Buon Appetito

A&S were back in Singapore and we took the opportunity to catch up over dinner at Osteria Mozza. After our last excellent experience at the casual dining Pizzeria (located just next door), we were looking forward to this fine dining experience.

True to form, the food didn't disappoint and we had a 3-hour belly bursting gastronomic feast. The starters we had were scrumptious and I particularly liked the grilled octopus and Ribollita 'Da Delfina' i.e fried vegetable soup.

Mains wise, the star of the show was the Porcini Rubbed Wagyu Rib Eye Bistecca (scarily priced at S$208), which was done thankfully not too bloody and nicely salted. Both the seafood and oxtail ragu pasta were also great tummy fillers while we awaited our slab of meat.

As stuffed as we were, we valiantly made space for desserts which didn't disappoint. Surprisingly, what I thought would be my favourite: flourless chocolate cake paled in comparison with the other selections. Of notable mention was the cannoli which was flaky on the outside and a nice juxtaposition to the creamy fillings.

Starters that were unfortunately not quite sharing-sized [bottom row, left to right]: Burrata with bacon, marinated escarole & carmelized shallots, Crispy Pigs Trotter with frisée, apple & mustard and Grilled Octopus with potatoes, celery & lemon.

A very interesting Ribollita 'Da Delfina' i.e “fried vegetable soup" counter-intuitively, referring not to the vegetables, but to the soup.

All about parma: I particularly liked the fluffy floury pillows that complemented the parma ham so well.

Mains [from top-left, clockwise]: Linguine with clams, pancetta & spicy chiles (family portion), Tagliatelle with oxtail ragú (individual size), Grilled Whole snapper with herbs & extra virgin olive oil and an unbelievably good vegetable side with fried garlic toppings. Unfortunately, I can't recall the exact name of this dish.

The Star: A huge slab of medium rare Porcini Rubbed Wagyu Rib Eye Bistecca, almost gone in 15 minutes.

Making space for desserts [from top-left, clockwise]: Flourless chocolate cake, Cannoli di Gelati (caramel, banana & espresso) and Bombolini huckleberry marmellata & vanilla gelato.

Fine wine and good conversation make happy diners...

While the final bill was slightly heartstopping, it was one of those glad we tried this once moments. Overall, a memorable meal made even better when catching up with colleagues (some ex) who have become friends.

P.S In case you were wondering what I mean by Buon Appetito (boo-on app-èt-it-oh), it means "have a good meal" in Italian, usually said before a dinner with friends.

P.S.S Post meal, I was so stuffed that it felt like I was still digesting dinner next morning!