No holiday to Italy is complete without experiencing its incredible food culture. What’s the next best thing? New restaurants like these, with their laid-back atmosphere and reasonably priced menus, that maintain the essence of Italian cooking to keep you coming back.
Acqua e Farina @ Keong Saik: Authentic dishes from the heart
With a hearty menu of their nonnas’ (grandmothers) recipes and flavours, chefs Antonio Manetto and Roberto Galbiati present their second restaurant after their first at The Rail Mall.
Designed by Italian architect Samuele Martelli, the inviting Acqua e Farina @ Keong Saik with a trattoria vibe accommodates up to 46 guests indoors, and six outside.
Manetto and Galbiati’s home towns in Naples and Milan are reflected in their photos on the walls, the decor, and their food. Seafood and vibrant spices embody the Mediterranean essence with lighter, refreshing dishes of South Italy, while creamy sauces and cold cuts are reminiscent of North Italy.
Standout antipasti include Keong Saik’s specialty, Montanara ($34++), a traditional deep-fried and baked Neapolitan dish with tomato sauce, pork sausage, nduja, and burrata. Another is Tegamino con Cipolle, Asparagi e Guanciale ($32++) which combines sweet onions with crunchy green asparagus and salt-cured air-dried pork jowl.
Among the mains are Risotto ai Ricci di Mare e Bottarga ($36++), creamy risotto with sea urchin broth and briny sun-dried, salt-cured bottarga; and Tagliatelle al Cacao con Gamberetti e Nduja ($36++) comprising handmade cocoa pasta in a rich sauce with tender portobello mushrooms, succulent shrimp, and nduja.
Pizza lovers will enjoy the savoury dough made from scratch and rested for 36 hours. The tomato-based pizzas include Pizza Margherita ($25++) and Pizza Acqua e Farina ($37++) with mozzarella, ricotta cheese, salami and sauteed spinach. A white-based one to try is Pizza Pistacchio ($36++) with ricotta-stuffed crust, mozzarella, cream of pistachio, and mortadella.
The Dessert Platter ($20++) offers mini portions of crème brûlée, lava cake, panna cotta, and tiramisu. Besides comforting Italian fare, the restaurant also offers a variety of signature cocktails, such as the Spumonsky ($22++), a unique Japanese cocktail made with Italian liqueurs.
Acqua e Farina @ Keong Saik is at 35A Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089142. For reservations, visit here.
Casa Vostra: 30 pizzas and home-style pastas from $13++
Taking over McDonald’s at Raffles City Shopping Centre, Casa Vostra‘s first physical store serves over 30 pizzas and home-style pastas from $13++. Its fried Frittatina ($8++) is also the first of its kind in Singapore.
Chef-owner Antonio Miscellaneo’s pizzas at La Bottega are world-famous, ranked 15th in the Asia-Pacific and 57th among the World’s Best Pizzas. Working together with Ebb & Flow Group, the concept has evolved from ready-to-heat gourmet Italian cuisine for delivery to this standalone restaurant with a no-reservation policy and live pizza and pasta-making stations. The lunchtime queue speaks volumes.
With bold flavours and San Marzano DOP tomato sauce, Miscellaneo’s signature Newpolitan Pizza, including Diavola with spicy salami ($16++), is rooted in tradition and improved through modern techniques. White sauce bestsellers include Tartufo e Funghi ($28++) with fior di latte and taleggio cheeses, mushrooms, thyme, and fresh black truffle shaved tableside.
In the Doublecrunch Pizza, the dough ferments for 48 hours for a thin, bubbly texture, resulting in a lighter, crispier sandwich-like pizza with fillings. Caprese ($16++) with fior di latte, roasted tomato, basil pesto, and Parmigiano Reggiano and Mortadella ($22++; burrata, mortadella, pistachio, lemon zest, basil and Parmigiano Reggiano) are delicious.
Frittatina, a quintessentially Napoli street snack, consists of deep-fried, crunchy golden pasta balls stuffed with eggs, salami and cheese. Casa Vostra’s version comes in Carbonara (creamy pasta, guanciale, and mozzarella) and Lasagna (juicy beef, fresh tomato sauce, and house-made lasagna sheets).
Additionally, the menu carries classics such as Calamari Fritti ($12++) with capers mayonnaise, Burrata Tomato and Pesto ($25++), as well as irresistible homemade pasta formed into different shapes to carry nonna-approved sauces.
Complete your meal with Panna Cotta ($8++) with strawberry, basil, and olive oil, or Pizza Balls ($12++) with gianduja chocolate, glazed banana, or hazelnut crunch.
Casa Vostra seats up to 60 diners and is at #01-49/50/51 Raffles City Shopping Centre, 252 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 179103.
Locanda: Italian classics from different regions
One-Michelin-starred Buona Terra’s cosy Italian trattoria is a hotspot for foodies and newcomers on Little India’s Rowell Road. Locanda, named after the Italian word for “inn”, features red brick walls and wooden tables, as well as hearty, comforting Italian classics prepared by Buona Terra’s resident Italian chef Denis Lucchi and his experienced team.
Start with a light appetiser like Fennel Salad, Oranges, and Black Olives ($18++) or Focaccia Bread, Casera Cheese, Lardo, Hazelnuts, Truffle, and Honey Bruscaccia ($18++).
Locanda’s food draws inspiration from Italy’s rich culinary heritage. A central part of this experience is the beloved pasta, some handmade and each demonstrating a unique flavour profile, such as Pappardelle Ragu Genovese with Mixed Mushrooms ($24++) and Tagliatelle, Prawns, Fresh Tomato with Spicy Shellfish Sauce ($28++).
There are also hearty mains with robust flavours, like Braised Beef Short Ribs, Polenta, and Capers Sauce ($38++), Secreto Iberico Pork, Braised Endive, and Apple ($39++) with optional sides, and Mediterranean Seafood Soup ($36++).
As a convivial space for building bonds over a meal, the restaurant also offers large platters such as Beef OP Rib, Rucola and Parmesan, and Baked Potato ($268++) and Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare ($118++) for parties of four or more.
If you still have room for dessert, order Mix Berries, Crispy Basket, Pastry Cream, and Pistachio Gelato ($15++) or Sicilian Cannolo ($15++). The menu also features 150 premium wines from small-scale and lesser-known producers that use natural biodynamic methods or are limited editions. There are also limoncello, grappa, amaretto, montenegro, and Italian craft beers, as well as non-alcoholic Italian sodas, mocktails, and sparkling fruit drinks.
Locanda is at 109 Rowell Road, Singapore 208033, and seats 48 in the main dining room and 12 in the private dining room. For reservations, visit here.
Sospiri: Flavours of southern Italy
On level 7 of IOI Central Boulevard Towers is Sospiri, an authentic Southern Italian restaurant and rooftop bar by restaurateur Beppe De Vito of the ilLido Group. Have a drink at the stylish bar, whose beverage list boasts an all-Italian selection of wines, Italian beers and spirit-forward cocktails. For dinner, start with antipasti like Insalata di Frutti di Mare followed by pastas like homemade pappardelle with cardoncelli mushrooms and cured tuna roe along with a range of fish, seafood and meat dishes. Highlights include grilled swordfish belly with datterini tomato sauce and sicilian caponata, grilled octopus with controne white beans and crusco peppers, and grilled lamb t-bone chops.
Sospiri is at IOI Central Boulevard Towers, #07-02, 2 Central Boulevard, Singapore 018916.
This article was first published on Sep 13, 2024.
Additional text by Eris Choo and Amy Van.
