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Review: Ricciotti Italian Deli & Pastry
By daniel | September 11, 2007
I have certain expectations when it comes to modern Italian-Australian cuisine, especially having lived in Melbourne, Australia for almost five years. I even lived for two years just a few streets away from Melbourne’s famous Lygon Street, the city’s Italian food mecca. We’ve been to Ricciotti at The Riverwalk before, and it’s a pretty fair representation of the laid-back Aussie cafe culture that many have come to love.
Part of the Garibaldi Group - which also owns Ricciotti’s twin outlet Menotti at Raffles City Shopping Centre - Ricciotti’s location by the Singapore River makes it ideal for casual yet romantic dining in the evenings. If the weather’s nice to you, of course. Fortunately, it was a fabulous breezy evening when Esther and I went.
We were seated outdoors, rather far away from main indoor dining area, yet in full view of its huge kitchen next door. However, we were so out of the way that it seemed hard to get decent service. It was a good thing they served water (one of Esther’s pet peeves as seen by her rant while reviewing Fig & Olive Cafe), but they did so very grudging. The wait staff even forgot the first time around and took their sweet time even after our reminder. Never mind, walk some more.
After placing orders, we spent quite some time observing a chef as he stirred a huge metal cauldron of homemade tomato sauce and making ravioli by hand. It was quite entertaining, but our orders soon arrived.
Esther’s Veal Ravioli with Mushrooms ($17.90) looked utterly scrumptious.
And it was. Tender shredded veal meat was encased in al dente pasta casing, smothered in a rich meaty sauce, yielded well to the fork and hungry appetites. The mushrooms were sliced thinly yet provided a nice chewy contrast in texture. Our only complaint was that the sauce was a little too salty for our liking.
My Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni ($14.90) was as good as I remembered it. Covered in a light tomato sauce and melted cheese, this oven baked delight of rolled pasta stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach is sheer comfort food. It’s not rich as it looks, and makes a good vegetarian option for those who like lasagne. I could eat this every week (but Esther probably wouldn’t allow me).
Last to arrive, ironically, was our Salmon Bruschetta starter ($10.00), which we had to remind the kitchen to serve. Shouldn’t a starter, err, start a meal? Tsk. The salmon was actually quite pleasant, being not as salty as others we’ve tasted. But the bread was untoasted, tough, chewy and honestly a pain to swallow. It’s very rare that I leave food behind on a plate, but I couldn’t subject myself to eating thick cardboard. Perhaps the reason they took so long in the kitchen was because they were too embarrassed to serve this?
Ricciotti has a reputation for good pastries and desserts, but we decided we were full enough. By this time, the place was fully packed and the waiters were already eyeing our table. As we left, we ran into our glam chum Ruth - also an Aussie alumni, likely with similar cravings - who was waiting for her table with a friend. We left after a short animated chat and took a walk down to The Central near Clarke Quay for some after-dinner shopping.
You can find Ricciotti at 20 Upper Circular Road, #B1-49/50 The Riverwalk, Singapore 058416. Tell: 6533-9060. Reservations recommended, especially on Friday and weekend nights.
Topics: Cafe, Italian, Reviews |