[PROMOTION] ETNA

Pardon me if I am too slow, but I just got the true definition of ETNA. (Refer to my dining experience at ETNA over here). And ETNA means... Every Table Need Attention!

So, if you're looking for a restaurant, where you will be served good (italian) food with above average service, please make your way down to ETNA. I assure you that you will not be disappointed, because I wasn't.

Here's a promotion for the upcoming Valentine's Day. Surprise your partner by bringing him/her for an unforgettable dining experience!

Etna Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria

Another new post. Another new post on Italian cuisine.

2 Saturdays back, L decided to bring me to Enta Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria! We took quite awhile to find the location, and the rain didn't help at all.

Entrance (courtesy of google.com)

There wasn't any set menus for us to choose, so we had to make do with the ala-carte menu. It took both of us awhile to decide on what we want because all the items on the menu are so attractive!

Funny how neatly presented dining utensils can affect my mood for the meal.

The traditional fire place where the chefs will prepare our pizza.

Fire place

While the chefs were preparing our mains, the waitress politely serve us some warm bread.

Bread was warm, and fluffy. Not the kind of usual plain bread served in other restaurants though. L and I finished all 4 pieces up in a jiffy.

Another cute container for the olive oil and vinegar just like that one we saw at Pasta Inc.

Our mains!
L got the Chef's Special of the Day. Pizza with Burrata, Parma Ham & Rocket Salad

Pizza with Burrata, Parma Ham & Rocket Salad (S$29.00)

This didn't quite score with me, though the thing crust did impress me quite abit. The saltiness from the parma ham is delicious with the crust, but sadly, the rocket salad dressed on top was too bitter for our comfort. But I must say that the pizza is worth trying still!

I opt for pasta, as usual.

Linguine con Polpa di Granchio e Crema di Aragosta (S$25.00)

Liguine served with chunky crab meat in a lobster cream sauce.

And I really meant Chunky.

One word : Delish. Although it does annoys me to find some shell (probably due to crab meat) in my food...

Total bill came up to a total of S$57.78 for just 2 mains. Not cheap, but not expensive for a decent Italian meal too. Afterall, you get what you paid.

Promotion: There is a on-going 3/4 course set menu which is only valid on Weekdays Lunch.

ETNA Italian Restaurant & Pizzaeria

49/50 Duxton Road

Singapore 089513

Tel: 6220 5513

www.ETNAitalianrestaurant.com



Pasta Inc

Hello to everyone, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Although it is already the 18th day into this brand new year, Livelifelovefood still want to do a newyear shoutout to everyone reading this space!

Thank you to everyone who is reading lllf. No, we are not people who want fame and be a celebrity bloggers or whatever of that sorts. We just want to capture memories of the nice and not-so-nice food and share with everyone at the other side of the computer. And we definitely wish you will enjoy our posts as much as we enjoy the food heh.

Back to food! L and I finally had the chance to taste some really tasty Italian food after afew weeks of humble eating. Decided that eating real tasty food every single week isn't a good thing for both our wallets and waistlines. Afterall, almost all yummy things are fattening.

So here we go, at Pasta Inc for our lunch one Saturday!

Panorama Shot of the street

Had a tough time finding this place, but thank goodness for smartphones and the maps app. We finally reached here. I have always wanted to explore this part of Singapore, all the shophouses and narrow street attract me somehow.

The first step into this restaurant was a pleasant one. Politely greeted by one of the staff and led to our table straight away. Love how the tables are all spread out neatly with a decent amount of empty area in between each table. Remember how some restaurants have uncomfortabley small narrow spaces in between each tables, and how you have to whisper to your date awkwardly over meals just so that the other tables won't have the chance to hear what sweet nothings you two are saying?

Panorama Shot of the Interior

Over at Pasta Inc, you don't have to worry about that.because each table is neatly spaced out.

We were served bread as well, just like how we were served in other Italian restaurants. The bread here wasn't warm, neither are they fluffy and soft like the ones served at Modesto's. Quite disappointed, but my disappointment turns into amusement immediately when I see this.

Container of Olive Oil and Vinegar.

Cheap thrill, yes I know.
Soups were served very quickly.

Soup of the Day - Mushroom Soup

Bisque Di Aragosta - Homemade Lobster Bisque Soup

To be very honest, I wasn't impressed by either of them. L had the Lobster Bisque Soup while I opt for the Mushroom one. The Lobster soup was abit too fishy for my liking. While the mushroom one didn't impress me either.

Main course is up next!

Linguine Carbonara - Linguine with bacon in cream sauce and egg yolk

Was disappointed when I realised that the squid ink based pasta wasn't in the menu, as I was dying to try that as there were many raving reviews. But my carbonara quickly turn my disappointment around. I love to have linguine as my choice of pasta when I am having carbonara, and the chef did up my order as what I wished without much hassle too. The linguine was done al-dente (the italian way), accompanied with fresh bacon slices and delish sauce. Perfect-o! Although the one at Modesto's/Michengalo are better in my opinion. But nonetheless, I wiped the whole plate clean.

Tagliolini Ai Brocolli E Funghi - Tagliolini with Brocolli, Mushroom and Cherry Tomato in Oil, Garlic and Chillies.

L's choice. To me, this is like the italian version of our chinese wanton mee, with different sides. A very refreshing dish, but it will be better if the chef drizzle more olive oil as it gets a little too dry after afew mouthfuls.

A sweet dessert will end your meal nicely, thats what everyone says. And of course, we are glad to live by it.

Dessert of the Day - Tiramisu

This tiramisu didn't capture my heart nor stomach. Abit too bland, and too watery. A better dessert will definitely make us happier!

The total bill comes up to only S$31.80 because I got this 3 course meal deal off groupon. Would come back for the pasta anytime, but I will be saving my stomach for better desserts.

If you're a pasta lover as well, why not check out our posts on Italian Cusine over here?

Pasta Inc

35 Keong Saik Road

Singapore 089142

Tel: 6297 7515

Modesto's - Traditional Italian Wood-Fired Pizza and Home-Made Pasta

Italian Cuisine for dinner again! Can't stop smiling from ear to ear when I managed to persuade my colleagues to go for Italian Cuisine for dinner instead of a BBQ buffet. I love food, and one cuisine I will never ever get sick of, is Italian Cuisine. Because my love for pasta is insurmountable. Let's just say, if you know me personally, you will definitely that I can have pasta every single day without feeling sick of it. Alas, but I am not a particular fan of pizza though.

And so, here we are, at Modesto's @ Vivocity where Traditional Italian Wood-Fired Pizza and Home-Made Pasta are served.

Panorama shot of the restaurant.

The restaurant is dimmed so all the diners can have their meals in a cosy environment, which might be a little too uncomfortable for some who prefer well lit places. So pardon me if some of the shots are below your expectations, I don't want to disturb the other diners with the constant flashes from the camera. Hence, some shots turn out rather dark and blur without flash.

While waiting for our orders, there's this complimentary platter of bread served, together with condiments like olive oil, etc.

Fluffy, soft and warm bread which is fresh from oven. I don't see what's there not to like. But remember not to stuff yourself silly with these, because the main course served are in quite a huge portion.

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara (S$ 22)

Linguine with pork bacon, egg yolk and parmesan cheese in cream sauce.

Linguine Alle Vongole (S$ 23)

Linguine with fresh clams, dried chili and garlic in an extra Virgin olive oil and white wine sauce.

Rigatoni Alla Puttanesca (S$ 23)

Large tube pasta with anchovies, capers, black kalamata olives, dried chili and basil in fresh tomato sauce

Bistecca Di Manzo Alla Bismark Con Crema Tartufata (S$ 40)

Grilled ribeye steak with asparagus, parmesan cheese and fried egg, served with creamy white truffle sauce.

Prosciutto Crudo (S$ 56)

Blur shot of a portion of the pizza. It fills up almost the whole plate! Evidence of how huge the pizza is.

Tomato, cheese and Italian pork Parma ham. Can you imagine the devastated look on my face when the waiter served us our pizza before I could take a shot of the whole completed pizza. Le sigh. So the only thing I can do is to take photo of my pizza on my plate, to show you how huge the whole pizza is.

The pastas are all done al dente which is perfect for us. If you, however, prefer your pasta to be well cooked, simply let the chefs/waiters know, and they will whip it up for you the way you want your dishes to be. All the pastas are perfect, not just because I am a pasta lover, but because everyone else who ordered pasta love it. Whether is it white wine based, cream based or tomato based, you can be sure that you will be satisfied and definitely come back for more.

Like I have mentioned, I am not a fan of pizza. In fact, in order for me to fancy pizza, the pizza must be of a top quality grade. And I can find them here at Modesto's. Thin crispy crust which will not fill up 3/4 of your tummy before you get to enjoy the other dishes, and they are definitely generous with the ingredients too. We ordered the huge family size pizza since there are 6 of us, and boy, when I say huge, I really mean HUGE.

But of course you can opt for a smaller size pizza. There are 3 sizes available, Mini (approx 8"), Regular (approx 12") and Family (approx 20").

Since this is an Italian restaurant, the waiters work in an 'Italian way'. Don't adjust your plates personally while they are serving your food, because the waiters will prefer you to sit back and relax, and enjoy your dinner while they serve you.

For me, Modesto's has the perfect service, ambiance and food. What more can I ask for?

Total bill came up for S$ 210 for 7 of us - 7 mains + 1 Family pizza. Not very cheap, but I would go as far as to say this dining experience is worth every penny that you spent.

For pasta lovers, another place where you can make sure you get delicious pasta will be at Michelangelo's. (:

Modesto's

1 HarbourFront Walk #01-166/167

VivoCity Singapore 098585               

Tel: +65 6376 9808

Michelangelo's - Innovative Italian Cuisine

It's Restaurant Week! And of course both L and I couldn't give this chance to try good food a miss. I am very excited that I'm finally participating in RW for the first time!

Here is some background information, Restaurant Week comes bi-annually, and this October, Singapore has her 5th edition of Restaurant Week! RW, as the name suggests, means dining at participating restaurants which offers a set course menu at affordable prices! Lunch is a 3-course meal at top restaurants at S$ 25.00++, while dinner will be a 4-course meal at S$ 35.00++. If the restaurant of your choice is awarded a Dining City Star, then you will be required to top-up an addition S$ 15++/20++ for lunch/dinner respectively.

Being a huge lover of spaghetti, I've decided on an Italian restaurant, Michelangelo's, situated quietly in Chip Bee Gardens, just a stone throw away from Holland Village.

Two kinds of sitting arrangements, just pick what you like.

Panorama Shot

Perfect for first dates!

Just a word of caution, you may be a little uncomfortable over how dim the whole dining area is.

This seating arrangement will be nice if your date doesn't mean the heat, or if it isn't pouring.

Our set menu for the afternoon!

Don't worry if you're very hungry. While your dishes are being prepared, you will be served pieces of bread together with a platter of sides.

These taste perfectly normal. Nothing too fanciful. But please don't over stuff yourself with these.

For starters, both L and I picked Caesar Salad.

What attracted me was the poached egg. This is good. Wait, I mean this is very good. Fresh greens, drizzled with some magic sauce which is sweet and sour, yet not overwhelming. Simple, yet tasty enough to make both of us finish every single green on the plate. However, the bacon pieces, both chunky and flaky, was a little disappointing. Would prefer bacon bits anytime.

For the main course, L picked Quarantaotto, while I picked the Spaghetti Carbonara.

We were both surprised when this dish turns out like this, with soup. I guess that's the problem when you don't read the menu carefully, because I was expecting steak. But I feel that it turns out nice, because L commented that the meat was tender and tasty.

One word: Perfect-o.

Being a spaghetti lover, I have a soft spot for them. Which means everywhere I go, if I spot Spaghetti on the menu, I will not think twice about ordering that.

This particular dish, I must say, is lip-smacking good. I can't wait to finish everything in one go, yet I want to savour it for as long as I can. The spaghetti is done al-dente, not under or overcook like how some restaurants might. The white wine cream sauce is really tasty. Some wine sauce may be too strong, and turns people off with the 'wine taste', but this is done so perfectly, the wine sauce just brings the whole dish up to a higher level.

By this time, I am already extremely satisfied with my meal, and I can't wait for the desserts to be served because I believe that good desserts to sum up the meal is as important as the main courses being good.

I'm not a Tiramisu fan, after learning that it is made from raw egg. But this particular Tiramisu won me over, both its appearance and taste.

What is more amazing is the attentiveness of the waiter/waitress, who never fail to refill our glasses without being prompt to do so, even though the bottle of water is on our tables. At the end of the meal, when one of them saw L and I trying to take a photo on our own, he came up and initiated to help us take a photo. Isn't this what F&B service should be all about?

This meal came up to a total of S$ 96.51 for the both of us.

Inclusive of a whooping S$ 12.00 for the above aqua mineral.
I have to admit that this meal is quite expensive, and not exactly pocket friendly. But for the ambience, quality of food served, and of course, the thoughtfulness of the waiter/waitress, this particular meal is worth every penny.

Will I be back again? Yes I will, definitely. But I need to make sure that there's a promotion going on, else my wallet will not be able to afford it.

Michelangelo's

Blk 44 Jalan Merah Saga

#01-60, Chip Bee Garden

Holland Village