Spora Cucina: Sardinian food just next to Orchard Road

The restaurant exterior reminds me of Las Vegas, bright lights, neon...Inside, it is reminiscent of the set from a Mafia movie. And the food, is authentic Sardinian, simple, pure, robust tastes.

The interior, I must say is very beautiful. Like a dark, high end club/restaurant as might be favoured by celluloid Mafia.

We began with a salad, as is usual, perhaps for an Italian place:  Polpo Alla Carlofortina ($20++)

Slow-cooked fresh octopus with celery, olives, pine nuts, basil and house made dressing. Of course, the greens are fresh, as are the tomatoes. The olives added a nice bite, while the dressing goes magnificently well. The octopus is cooked till very tender, and is mild flavoured.

The next dish was a rather interesting one. Biscotto di Pecorino ($22++).

What looked like a roti prata, with honey. Sopra calls this the Pecorino cheese stuffed in pane carosau and drizzled with honey. The cheese is very mild, reminds me a little of mozzarella, a similar texture and consistency, and the stretchy, springy mouthfeel. I cannot decide if the honey is a good complement. Perhaps I might leave out the honey as it makes it a bit too coy and sweet.

We also had a pizza, of course, this is an Italian restaurant afterall:

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I must say this is superb. the Pizza Sopra ($28++ for 9"), with tomato sauce. Mozzarella. Parma ham. Fresh tomato. Arugula. Parmesan. Everything went well with each other. The pizza bread was excellent...crusty on the outside, with smokey burnt bits, and very soft and fluffy within. The ham was a standout for me. Enjoyed this very much, and will be a recommended dish for me.

We also had pasta, again a natural for an Italian, but this with a slight twist

 Malloreddus alla Campidanese ($25++). Its a traditional Sardinian semolina pasta with rosemary pork sauce. The pasta is dry gnocci, Sardinian style done with semolina. It was firm to the bite, and there was just enough sauce to coat each bit of pasta and not more. One of my pet peeves on pasta in Singapore is that our kiasu culture demands that we have a lot of sauce...that it drowns the pasta. Frequently after eating the pasta, a pool of gravy remains. This is NEVER done in Italy. Where the sauce is to accompany the pasta, just enough to coat each strand/bit of pasta, and no more. This was the case in this Sopra pasta. Bravo! Tastewise, the sauce is rather special. Sinews of pork bathed in a tomato sauce is abundant and coats the gnocci. Very nice. Also recommended.

And then the star of the evening: suckling pig:

Porcheddu Sardo ($48++). Traditional Sardinian suckling pig (400grams) with Mediterranean herbs and roasted potato. Truly superb. Single portion sized servings, instead of requiring one to order an entire suckling pig. The two pieces we got was superb. Rib side, it was a really small pig. As can be seen from the picture, the crackling is to die for. Light, crispy, and mild tasting (no heavy  porcine flavours here.) If one strains one's taste buds, perhaps a touch of milk can be detected, as the little pig who went to piggie heaven for this morsel had only been fed with its mother's milk. 

The tiniest sliver of fat lies beneath the crackling, and the meat within was tender and juicy. Goes really nice with the roasted potato, and the bed which is a kind of bread crackling. Very nice, and highly recommended.

The desserts then. Tiramisu ($10++). Layers of coffee soaked sponge and mascarpone sabayon.

Nicely done, but nothing exceptional to write Mom about. 

And the Cannoli ($10++).  Traditional pastry filled with Ricotta, Chocolate and Candied Orange.

I liked this quite a lot. The cannoli was hard and crispy. Dry texture, but goes marvelous with the soft, creamy insides. Really nice end to a good meal. 

A wide selection of wines and Italian beer is also availble. I had the typical Peroni Nastro Azzurro ($12++) which was nice to complement the dishes.

In conclusion, a very nice place. They do have a private room which can seat 30, if memory serves me right. And the main dining hall which is very beautiful. They also have outdoor seating where smoking is allowed, and a nice bar area. Traditional Sardinian cuisine, with earthy, simple and robust flavours. The suckling pig is a true standout as is the cannoli dessert. Highly recommended.

p.s. This was an invited tasting. Thanks to Food News for the invitation.

Sopra Cucina & Bar | Italian Restaurant  

www.sopra-cucina---bar.quandoo.sg

10 Claymore Road #01-02, 229540

6737 3253

Restorante Otto: a gem in Italian cuisine

Otto has been one of my favourite Italian fine dining restaurants. Always appropriate, always excellent cooking.

This recent visit, on invitation by Omega Watches in a dinner to show their latest BaselWorld collection, was no different. Except for one dish, which while still ok, did not make the cut of the other excellent dishes served. 

The dinner was a degustation menu. Let me start with the wines. The white is an old favourite from the region of Langhe. 

Nice, dry, with sweet notes, apples, pineapple. Very good with the starter, which were giant white asparagus with parma ham and Montasio cheese gratin.

Very good. I am reminded with the Spargel Konig in Germany when I was there for the whole month of May in 2010. Very nice indeed. And complimented wonderfully with the saltish and savoury parma ham.

The second course was a pan fried foie gras

Magnificent. Two rather large slivers of a top grade foie gras. No veins, all smooth, wonderfully aromatic and fantastic mouthfeel. The tiny drops of aged balsamic vinegar providing a nice counterpoint by cutting the fat.

The ravoili was next

I loved this as well. Dutch veal in ravioli. The meat was very nicely balanced within...bursting as one bites into the ravioli. The pasta itself was perfectly cooked...a nice al dente.

We also had a seared kingfish, but that dish was a letdown after the amazing appetizers, and what was to come next. No pic of the fish. 

But the mains of suckling pig was superb

The very crispy skin of the suckling pig, lacquered with black locus tree honey and aged balsamic vinegar. The meat was also extremely tender, and flavourful. Very good main course which went well with the red wine chosen for the evening.

Not really a wine I am familiar with, but the Vigneto Gallina Vursu Reserva 2006 was quite superb. Dark, fruity, crisp barbaresco, the wine paired perfectly with the suckling pig. 

For dessert, a dark chocolate cake

Served with Haitian vanilla ice cream. The chocolate was as chocholate usually is...marvellous. Dark, a tinge of bitterness but clothed with sweetness, and a rich, oozing mouthfeel. Great way to end a wonderful meal.

Highly recommended for a great Italian meal. And thanks to Omega for hosting.

Restorante Otto

28 Maxwell Road,
#01-02 Red Dot Traffic Building
Singapore 069120

Reservations strongly recommended
Telephone +65 6227 6819
Fax +65 6227 8350
Email info@ottoristorante.com.sg

Chinese New Year treats at Park Palace, Grand Park Hotel

Its almost Chinese New Year...or at least, each year, the celebrations start earlier and earlier. Media tastings have begun, and I have already attended quite a few. Today's post is on an interesting one...tradition with a twist...offered by Grand Park Hotel's Park Palace Restaurant.

Tucked in the second floor of the Grand Park Hotel, this restuarant looks newly renovated and spiffy. Nice interiors.

I was invited for a media tasting, and the table setting is also indicative of the festive atmosphere, with splashes of traditional colours - orange representing gold, gold leaf, red.

As is traditional for the season, the meal began with yusheng...

A bit special...with gold leaf on the shredded radish and croutons. The raw fish was also interesting as sashimi grade yellowtail is offered. The fish tasted excellent. The croutons were less obvious than cheaper alternatives, and offered a nice crunch. The sauce was also a bit more restrained, allowing the fresh ingredients to shine.

Next, an utterly traditional roast suckling pig

But served in an untraditional twist...the skin was removed and served on a piece of steamed bread coin with a dark, sweet sauce reminiscent of those used in Peking Duck, complete with sprigs of spring onion.

Superb suckling pig. The skin was an ultra crisp crackling, expertly carved such that there was hardly any fat lingering on the underside. The taste was superb...light, yet robust. The sauce and spring onion added two additional dimensions, one pushing towards a richer taste, and the other cutting the richness...wonderfully balanced by the neutral palate offered by the bread. Excellent dish, one of the best suckling pig skins I have eaten.

The rest of the pig was whisked away and to be returned as a second course later.

A beautifully presented deep fried garoupa was next

The presentation is excellent, and deserves a double plus. The meat, already filleted and deep fried was nicely cooked...crisp outside, juicy within. A sweet and sour sauce is prescribed and went well. In this august company of dishes presented that afternoon, the fish was my least favourite...but having said that, in another restaurant or another time, this quality of fish at this level of cooking would be very appreciated.

The piece de resistance for a CNY dish has to be the pen cai

With 18 ingredients, this huge pot of treasure is truly a sight to behold...the ingredient list are as follows: Sliced Abalone, Sea Cucumber, Scallops, Prawns, Whole Conpoy, Roast Pork, Roast Duck, Soya Chicken, Tien Shin Cabbage, Lotus Root, Black Mushroom, Bai Ling Zhi Mushroom, Nameko Mushroom, Broccoli, Wood Fungus, Gingko Nuts, Duck Webs, Beancurd Sheet, White Radish, Sliced Sea Perch Fillet, and Sea Moss. Phew, what a mouthful...indeed there was sufficient to feed 10 with at least 3 servings, each with a different set of ingredients as they are laid on the pot as layers.

And to add to the spectacle, the chef flambes the pot by your table, with Henensey VSOP.

Tastewise, this dish cannot be faulted. The premium ingredients shone, and the briasing liquid was superbly crafted...each ingredient adding its own wonderful flavour, aroma and taste to the dish. The radish, simple, humble vegetable as it is, truly shone in the dish...absorbing all the intensity and releasing it with each bite. Truly an excellent dish, and certainly one of the best pen cai I have eaten.

Then the second serving of the suckling pig was presented...

The rest of the pig, sans part of the skin is then oven baked with lemongrass. The meat was tasty, tender with a rather strong lemongrass flavour.

The rice dish was next

Billed as the "Auspicious glutinous rice with foie gras and preserved meat", the twist is in the use of a typically French ingredient in a rather traditional Chinese dish. I must say I am impressed. The glutinous rice is made into a cupcake like shape and pan fried till the outside is crisp, the inner still moist and sticky. Within the insides are stuffed the preserved meats traditional for the season, and atop sits a slice of foie gras. Nice twist, and taste good.

And finally the desserts in the form of steamed mini pumpkin dumpling with green bean paste

The dish looks amazing. Beautiful, looking like little pumpkins. The skin is similar to ang ku kueh, though a bit tougher. This is the style of modern desserts...not so sweet, just a touch to clean the palate after a rich meal.

Nice Chinese New Year banquet style presentation. Great dishes.

This is an invited tasting. Thanks to Jean Ng for the invitation and hospitality.

Blog Promotion: Complimentary bottle of house red wine per table of minimum 10 pax. Please provide promotion code: "Ho Chiak blog" when you call to make your reservation to enjoy this speical.

Also available is an Early Bird Special: Book now and dine-in from 21st Jan to 7th Feb to enjoy 20%off to Lunar New Year Set Menus or A’la Carte.

Park Palace Restaurant
Grand Park Hotel
10 Coleman Street