Altro Zafferano - Italian Delights with the Most Beautiful View

Back at Altro Zafferano to enjoy truly Italian delights and NDP Fireworks 🎆 What a glorious experience!

Tip: Be on standby early at al fresco area before 7:30pm and 8:15pm to get the best view. Lots of people will gather at there way before these timings.

Capesante, Cavolfiore e Zafferano features pan-seared Hokkaido Scallops that is perfectly cooked to retain the bouncy texture at the core with a thin layer of char on the top. The Lobster and Saffron Bisque is packed with light umami with bc a touch of zest to complement the briny sweetness of the scallops. Cauliflower Cous Cous adds extra texture to the dish and absorbs the essence of the bisque so well that biting into it with the scallop is bliss.

Pomodoro e Basilico is a must-try here. Super fluffy and soft with thin crispy exterior, the Focaccina here showcases the perfect texture for a bread. Goes perfectly with the sweet Neopolitan Tomatoes with a hint of tangy taste. The herbal bitterness of olive oil adds layer of muted excitement to the taste. Tastes so good with the lobster bisque of Scallops.

LTagliatelle all'Astice Blu is light yet incredibly flavourful. I love the nuanced briny sweetness of the perfectly cooked European Lobster. The flat and smooth house-made Tagaliatelle has such a good bite. Datterini Tomatoes and Fresh Basil add that lovely authentic Italian flair to the dish.

Burrata Cheesecake with strawberry and extra virgin olive oil features light, creamy mousse with an iota of cheese flavour. Awesome dessert.

A trip to Zafferano leading up to NDP must include a video of the beautiful Fireworks

Thoughts: Delightful Italian Cuisine, Beautiful View, Exciting Fireworks

10 Collyer Quay Level 43

Altro Zafferano - So Italian and so Awesome

Back here again after so many years since my last experience at Zafferano, before the “Altro”. It was great and so I had been wanting to come back. So I finally able to do so, and this time, the good sentiments are even stronger because of the pronounced distinctive taste of Italy in the dishes, the tour of rooftop bar overlooking Marina Bay and the awesome service.

The southern Italian cuisine here tells stories about the sunny coastal region of Italy. I can actually taste it in dishes, which has this lovely rustic italian tang, infused with fine, delicate savour of modern fine dining. So Italian, so delicious, so satisfying. The food here is such a delight for the palates.

The view, yes, the view from Altro Zafferano is breathtaking. The bird’s eye view of Marina Bay from level 43 is one of a kind experience. In fact, patrons can freely transverse between the main dining hall and the rooftop bar to enjoy the view every now and then. And this place is a must-visit during NDP rehearsals since seeing the fireworks from here is simply glorious. I’m already planning my subsequent visits till next year already! The interior is of modern, relaxing with a touch of class, perfect for dates, great for gatherings and personal indulgence, like in my case.

The service here is splendid, taking very good care of us patrons despite being really busy with the full house. They make the effort on check in on me to see if I want to take breaks between dishes. Also, very good recommendation made on red wine. And they have this warm personality that reflects the sunny vibe of Southern Italy.

Update: Back here again the next year!

Oscietra Caviar, Sea Urchin Ice Cream, Seaweed Waffle is so creamy and luxurious. The sea urchin is uniquely made into ice-cream to create a softer taste of umami that goes perfectly with the sweet clear brininess of the caviar. The waffle adds a nice crunchy texture and sweetness to making it more exciting.

Amuse bouche of Tomato Foam with Dried Olive bits wows me over at first spoonful. It tastes simply so Italian! I immediately think of the sunny fields of tomatoes in Italy when I savour this. I love this so much.

Homemade Sourdough Bread with sweet tangy tomato sauce and olive bits is so rustic and unique. This tomato dip is a must-try because there is no other dip like this. The taste reminds me of sunny sweetness. And best of all, the bread is served piping hot. I go, “wow!” when I am plying a piece of the bread to see the steady stream of wisps of steam escaping from the bread.

Canadian Lobster here is most probably the best lobster I ever have. The lobster is tender with a touch of springiness and packed with briny sweetness. Its texture and taste is perfect match with the crunchiness and clean vegetal taste of the accompanying vegtables, especially the turnip-like Kohirabi. Sanbaizu and White Peach Emulsion adds the tang and sweetness to make the taste even more exciting.

House-made Tagliolini is oh-so-smooth in texture, I love it! With Alaska King Crab and Sea grape, this pasta is packed with lots of nuanced flavours that I totally appreciate. And milky brininess amazingly develops with more bites of this dish.

Acquerello Risotto with Red Prawn Tartare immediately fills me with this feeling of happiness at the first bite. The taste of risotto soaked with the savoury sweet broth of tomato, perked by by Sweet Pppers and Black Olives, is so comforting. And this rice is perfectly cooked to feature that starchiness and a good bite at teh core of each grain. The sweetness of Red Prawn Tartare can amazingly come through the flavour of tomato to make risotto taste heavenly good.

Bangalow Pork Chop is so tender and juicy, featuring a good bite and that lovely char to accentuate the meaty sweetness. 'Reggiana', braised lee and fennel pollen add the extra dimension and excitement to the taste.

Jac Wagyu MBS7 + Striploin is so succulent and rich in taste. Black Shallot, Smoked Marrow Jus cuts through the rich meaty flavours to elevate the taste to awesomely good. Baby Corn is great for between the bites to refresh the palates.

Apple Sorbet is very refreshing.

Amalfi Lemon with Pink Pepper and Limoncello Granita is refreshing, mildly tangy and creamy. And it has white chocolate in substitute of pastry base. I love this change. The perfect dessert to indulge in after the very filling pasta dish and meat.

Cheese Selection with Artisanal Onion Jam is an amazing marriage of pungency of cheese and pungency of onion. It works beautiful to create this robust, exciting, well-rounded taste. Crispy Bread is good for adding the crispy texture.

Lovely petit fours

My absolute favourite Red Wine because of its light fruity tones and smoothness.

Love the Dessert Wine full of floral sweetness.

Complimentary sweet hard liquor 👍🏻

Incredibly Beautiful Fireworks. Yes, I take this awesome photo with my Pixel from roof terrace of Altro Zafferano.

Thoughts: Beautiful Rustic Italian food and Beautiful Place

10 Collyer Quay

Ocean Financial Centre Level 43

Zafferano - Italian food with Unique, subtle Twists

While there are quite a number of restaurants that boast of panoramic view at extremely high floor, but take note that not all have a beautiful scenery outside, especially if there are ugly buildings in sight. As for Zafferano, the location is excellent because the restaurant faces the Marina Bay, thus one can expect to see the Flyer, MBS, the beautiful sea, ships and planes flying by at a distance. The interior is modern and chic, yet not intimidating at all, which makes it a nice chill out place.

When it comes to food, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the food is very flavourful with subtle hints of unique twists added in. The tangy taste of the sauce used in the cured salmon salad works absolutely well to complement the crispy vegetables and cured salmon. In fact, this is one of the few times that I totally enjoyed tucking into a salad dish since most salads are very bland that makes me felt like I'm a rabbit eating grass, despite adding copious amount of sauce. 

I knew that the sea bass with truffle infused mashed potato would be good the moment it arrived on the table when I caught the whiff of the aromatic truffle. I was proven right when I took my first bite; the pliable flesh of the fish was extremely fresh with zero hint of fishy smell, and the mashed potato imparted an extra dimension to the overall taste without overpowering the original taste and texture of the fish. After been to numerous restaurants, my impression is that European's style of preparation of fish is generally not up to par with that of Chinese, Japanese and North Indian. Exceptions are André, Robuchon and yes, Zafferano. The only thing that marred my savouring of the fish was that I found a fish bone in it, not exactly what I expected from a European restaurant.

The lemon crème with caramel is a very refreshing, creative and creamy dessert consisted of multiple, harmonious flavours: blissful sweetness (of just the right amount without overwhelming the palates), slight saltiness and cool tanginess. The crumbs add dimensions to the smooth texture of the beautiful ring of crème. Definitely thumbs up for this since I always appreciate bold creations of desserts that will still cater nicely to most palates. 

The service is nice and friendly, especially one of the lady staff who was very prompt to refilling of water and responded to my requests. Though the low light of the service is that with exception of the mentioned lady, the other members of staff just kind of ignored me on my way out, including the one at the front counter, who did not bother to bid farewell when she is obviously not as busy as the others.

I am very impressed that even for a lunch menu (includes appetizer and main only), efforts are put into creation of the dishes, and for only $38, it is a real steal. Though take note that coffee and tea are not included in the set menu. There is a discount for early birds during happy hours. The food and ambience here won me over to go back, hopefully, the service will improve.

My Thoughts: Very Nice and Impressive!

Nearest car park: Ocean Financial Centre's car park

Nearest MRT: Raffles Place

Ocean Financial Centre Level 43

10 Collyer Quay

Singapore

Contact No: 65091488