A couple of weeks ago, DD and I sneaked out for a special treat -- a lunch, just the two of us!
I bade a firm goodbye to the kids, telling them that I was going for an "adults-only" lunch, and whizzed down to pick the husband from the business district. From there we took a short drive over to Tanjong Katong Road where we were welcomed at Trattoria Bonissima.
I'd been there once before with a friend and just knew that it would be the kind of place that DD would like -- hearty food in generous portions at reasonable prices. And I was right.
We started off with the Stracciata, because this was one dish that really stood out for me during my first visit. It is thinly sliced beef, lightly seared, served on a bed of rocket and cherry tomatoes, dressed with truffle oil, balsamic and parmesan cheese. I know what you're thinking: "Rare beef salad? Really?" But trust me, if you like meat, you're going to like this one. That marriage between the beef and the tanginess of balsamic, rounded out by the flavour of the truffle oil is really just perfect. Add to that the bitterness of the rocket, the sweetness of the tomato and the saltiness of the cheese…
Definitely still good the second time round. I'd go back just for this!
DD's choice of a starter was the Zuppa Di Mare, the mixed seafood in tomato soup. This is always a favourite of ours and the version here was really very good. I've been disappointed by some versions where the soup base is too thin or sour, but this one certainly met the mark -- full of flavour and with lots of fresh seafood.
As an added plus, the restaurant helpfully spilt the soup into two portions for us when we indicated that we would like to share it. Always a nice touch in my book.
Pictured here is a half-portion.
Since it was lunch, we both opted for pasta as we didn't want too heavy a meal. But even after narrowing it down to pasta, we still took a long time to choose what we wanted because there were just so many choices! And plenty of seafood options too, which are favourites in our book. DD plumped for an old favourite, Capellini Al Granchio, which is a crabmeat aglio olio capellini with chopped tomato. He was very pleased with the generous portion when it arrived! And it tasted really good too. The pasta done perfectly al dente, and aglio olio sauce was tasty with the flavour of the crab really coming through. His only complaint was that the crabmeat was shredded. Having chunks of juicy crabmeat to bite into would have made it perfect.
I defied all expectations (including my own!) and opted for something out of my comfort zone: Orecchiette Salsicia Broccoli. While I would usually automatically pick a seafood dish, I made the more unconventional choice of picking this: pasta with sausage, broccoli and chopped tomato in a spicy aglio olio sauce, topped with pecorino cheese. I must admit that the fact that it was orechiette played a part in influencing my decision. I think the buttons are such a fun shape to eat!
I was not disappointed. The dish was great, especially as the pecorino cheese melted in and combined with the aglio olio to make a silky sauce that just clung to the pasta. And the sausage meat was really tasty too. So I wasn't surprised when I was later told by the manager that the sausages are made in-house. Yum. Even DD agreed it was very good!
After all that food, we were rather stuffed, so opted to share a small dessert. DD wasn't in the mood for warm chocolate cake (shucks) so we decided to take the Profitorel. A plate of four of these sweet little babies arrived.
I was initially a bit disappointed that there wasn't any ice-cream! But the little profiteroles were cold and filled with a delicious chocolate cream. I had no trouble finishing my two and it made for a sweet ending to the afternoon.
After all that food, we felt the coffee was a must to help us stay awake!
It was, altogether, a very satisfying meal. It was clear that a lot of thought had gone into the menu and the ingredients were all of a high quality. We understood from the Chef Andrea Badiali (previously of Borgata at Clarke Quay and Borgo at Bukit Timah) that a lot of the ingredients were imported directly from Italy. For that, I thought that the prices were really reasonable!
DD and I had a very enjoyable and relaxing lunch, savouring the food and enjoying uninterrupted adult conversation. He'd been having a really busy period at work at that time so I really appreciated the opportunity for us to just get away and catch up.
We left promising ourselves that we would be back. Aside from more yummy pasta, I've heard rave reviews of the steak and lamb chops, which I really want to try! Maybe another lunch, another day. Being a short 10 min drive from the business district, I think it is pretty ideal for anyone who just has a bit of time and wants to get away from the Raffles Place lunch time madness. To sweeten the deal, they are currently offering 30% off all ala carte items at lunch time which I think is really a steal! There is also an Amex promotion where you get a complimentary dessert with every $50 spent.
We'll definitely be back!
Trattoria Bonissima
308 Tanjong Katong Road
Tel: 63465845
* This review is written based on a invited food tasting session. All opinions, however, are strictly my own.
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