With a remaining day before the "FLAVOURS OCBC/creativEATeries The Perfect 10" promotion expires, I decided to try out "Al Dente Trattoria".Al Dente Trattoria is an italian restaurant under the creativEATeries group and have branches at Holland Village, Boat Quay and The Esplanade. I asked Fio and Laurens to join me for some good italian chow 'under the moonlight' (al fresco style) at The Esplanade branch. We were immediately welcomed by the friendly service by their waitress when we entered the restaurant. We were then led to the roof top which had a slightly better view of the Marina Bay, though very much was still blocked by trees. We were early and had the liberty to choose unreserved seats prior the dinner crowd. Having presented the menu, we did not take long to decide our orders. The prices are average towards high, for a restaurant in the city, with starters between S$10-S$20, main entree at S$18-28 which comprises of a good selection of pasta and firewood pizzas. I was not concerned about the dessert and wine list, as we were entitled to a S$30 voucher only, if the bill exceeds S$60. We waited for around 15-20 minutes before our food were served.
Plagued by severely low and mixed lighting, I regret for the poor quality pictures.
Verdict
Plagued by severely low and mixed lighting, I regret for the poor quality pictures.
Antipasti (Starters)
Grilled Portobello Mushroom
Two pieces of portobello mushrooms marinated with a shallot balsamico vinaigrette, lightly grilled & served with raw greens & tomatoes. The mushrooms were not as I had expected though still rather tasty.
Main Course
Mud Crab Lasagne
Grilled Portobello Mushroom
Two pieces of portobello mushrooms marinated with a shallot balsamico vinaigrette, lightly grilled & served with raw greens & tomatoes. The mushrooms were not as I had expected though still rather tasty.
Main Course
Mud Crab Lasagne
Minced mud crab meat layered in-between pasta. The pasta was rather thick and not as soft as I had expected. The sauce surrounding the lasagne had already thickened when served. It had probably been sitting on the kitchen tables for sometime prior serving. What seemed like minced tuna was actually the mud crab meat. The taste of the mud crab meat was so strong that it infused into the sauce and the pasta.
Linguine Marinara
Linguine Marinara
Linguine tossed with lobster, shrimps, clams, mussel & cod fillet in a wine seafood stock and tomato stew. The texture of the pasta was done just right. The shrimps were rather small. I could hardly tell the difference between the lobster meat and cod fillet, if there was any lobster meat in my plate. I am not too impressed with one piece of mussel sticking out as if they are proud to have given me only one mussel. "Come on, mussels are not expensive at all!"
Italian Meat Lover Pizza
The most expensive pizza on the menu. As with the name 'meat lover', a thin crust pizza topped with fatty bacon strips, salami, sausage and minced beef. The pizza was not overly baked in the firewood ovens, since the meat retained much of their juicyness and the crust still had traces of flour.
Italian Meat Lover Pizza
The most expensive pizza on the menu. As with the name 'meat lover', a thin crust pizza topped with fatty bacon strips, salami, sausage and minced beef. The pizza was not overly baked in the firewood ovens, since the meat retained much of their juicyness and the crust still had traces of flour.
Verdict
The final bill came to about S$101, but with the voucher, it was offset to S$71. I was not impressed by the grilled portobello mushroom, probably because I had too much expectations, trying to compare it to what I had from Peperoni Pizzeria.
Left: Portobello Mushroom at Peperoni Pizzeria
Left: Portobello Mushroom at Peperoni PizzeriaThe mud-crab lasagne had a unique flavour and was very tasty. I was still joking about them using mock crab meat sticks. Nevertheless, the pasta was rather thick and I would prefer if they could make the pasta thinner and make more layers. If they had served it piping hot, it would be additional points.
The linguine marinara was tasty but nothing too unique to stand out from other italian restaurants or even the cheaper alternative "Timo". At their prices, I believe that they could be more generous on the seafood!
The italian meat lover pizza was fantastic! Though the bacon strip was rather fatty, but the taste of 'probably cured' bacon, went well with the thin crusted pizza. My favourite of the evening.
The italian meat lover pizza was fantastic! Though the bacon strip was rather fatty, but the taste of 'probably cured' bacon, went well with the thin crusted pizza. My favourite of the evening.
I had to comment on the over-zealous service. Since we were sharing our food, we requested for side plates, which they later cleared without asking, when we were not even halfway through our dinner. They had cleared away the cutleries that our orders did not require, but we would appreciate that they had given us another knife when they saw us struggling on the pizza with just one knife. Then again, they were practising what they were taught and we were not the conventional dinners who kept to our own dishes. Nevertheless, when I was doing waiting many years back, I was taught to observe the customers and take initiative to ask them and serve them right.
All in all, the price is slightly above average and the ambience is good. The portion is slightly small. There are more value for the buck italian food out there. However, if you are comfortable with the price, Al Dente Trattoria is definitely a pleasant restaurant to spend an evening with a few good friends.
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