Eat! Drink! Italiano! Bottura is undoubtedly one of the best new dining additions to the freshly refurbished Suntec City Mall.
An Italian restaurant, wine bar, café, gelato place and gourmet supply store all rolled into one, the multi-faceted concept certainly left us spoilt for choices.
We stuffed our tummies to the brim with pastas, pizzas and much more. Best thing is, the food are of palatable quality and prices are gentle on the wallet. I can imagine the working crowd there to be very happy with the Weekday Set Lunch at only $14.50++ (inclusive of pasta or pizza, dessert of the day and soft drink).
If the restaurant name rings a bell, it's because chef-owner Luca Bottura indeed hails from the Bottura family that has been a familiar one in northern Italy, Bologna's culinary landscape for generations. In fact, he's cousins with celebrity chef Massimo Bottura, the man behind 3-Michelin-star restaurant Osteria Francescana in Italy.
Why Singapore as their first venture abroad then? It turns out that Luca was already working in a bank in here for two years. Even though there are many good Italian restaurants around, price point are usually on the higher end. He wants to serve traditional homemade Italian food that he grew up with and love, while keeping the prices friendly so that patrons can have it on a frequent basis.
I certainly wouldn't mind returning for more of what Luca has to offer. Recipes came directly from his family, breads and pastries are baked daily, pastas are freshly made on site, even the stracchino cheese are house-made, so are the array of gelato flavors. Dry ingredients used for all that are specially imported from Italy, right down to the customized kitchen equipment!
To start, the Cold Cuts Platter ($22) is a delightful choice with cheese and paper-thin slices of ham from Emilia-Romagna. Arancini Al Ragú ($8), fried risotto balls oozing with creamy cheese and served with subtlety tangy tomato sauce, is another antipasti that I would highly recommend.
At Bottura, the focus is very much on Italian staples like pasta and pizza, which is why the meat selection for mains is rather concise with just two beef and one chicken item.
It's okay, because dishes such as Polenta Lasagne ($18) with traditional ragù and bèchamel sauce, as well as the Ravioli Panna Prosciutto e Funghi ($16) are really the stars here. The little square pockets of ravioli was especially pleasing with their thinner-than-usual pasta skin filled with spinach within. Combined that with ham, mushrooms and cream sauce, we have quite a winner here.
Another dish worthy of carbs calories is their house specialty, Tagliolini Zebrati ($18), a lovely pairing of egg and squid ink tagliolini tied together by a gentle cream sauce. Slivers of crunchy zucchini added a welcomed textural contrast to the plate of homey goodness, and shrimps gave bites of satisfying protein freshness.
This is one pasta I would order again, but if you're undecided or want to try more flavors for variety, the 6-Plate Degustation Pasta ($26) would be an ideal option.
Pizza selection at Bottura is very varied too, with more than 10 types to choose from. Crust is thin and adequately crisp yet retaining a slight chew.
Standouts include Pizza Con Tartufo ($22) with truffle paté and mozzarella, Melone ($24) featuring thinly-sliced rockmelon and Parma ham, as well as Arrabbiata ($18), a kick-ass spicy pizza with..... chilli padi!!! I'm surprised to see a distinctively localized element here, but the shiok factor made me not care further that it's not really 100% Italian to the core. Just eat lah!
We were in mood for icy treats and Spaghetti Gelato ($7) caught our eye. It's designed to look like a bowl of spaghetti bolognese, with strands of vanilla "pasta", berry "sauce" and meringue "mozzarella". Haha eating is made more fun.
Bottura may not serve the most gourmet of Italian cuisine, but is certainly one of the best when it comes to casual, affordable and quality food. *Pats tummy happily*
Address: Suntec City Mall (between tower 1 & 2), #02-472/3/4, 3 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038983
Contact: +65 6238 7527
Website: http://bottura.sg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/botturasg?fref=ts
Opening Hours: Daily 10am-10pm
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