Anto Pizza e Aperitivi feat Wala Pizza - Interesting Pizza

I had been seeing posts about Wala Pizza Private Dining and the raves about this place, and that really piques my curiosity. So when Wala Pizza is collaborating with Anto Pizza e Aperitivi for a limited time, I immediately secured a reservation in order to satisfy my curiosity.

The Truffle Carbonara from Wala Special Menu is really unique and very flavourful. The dough has the texture similar to that of a super fluffy bread and an inherent sweetness similar to that of sour dough bread. I love this dough. In fact, the pizza tastes better when eaten with the fluffy edge of the dough to balance the strong flavours.

This pizza is full of goodies such as bacon, guanciale, runny eggs, truffle oil and yes, pepper! In fact, I feel that the pepper is the highlight of the pizza because it makes the taste unique and exciting.

Overall it is a good and interesting pizza.

The exterior of the restaurant is of nice quaint shophouse covered with gorgeous pastel green tiles with floral designs. The interior is like this cool stylish bar. Since I’m seated at the outside, I just caught a fast glimpse of the interior only. All in all, this is a nice place to chill and enjoy some hearty Italian treats.

Though an outing here makes me realise that ambience is so important for me to enjoy my dining experience. Being seated right at the entrance, right beside the reception, right at a low table, right behind a high table makes me feel like an afterthought. It’s like I was the last patron to secure a seat (I’m not) and they begrudgingly squeezed out a corner for me, where my space and comfort is of least concern.

Yes, I do feel slightly better when I see previous photos showing that low table beside the reception is always there actually. But this doesn’t take away the fact that I do not have the space I expect in a fine dining establishment. The constant stream of patrons passing by me (I lost count of the number of hips in close proximity to my head while I was eating), me being constantly present to hear every greeting by the friendly nice service staff (not her problem since she is doing her job, the problem is where I am seated), the need to constantly shift my not-so-long legs out of the narrow pathway for people passing by (there is less than 1 metre distance between my table and the high table, and my table is too low for my legs to go under comfortably) and the constant view of 3 persons at the high table towering over me (the height difference in close proximity gives the illusion like I’m eating off the floor beside them), all makes me want to quickly finish my pizza and get out of there.

I don’t really enjoy the pizza despite it being good (note that I say it is good while I have used bigger words in my other posts). Okay, to be fair, the dough is fantastic. And luckily I didn’t order wine straightaway upon arrival (I will always order wine or sake or cocktail if I start to feel good at the restaurant or patronise my favourite restaurants) since I totally lose the mood to wine and dine soon after. And I regret taking a cab to get there on time when obviously nobody is going to take that seat for the whole night anyway.

For the record, I had dined al fresco before at another restaurant, and I like the experience there. High tables, cool crowd, a distance from the reception and ample space, you know the deal.

If you are dining solo or in pair, and comfort is top priority to you, or if you are very tall, avoid that table beside the reception. Request to change or just cancel. I wish I did that, but I was thinking, “Um, this looks weird, but it may be fun and relaxing.” Well, it is not.

Thoughts: Nice Pizzeria

2 Jiak Chuan Road

Da Paolo Pizza Bar - Wholesome Italian Cuisine

This place may be called a bar due to the chic layout of dark brown and wooden furnishings, bar counter and a wall filled with wooden slots to store the wines. But during daytime, it is a great place for families to get some wholesome and filling meals.

Breaded Pork Belly Sticks is a pretty interesting starter since this is the first time I try this kind of antipasti. The breaded surface is very crispy, and in the core is a strip of pork belly completed with a layer of fat to give its creaminess. Accompanying dip of Garlic Parmesan Aioli looks like mayonnaise, but it is way better than its more well-known counterpart. The aioli is denser in texture, more tangy and packs lots of flavours. This is a nice dish to try for something different.

Bufala e Crudo pizza also steals the limelight with the wholesome flavourful ingredients added on top of the thin crust. Buffalo mozzarella is springier in texture and lighter in taste than the usual mozzarella cheese. I like this change incorporated into a pizza since I am more into exploring new tastes. Parma ham goes very well with the basil that gives that extra aroma to the pizza. And thick slices of juicy tomatoes add a refreshing element to the pizza. I recommend this pizza to those who are into pizzas with white base.

The young staffs here are very friendly, energetic and full of smiles.

I say this is one of the places to look for quality pizzas.

My Thoughts: Nice!

Nearest car park: URA’s open air car park along Jalan Merah Saga
Nearest MRT: Holland Village MRT

44 Jalan Merah Saga
#01-46
Singapore
Contact No: ‭6479 6059‬

Shio & Pepe - Quaint Little Restaurant

Closed

Another new dining concept is opened in Emporium Shokuhin! As a regular of this Mini Japan, I, naturally, will check out this new kid on the block, which is a hybrid of Italian and Japanese cuisine.

The interior of the restaurant is the highlight. A peek at the inside of the restaurant to see the high ceiling, white wooden garden chairs, cream brick walls and scattered floral decorations, and it is hard to resist going in to try out the food there. There is this quaint charm in place, where the idyllic vibes of Italian setting and Japanese brand of cosiness and attention to details are moulded together.

I like this place's Bacon Carbonara because the smooth pasta is cooked to almost Al Dente texture. The pasta is firm, but is thoroughly cooked, which caters well to Singaporeans' preferences. The cream sauce has that distinct aroma of cream while being light enough not to overwhelm our tastebuds. Though they could have been more generous by adding more bacon. The bacon cubes, which are lightly grilled to release the flavour of the bacon and imbued the meat with taste of grilled meat, are pretty sparse.

As for the fries, the highlight is the rich inherent flavour of potatoes packed within the fries. They still taste great without the mayonnaise. In fact, I had mentioned before in another post that fries made from quality potatoes will have their own aromas while GMO ones commonly used in fast food restaurants only taste decent if paired with chili sauce, ketchup and mayonnaise.

Parma ham on Pizza tastes good because it is hard to go wrong with Parma ham. But the crust is too dry and hard.

Service is okay. Nothing special to make mention of.

While this restaurant does not provide any unique dining experience, this is still a place for consideration when wanting to have a casual meal in nice, chic ambience.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

Note: This restaurant is no longer in operation.