Along the stretch of Bukit Timah Road near Sixth Avenue, a new restaurant offering genuine Italian cuisine has opened its door. The month old
Caruso Ristorante Pizza Bar spots an orange and white furbishing replaced the defunct Onion Restaurant & Bar. The owner Leonardo Palmisano has named the restaurant after the great South Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso. Leonardo has also brought in Chef Franco and Chef Mario to help him run the kitchen while he oversees the front of the house.
Ground Floor
Second Floor
Caruso has 2 floors. The ground floor comes with an Italian Trattoria setting while the second floor has a more modern setup.
Joining me on the Saturday afternoon for lunch was
Charleen and
Hazel. We started our Italian lunch with some homemade
Focaccia,
Grissini Al Parma and
Polpette. It was my first time having the breadstick wrapped with parma ham. It actually quite like the combination. The chef has also prepared for us 2 version of the polpette, one made with eggplant while the other made from fish. The little delectable balls were fried to a nice crispy golden brown
Insalatina Di Mare 4/5
Presenting the ocean on a plate, the
Insalatina Di Mare ($25) or seafood salad showcased the freshest catch of the day. Keeping in clean and simple with just a drizzle of lemon sauce, the plate allowed the seafood to shine with its natural sweetness.
Vitello Tonnato 3/5
The
Vitello Tonnato ($24) is a popular Italian cold dish whereby thin slices of veal loin is served with tuna mayonnaise sauce and capers. It was a good dish but mixed review as the local palate was not quite receptive to the taste of veal that is not commonly eaten here.
Calamari Fritti 4/5
The
Calamari Friti ($19.50) was interesting stacked up into a tower but do not expect to get the same presentation in your next visit. The calamari was lightly battered and deep fried to a nice exterior crisp with a delectable bite to it.
Filetto Di Pesce Alla Napoletana 3.5/5
The
Filetto Di Pesce Alla Napolentana is a light and refreshing dish that came with melted in the mouth cod fillet.
Paccheri Amalfitani 4.5/5
The
Paccheri Amalfitani ($21.50) is definitely the star for the day. The freshly homemade paccheri pasta was served with eggplant, mozzarella and basil in a tomato sauce. What blown me away is how the cooked al dente pasta worked harmoniously with the rest of the elements on the plate.
Risotto Al Poricini Con Fegato Grasso 3/5
After having the pasta, it is inevitable that we need to try the other classic Italian dish, risotto. The
Risotto Al Poricini Con Fegato Grasso ($26.50) was cooked beautifully where the grain still came with a bite. There was a hint of mushroom flavour but I would preferred it to be more earthy and creamy.
Costatine Di Agnello Al Timo 4/5
I could smell the lovely aroma of the thyme from a distance when the
Costatine Di Agnello Al Timo ($29.50) was served. Although the lamb was a bit over it still tasted beautiful.
Cheese Platter and Puff Pastry 4/5
Moving on to dessert, we were served a
Cheese Platter and
Puff Pastry. I love having cheese but I have never tried having it with honey. I enjoyed the combination and learnt a new way to appreciate cheese more. Worthy a mention was also the crackling puff pastry that I could not help going back for more.
Panna Cotta Alle Fragole 4/5
The
Panna Cotta Alle Fragole ($11.50) was smooth, creamy and wobbly served with fresh strawberries.
Tiramisu 4/5
How can we not try the class Italian dessert,
Tiramisu ($12.50). The dessert with ladyfinger biscuits sponged in coffee Marsala liqueur and mascarpone cream cheese was simply beautiful.
Tortino Al Cioccolato 4/5
The
Tortino Al Cioccolato ($12.50) looked like a mess up chocolate lava cake served with vanilla ice cream. The ugly chocolate tart was surprisingly rich and moist wrapping up the lunch on a sweet note.
Chef Franco Lorello
This is
Chef Franco who used to own 17 restaurants in Holland is the co-partner of Caruso. He is in charge of the kitchen's direction and prepared the delicious food during my visit. Currently he flies to Singapore every couple of months. During his absence the kitchen is run by another Italian Chef Mario who is a friend of Leonardo.
I have enjoyed my lunch at Caruso Ristorante Pizza Bar. If the restaurant continues with its quality and standard, the new kid will go far. Under the experience hands of Leonardo and Chef Franco, I look forward to Caruso's success and scaling greater height.
Caruso Ristorante Pizza Bar
791 Bukit Timah Road
#01-01
Singapore 269764
Tel: +65 64697508
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/caruso.singapore
Nearest MRT: Sixth Avenue (DT Line)
Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 230pm, 6pm - 11pm
Direction:
1) Alight at Sixth Avenue MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk straight to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes.
[Map]
