridge and was not thawed. The crimson sea was supposed to be served right after the side salad but they have forgotten the order when I reminded them, they quickly prepare this within 5mins! Thus, the standard was ….
The salmon sashimi was wrapped with a small stick of cucumber and avocado. Dip it with the wasabi dressing with caviar and it taste rather ok, just that it was icy cold.

Verdict : The fowl of Arabia was delicious and I would go back again for this dish. One of their signature pasta dish was the Chilli crab pasta which they served the whole mud crab with the Chilli crab sauce. I would try the next visit.

The Menu

On weekdays , 12-2.30pm, they have a special promotion on their tapas ( choose any 3 tapas for $20++ but the choice is limited). The tapas are a little on the pricey side, price starting from $9 ++ onwards for a potato salad.
Popular dishes includes the Iberico ham , The garlic prawns and Cod croquette .


Ensalada Manchego ( $12++)
This is basically a mixed salad with Manchego cheese. The salad has a great mix of sunflower seeds, peanuts, walnuts, seeds of pomegranate , dried apricots , tomatoes and the shaving of Manchego Cheese.
The Manchego cheese is firm , has compact consistency , a buttery texture, and has a distinctive flavour, well developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep’s milk.


Garlic prawns ($15 ++)
This is a crowd favourite! The prawns were sauteed with fragrant minced garlic and some herbs. Served together with 2 sliced of toasted bread for dipping.8 de-shelled prawns were sauteed with minced garlic and chilli. The prawns were addictive but a little on the oily side ( a thick layer of oil seen). They should have served garlic bread instead of plain baguette.
European cod, pea puree & confit mushrooms ($17++)
The European cod looks petite and promising. However, when I tried a little, it was way too salty. The cod itself was salted ( salt cod is popular in Northern Europe ) and I was not used to the saltiness thus I didn’t like it. The leek puree was smooth and I licked it clean.


Verdict: Having Tapas may cost even higher than a main course and often it doesn’t keep you full. Tapas are just little snacks to nibble on and great for accompanying with beers.
* DBS credit gets 15% discount.

The Menu

The cafe was not busy despite being a Saturday thus I can happily spend my time here- having some snacks and reading magazines.
The menu wasn’t that extensive and limited starters, mains and desserts.
Current promotion: Order any of the promotional sandwich and get a free drink ( choice of berry , apple or banana)

Berry-delicious

This is the name of this drink and indeed was delicious! The smoothie consist of 5 different berries and it serves as a very refreshing drink . On top of that, berries are great antioxidants! Be warned , the smoothie is quite filling and would even fill you up quickly.


Half Time ($16.90 ++)

”Garlic pesto prawns with cheddar cheese in one half and peri-peri chicken and bacon in the other half on Focaccia bread”


Peri-peri chicken with bacon

The chicken meat was marinated with peri-peri sauce but it reminds me of the malay rendang gravy . It was rather tasty but the bacon were flimsy and hard.


Basil Pesto prawns and cheddar cheese
The prawns were tasteless and unfresh and the cheese was half-melted. Disappointing enough .
Overall, ambience was relaxing , the peri peri chicken was passable and I actually prefer the berry smoothie than the food.

There are several Italian restaurants in Holland Village- La Nonna, Al Dente Trattoria… & Amici is one of them. They used to be popular and have good ratings on the food but perhaps there was a change of chef, the standard seemed to have dropped.
The restaurant is cosy , narrow and cramp. The tables are placed facing the open kitchen where we can observe the chef at work. However, the restaurant is not well-ventilated and it gets rather stuffy and smoky having to dine in.

Mixed salad ( $8.90++)
Simple mixed salad with lots of sliced onions and kalamanta olives. Personally I do not really enjoy raw onions in salads.


Black cod with butter herb crust & mixed vegetable ($31.90++)
I was observing the chef at work and noticed one of them putting the cod in the microwave wave. What does that supposed to mean? It was oven-baked and not Microwaved! Anyway, back to the cod, the cod looks delicious but when I tried a little, it was way too salty! The ”butter-herb” crust was caramelized and salted and was enough to made me drink at least 3 glasses of water!

Verdict: DBS credit card gets 10 % discount ( ala-carte menu). A RETURN, unlikely....

Michelangelo’s had been on ”to-go” list. Previously helmed by Chef Angelo ( Started Angelo’s in Kiliney road) and after his departure, Chef Victor Tan took over and introduced a few of his ”own dishes’‘. The stalwarts like penne sambuca still remains on the menu.
Some new dishes being offered, braised boneless beef short ribs , Moroccan Lambshank, Chocolate fondant and The Seared scallops with caviar.


The menu

Recommended starters include the Pan seared scallops with caviar and the Seared Foie gras. Mains are priced on the higher side . They offer a 3 course lunch menu priced at $35 ++ and menu changes fortnightly. If you are feeling adventurous, try 3 course meal, which you can select an appetitzer, a main and a dessert from the ala-carte menu, priced at $58 (pasta) and $68 ( meat / seafood).


Pan seared scallops with carviar on onion confit & sun-dried tomato & pesto( $24++)

I would always love to try the chef’s signature as I believe it showcases the Chef’s skills and talent . This signature starter certainly did not disappoint! 4 de-shelled and crunchy prawns were paired with 3 bouncy and well-seared scallops.The scallops were the star of the show, they were fresh and has a bouncy texture. Paired with caviar and the sweet onion relish, it was perfeccct… particularly the onion relish, which leaves a sweet aftertaste.The prawns were also well-executed, they were not over-cooked and retain the firm texture.

Caesar Salad with poached egg ( $18++)
The Caesar salad was well-presented , top with a wobbly poached egg , slice of baguette and a crispy pancetta.The wobbly egg attracts my attention. I tried my best not to cause the runny egg yolk to leak out but the egg yolk blends in with the romaine lettuce, it taste great!While the caesar cream was too heavy , the crispy pancetta was sort of ”unhealthy” and the baguette ( replaced by croutons) was plain, the runny egg yolk helped to salvage the imperfection.
Sticky date pudding ( $13++)

The sticky date pudding is small but it serves as a filling dessert . I was recommended to try out this sticky date pudding. Frankly speaking, this is my first time trying a sticky date pudding and thus I am not very sure how to rate a sticky date pudding.
The sticky date pudding is served with a scoop of ice-cream butterscotch sauce and some fruits. The pudding was sweet and dense but towards the end, I felt that the base was a little charred but generally the pudding was average.


Verdict: A pleasant dining experience at Michelangelo’s. I have not been to Michelangelo’s and thus I was not sure whether the standard has risen or (dropped) after the departure of Chef Angelo but in IMHO, the scallops were yums!