Gamberi
King prawns cooked in a fish and wine stock with a pinch of chilli, served with baked dough sticks.

It was actually our first time tasting butternut squash, which is actually a type of winter squash. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of pumpkin. Growing on a vine, the orange fleshy pulp turns increasingly orange, sweeter and richer in taste.


(+) The ripeness of the butternut squash was prime, delivering a subtle natural sweetness.
(+) Not overly cooked, still retained a rather firm texture, instead of mushy.
(+) Think of oven-baked pumpkin, and you should roughly figure out the taste.
(+) Contrary to popular belief, the goats' cheese served was not appalling nor repugnant. It was soft, mildly smoked and melted in our mouths. 



Saccottini
Two mini calzone; one with spicy n'Duja sausage and rocket; other with goats' cheese and pepper (vegetarian).

Calzone is actually a turnover that originated from Italy. (Think pizza folded into half) Also one of my favourite dishes in an Italian restaurant, it is shaped like a semi-circle, made of dough and filled with ingredients, common to that of a pizza. The smaller calzone featured in the picture above is the one with n'Duja sausage, while the larger calzone is vegetarian.


I always endeavour to figure out what exactly am I putting into my mouth. Little did I realize that n'Duja sausage is actually made from pork, cos it smelled and resembled the taste that of beef. It is in fact made with different parts of the pig, such as shoulder, belly, jowl as well as tripe, roasted peppers and a mixture of spices, a Calabrian (place in Italy) variation of salami.


(+) Ingredients were generous inside the calzone, and went well with the dip provided.


(-) The crust was not as crispy as what I had expected it to be, which kind of defeated the whole purpose of ordering calzone.




Spiedini Di Pollo
Oven baked chicken skewers with roasted peppers, rosemary and lemon.

(+) Red and yellow peppers were crisp. Ingredients were fresh.


(-) Being a fan of using rosemary in cooking, I could hardly detect any scent of it.
(-) The chicken chunks were slightly overcooked, tasted too dry and 'stiff' for our liking.
(-) Overall, a very mediocre dish, nothing too impressive.




Arancini Al Funghi
Mini risotto balls with mushrooms, mozzarella, thyme and rosemary, served with a pomodoro dip. 

This came as quite a surprise, cos we waited in anticipation how 'risotto balls' would look like. It certainly beat our expectations when it came as deep fried golden crispy balls. Creative.


(+) Particularly enjoyed the varied texture, crispy exterior with a soft, mushy interior.
(+) Appropriate amount of mozzarella used to make it a rich flavoursome bite, yet not too overwhelming to upset one's appetite with excessive cheese.
(+) The dip (which tasted like salsa) complemented and enhanced the overall taste of the golden delicious balls very well.
(+) Overall, a good balance of proportions of ingredients to make it a very gratifying treat.

Bruschetta Al Funghi
Mushrooms in a rich mascarpone, wine and thyme sauce, served on top of a mini ciabatta.

(+) The flavours of the mascarpone, wine and thyme sauce were infused into the mushrooms. At first bite, it was bursting with rich flavourful juices.
(+) Mushrooms were tender, yet not overly soft.
(+) The toasted ciabatta was crisp and crumbles at first bite.
(+) Mushrooms served on the ciabatta served a perfect varied mouthfeel, a simple yet beautifully composed dish.



Lemon Sorbet with Limoncello (£4.95/- = S$10/-)
Limoncello is a type of lemon liqueur which originated from Italy. Traditionally made from zest of lemons (without the pith), it would be steeped in grain alcohol until the oil is released. The resulting yellow liquid is then mixed with simple syrup. The clarity and viscosity are affected by the relative temperatures of both liquids. It has an optimal alcohol content of about 32%.