Gary’s Restaurant @ Rochester Park - Contemporary Italian Restaurant Set In A Heritage Bungalow

Gary's Restaurant, helmed by Taiwan-born Singaporean Chef Gary Wu, is located in a heritage bungalow surrounded by greenery. It's tucked in the quaint Rochester Park and offers both indoor and alfresco dining, as well as private dining spaces that are fit for various occasions.

Homemade Focaccia with Kombu Butter

We were served complimentary Homemade Focaccia with Kombu Butter before the start of the meal. I would highly recommend enjoying them immediately upon serving while they are still warm. The focaccia slices were lightly toasty yet fluffy, pairing perfectly with the homemade kombu butter.

Red Prawn Tartare 4.5/5

Appetiser was a flavourful start with the Red Prawn Tartare ($26), made with a combination of Botan Ebi and Gambero Rossi prawns. The drizzle of citrusy dressing and crunchy watercress bits complemented the intense sweetness and freshness of the prawn base, elevated with caviar and creamy uni.

Iconic Gary’s Garden Salad 4/5

The Iconic Gary's Garden Salad ($26) is a creation inspired by one of Singapore's iconic city skylines - Marina Bay Sands. It is assembled with mashed potato, charcoal powder and breadcrumbs as the 'soil' base, alongside seasonal greens such as heirloom carrots, US asparagus, mushrooms and more. It's then topped with truffle snow, pops of olive oil caviar and seasonal truffle shavings. It is a lighter starter than the Red Prawn Tartare, focusing on the freshness of the seasonal vegetables.

Signature Seafood Pasta 4.2/5

The Signature Seafood Pasta ($28) features homemade tagliolini in a seafood-rich stock made from slow-cooked lobsters and prawns. All the seafood in this pasta - clams, mussels, lobster and baby cuttlefish, were flambéed with brandy to bring out their flavours further. I appreciated how there wasn't too much of other additional seasoning added in, which allowed emphasis on the natural seafood sweetness.

Scottish Bamboo Clam 4.5/5

The dish that won unanimous praise from our table is the Scottish Bamboo Clam ($36). It is flambéed in white wine, and the crunchy slices of clams are then dressed in a light lemon dressing to pair with Italian squid-ink pasta in a garlicky base. The addition of bottarga powder elevated the overall seafood flavour with its light fishy notes.

Iberico Pork Jowl 3.5/5

The Iberico Pork Jowl ($38) features pork marinated with a blend of herbs and spices for 24 hours, accompanied by carrot purée and crushed pistachio. While the flavour was decent, it was a pity that the pork slices were too chewy for our liking.

Grass-fed Tenderloin

My dining companions enjoyed the Grass-fed Tenderloin ($42). The 150-day grass-fed Australian tenderloin is chargrilled and served with sides of potato cake, endives, roasted mushrooms, Dijon mustard and veal juice reduced with red wine.

Dessert Platter

If you're here for a celebration, the Dessert Platter is something you can look out for. End your meal with a fun sparkler candle that comes with a minimum order of 2 desserts. We got to try a trio for our platter here.

Gary’s Chocolate Lava Cake 3.5/5

Though the exterior of Gary’s Chocolate Lava Cake ($16) leaned more eggy tasting, it had an oozy dark chocolate centre which we enjoyed. We had ours with a scoop of nutty and sweet pistachio ice cream.

Gary’s Apple Tart 3/5

I prefer apple tarts with more tartness, while Gary's Apple Tart ($16) leans more bitter-sweet with the caramel sauce. Unfortunately, we found this a little too dry as a whole.

Tiramisu 3.8/5

Last but not least, the Tiramisu ($16). The highlight was its smooth and light mascarpone pairing with Kahlua coffee liqueur.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Gary's Restaurant
41 Rochester Drive
Singapore 138582
Tel: 65 89200200
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Buona Vista (CC Line, EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Buona Vista MRT station. Take Exit C. Take the sheltered walkway and walk towards Star Vista. Turn left onto Rochester Drive. Walk down Rochester Drive towards Rochester Mall. Take the staircase at the back of Rochester Mall. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]

Casa Pietrasanta @ Connexis Tower, Fusionpolis - Private Dining Concept With Italian-Mediterranean Degustation Menus Under $75

Casa Pietrasanta at One North is a new affordable Italian private dining concept by Ristorante Pietrasanta. The intimate 20-seater space, centred around an open kitchen, offers degustation menus under $75.

We have the Three Course Dinner Degustation Menu ($64.90 per guest), comprising an appetiser, a main course and a dessert. The dinner started with complimentary bread and breadstick paired with olive oil. Following that is a delightful cod fish croquette, deep-fried and paired with a delicious tomato sauce.

Stracciatella 3.5/5

There are six options for Appetiser. I decided to go for the Stracciatella, which requires an additional top-up of $5. The plate consists of burrata cream, 18-month parma ham, rocket pesto and semi-dried tomatoes with homemade balsamic glaze. It is a classic pairing that won't go wrong.

Seabass Carpaccio 4/5

Tortino della Lunigiana 4.2/5

The other appetiser my dining companions chose were Seabass Carpaccio and Tortino della Lunigiana. If you prefer something light and refreshing, go for the Seabass Carpaccio. The thinly sliced seabass was seasoned with pink peppercorn, lemon zest and Tuscan extra virgin olive oil. Another beautiful appetiser is the traditional Tortino della Lunigiana, laid with zucchini and red onion frittata. I love how the red onion's sweetness comes through in the dish.

Duchess Potatoes 4.5/5

Before moving to our mains, we are served with some Duchess Potatoes. I love this way of enjoying mashed potatoes, giving them delectable duo textures, crispy on the exterior and creamy inside.

Risotto Escargot 4.2/5

There are six options for the Mains. I decided to go for the Risotto Escargot for an additional $8. It was a good recommendation from the staff. The rice cooked in a red wine brown sauce was deliciously flavourful. It even comes with three escargots which probably need some effort to remove the flesh from the shell, but all is worth it.

Guanciale di Manzo 4/5

The rest of the group has the Guanciale di Manzo and Linguine Vongole e Bottarga. Meat lovers will enjoy the Beef Cheek cooked to tender, dressed in a spicy green sauce and paired with red and yellow capsicum. An additional $10 top-up is required for the beef cheek.

Linguine Vongole e Bottarga 4.2/5

Ristorante Pietrasanta is known for its pasta, and sure indeed, the Linguine with Clam cooked with grey mullet bottarga in white wine sauce did not disappoint. The addition of fresh tomatoes further brightened the whole enjoyment.

Gianduiotto al Fior di Latte 3.8/5

There are three choices for dessert to wrap up the dinner on a sweet note. Chocolate lovers will enjoy the rich and creamy Milk Chocolate Gianduiotto, topped with Amarena cherries and paired with milk cream sauce to cut the richness.

Sharon's Granita 4/5

The Sharon's Granita comprising lychees granita, prosecco jelly and roselle syrup is a light and refreshing dessert that is somewhat addictive. I could not help returning for more as it has a nostalgic taste that grows on me.

Tortino alle Mele e Vaniglia 4.2/5

The crowd favourite was the Tortino alle Mele e Vaniglia. A delicious green apple crumble tart topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Two menus entice for lunch and dinner at Casa Pietrasanta. Lunch is priced at $39.90 (3-Course) and $59.90 (4-Course), while Dinner is priced at $64.90 (3-Course) and $74.90 (4-Course). 

Note: This is an invited tasting.



Casa Pietrasanta
Connexis (Fusionpolis One)
1 Fusionpolis Way
#02-04
Singapore 138632
Tel: +65 81251154
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: One-North (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 530pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at One-North MRT station. Take Exit C. Turn right and walk out of the building. Turn left and walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]