Limoncello Italian Pizza & Grill

OK, let me say first of all that my experience at Limoncello was coloured by my first few minutes in the restaurant. The restaurant somehow did not have my reservation on their records, and rather than apologising, attempted to stick me in the worst table in the room (in between the door to the kitchen and the door to the outside seating area). I had to ask for different table. During the course of the meal, our food was evidently served as and when it was ready from the kitchen, as our pastas arrived minutes after our pizza, leaving one with the exquisite dilemma of having to decide which to eat first and which to eat second, and consequently having to decide between cold pizza or cold pasta.

Not that the food was bad. Food was fairly standard Italian, the portions generous and the ingredients of good to high quality. And I can understand that Limoncello isn’t setting itself up as  a fancy restaurant, where the benchmark for service is higher. But I couldn’t help but get the feeling that the staff was pretty inexperienced, and totally reliant on the house manager to do anything beyond execute their standard SOP.

For those people not living in the Robertson Quay area, Limoncello is a little out of the way, with not that much public parking and no proximity to a train station. I do hope it survives from its catchment area of condo residents, but I don’t think I’ll be making the trek again.

More reviews at http://DanielFoodDiary.com

Its address at the “Rivergate” may surprise some. In a condominium? Yes it is, but it’s also at one end of Robertson Quay with a connecting bridge to River View Hotel and Grand Copthorne.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Restaurateur Mark Anthonisz and Fabio Iannone who brought a team from Amalfi Coast. While this is no Amalfi, it faces a peaceful Singapore River with a huge alfresco dining area to wine and dine away.

Limoncello’s Napolitana wood fired pizzas and charcoal grilled meats and seafood are said to be what distinguishes them from the rest. Indeed, its Rucola e Prosciutto di Parma ($27.50) with tomato, mozzarella, parma ham, cherry tomatoes, fresh rocket salad and parmesan cheese is a noteworthy choice. Its crust borders between thick and thin, with rustic wood fired touch and crunch.

http://danielfooddiary.com/2012/02/20/limoncello-restaurant/

 

I hearts Robertson Quay. I do and I really really do. I love the quietness of the place... I love the assortment of restaurants ... and I love love the crowd. I beg to differ that the crowd is atas. Rather, they are a fun mix of people with good attitude who's just purely enjoying the food the wine and their company. Everyone is here to have a good time and Robertson Quay is simply perfect for that.     

Limoncello is a lemon liqueur popular in the south of Italy and the Italian owners of Limoncello decided to well... use that. The location of Limoncello is quite lovely actually. It's a stand-alone elevated restaurant with a nice view of the longkang and the bridge with both indoor and outdoor seating.

The bar area is open and inviting while the dining area is cosy and comfy. It might sounds crazy but I actually do like the wooden tables and white chairs decor as well!

Any restaurants that serve warm bread, like Limoncello, deserves a nod coz serving cold bread is just plain nasty! And you would think that all decent restaurants in Spore would do that but sadly no.

We started with the grilled portobello mushrooms which are nicely executed with a very tasty creamy sauce.

We then shared the signature ravioli della casa or homemade ravioli stuffed with mascarpone cheese and porcini mushrooms in light parmesan sauce. I don't usually order ravioli coz most places don't do it well but when it's a signature plus it's home-made? I'm tempted. I loved the texture of the ravioli... it holds the stuffings well yet it's soft and warm with a slight bite. Nice! The stuffings might look a little scarce but mascarpone and porcini are strong flavours so this dish do balance out nicely. The sauce is similar to the portobello starter sauce which brings a good creamy dimension to the dish.

Best ravioli i had so far was still the truffle and potato ravioli in walnut butter at Cugini. (Was at Robertson Quay which then closed down and apparently now re-opened at Club Street!)

We also had the rucola di prosciutto di parma. I simply adored the use of wood fire for pizza as the woody aroma infused in the pizzas is just irresistible! The tomato the parma ham and the rockets are always a perfect trinity one can't go wrong. The pizza was beautifully tantalizing and definitely deserves return visits for more exotic pizza options. Do note that the pizza is pretty hugh though so it's great for sharing.

Overall it's a pleasant dining experience. The food was great and reasonably priced. The service was attentive and ambience welcoming. Do come on down and check it out!

I decided to check out this outlet after reading an article in the papers about Italian eateries. Finding the place was a challenge, as I kept walking on the wrong side of Robertson Quay. The right way to describe this place would be right apposite Riverview Hotel.

Once I got there, I chose to be seated inside. I must say that I was rather impressed with the setting. A lot of effort was put into the setting, creating a beautiful environment to dine in. The only set-back about seating inside is that one would have to smell pizza fumes all night as it is an open cooking concept.

Down to the food, I started with the Fish Carpaccio ($16.50). Unfortunately, this dish came out terrible. It was too zesty with a strong lime finish and I did not like the presentation on lettuce, which created a "wet" taste.

For my pasta dish I tried the Linguine Scoglio ($21.50). I quite liked this dish. Paired with blue mussels and clams, the buttery olive oil and wine based sauce was one tasty treat.

From the pizza menu I tried the Della Casa 13" ($28.50). It was one of the few non-pork based options around and probably one of the few times I have had beef tenderloin slices on my pizza. Fresh from the oven, the cheese oozed of goodness and the pizza is really large, sharable for two.

With such a heavy meal I was not able to survive for desserts. Service started out really slowly with some level of difficulty getting the waiter's attention to place an order and for side plates to share the appetiser. Fortunately, things got a lot better along the way, with my side plates arriving for the other courses when I indicated I wanted to share, and being prompted on when the food would arrived as the pizzas were made fresh and hence some waiting time was necessary. I also liked that they offered tap water once I was done with my drinks.

5th time at limoncello last nite - and it gets better everytime.

i plan to go down the menu and try every time.

wood fired pizzas are the best, ravioli was so good and the rib eye we had last week was super tender!

i've had dinner for two to a group of 10 and each time service as usual impeccable!

will most def be back!

Minty Lemon S$11.50++

We were seated down at the al fresco area and settled with a Limoncello ice blended with mint leaves. Refreshing!

Crudo Pizza S$25++

Here was the stone baked red pizza with generous thin layers of Parma ham atop.

Underneath the meat layers, there were fragrant porcini mushroom slices, cream and more cheese.

The overall combination was great. Love the thin crust. Very crispy on the outside, airy soft dough inside.

Would love to return here for dinner next time.

for pics, please see

http://sofood.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/limoncello-pizza/

For full writeup and pics please go to www.thenewadventuresofoldelis.blogspot.com. 

 

I like this new Italian joint. Valentino’s is still my all time favourite with Bruno’s a close second but Limoncello has its charm – not to mention great value and taste, and an excellent riverside location right behind Rivergate condominium. Yay another Robertson joint to hang out at.

 

It was a dinner to celebrate “the beginning of the rest of my life” – it’s a long story – and I had 4 of my dearest friends with me.

 

We sat at the alfresco area and it was nice, with a slight breeze, view of the river and nostalgic (think 80s and Tommy Page) music from the adjourning bar (looks hip) at a comfortable volume. We ordered the second cheapest of wine at $58 a pop and it was pretty good. For starters, we shared the antipasto combination dishes, and wow it was huge for $39 – large chunk of burrata cheese (oohh so milky), parma ham, grilled mushrooms, vegetables and salad. My only complain is that the bread they served it with was lack luster, no love there.

 

We also shared a parma ham pizza, the mascarpone cheese and mushroom ravioli and the seafood pasta. The pizza was really good! I like the good balance of cheese, sauce and chewy crust. The ravioli impressed us too. The seafood pasta on the other hand, was quite a disappointment, don’t order it.

 

The bill for the 5 of us with two bottles of wine came up to $50 each. Pretty darn good value if you ask me. Thank you darlings, for being here for me!

This place is really within the Rivergate condominium. Visited on a Saturday night and the restaurant was running on almost a full house at dinner time. There was a party going on and its bar area was quite happening.

We chose to sit at the alfresco dining area where one can see the Riverview Hotel from there. With the humid weather nowadays, the indoor dining area with its airconditioning and ceiling fans looked more enticing.

We ordered a pizza, squid ink pasta and a ravioli dish to share amongst the four of us. Also tried the limoncello liquer. Limoncello has a strong lemon taste, very sweet and it gave a warm aftertaste. Liked it best when it was still chilled.

Ravioli is one dish that I seldom order. Some places tend to undercook it, and sometimes it was hard to taste the ravioli fillings. At this place, the ravioli was cooked well, with its skin firm enough to hold the fillings without breaking at touch and yet, soft to bite. The fillings here were smooth and the mushroom scent came through, amidst the cheese sauce. However, the sauce was on the salty side.

The squid ink pasta was good. The pasta was done al-dente, with just the right amount of sauce. There was an abundance of fresh seafood in this dish, mostly prawns, some scallops and squid. Firm and bouncy to the bite. Pleasant dish.

The 13 inch pizza came with crunchy crust and adequate amount of cheese. This last dish filled us up fast, and we were full after two slices.

Our service staff was friendly, and water was refilled promptly upon requests.

For pictures, you may wish to visit here.

I have been waiting for this guy's (chef Emiddio) pizzas for too long since he went to Japan for 4 long years or may be 5 I am not so sure.

What I am sure of is that he is one of the very few pizza chef in Singapore that was a pizza chef in Italy too.

Try the fragrance and the lightness of is well executed pizzas and you won't be spending the night drinking water instead of sleeping like sometimes happens when you go to other places.

The oven used in this place is a wood fired one and this also makes a lot of difference.

The service is attentive and pleasant as well and  give to the place all you need to spend a wonderful night by the Singapore river with your date or with a bunch of your friends.

Kudos to this place

mAx

Was invited by a friend for dinner at limoncello… and all I knew about the place was that address I’ve got through sms… ok, that and that was the worst part about the dinner… cabby went to Robertson quay, drove around, and I had to resort to gps to find “rivergate”… the best part? It was a condo and couldn’t find any restaurants... had to get my friend to lead me outta the maze only to realise that actually the restaurant is just nicely located across the bridge from riverview hotel.

Had a few of the antipasti dishes, and what marvelled me most was the cheese on the huge combination platter with parma ham and grilled vege… it came with a huge cheese that looked like an onion. Didn’t remember the name of the dish, but gosh, the cheese was creamy, yet not too overpowering….

had the swordfish carppacio as well… actually that was the first time in my life trying that… think we are used to carppacio made with meats, but I’ll give up those usual stuff for this special dish of thinly sliced fish… Think sashimi (but a little more exquisite), simple yet flavourful in its own right. Learnt a little from our knowledgeable and friendly host Mark (was that his name? it’s apparent that I’m better with food than human names) that the fish were actually cut by hand and not by machine like hams… and that skill itself is worth a little compliment in my opinion.

For mains, we had a few pastas to share… and my favourite was the ravioli!! Whoohoo! Good stuff. It was stuffed with mascarpone cheese and mushroom, with a light cream sauce. Description, perfect. Ok, at least to me.  To be honest, I couldn’t quite taste the cheese… think coz it’s so light and nicely incorporated with the mushroom… but I totally love the filling (and feeling!)… the fragrance reaches your nose the moment you cut open those pieces of lovely ravioli. Love how the sauce compliments it nicely, rich without being over powering… pity we had to share among 6 people and I did not get to devour it all by myself… haha… but it was a good idea share, else it might have back-fired and became a little “jerlat” (though I suspect I’ll still polish the whole serving by myself!)

And I think the wild boar tripolini (not sure how you spell it though) is worth a mention. Learnt a new name for the pasta… it’s basically a curly shaped noodle… apparently it has that name coz it’s meant to look like tripe. I’ve never been quite a pork person, but this one won me over. It’s not a typical bolognaise sauce coz the wild boar meat had to be braised (I guess it’s tougher?) before cooking… it’s hard to describe the taste, as if you have the flavour with of the meat, without the “porkiness”. Just eat it and you’ll know what I mean.

The other pastas were pretty ok. Decent stuff, but not out of this world for me. Being a seafood girl, I was slightly disappointed with the seafood pasta and the squid ink pasta. One good thing about this place is that their pastas are homemade, which explains the thickness of the noodles in the seafood pasta. I guess freshness and authenticity is your thing then this should appeal.

The sauce of the seafood pasta is not typical tomato, but more of a thickened seafood broth… I did find the seafood a tad too hard for my liking as if it was overcooked and the seafood taste not strong enough. However, this lies debatable between those on our table as one of my friends thought the seafood pasta was one of the best we had on table that night, and the other said the seafood taste was too strong for her liking. The squid ink pasta was also not flavourful enough for me though it was still pretty nice.

Then we had a steak to share. This is a must try!! You’d think that they’ll have some nice fanciful sauce to go with this, but NO, the steak was naked… just as it was. and you know that the steak has to be really good to carry off without any sauces and still get complimented for. It came nicely pink on the inside, medium well… just the way I like it… (sorry to the folks on the same table who likes bloody beef. Ha). Just the right texture and right flavour. Firm yet tender, flavourful in its own right with a nicely grilled smoky feel… whoo~ I’m so having this again when I go back. And don’t neglect the side dish of grilled potatoes. I tell you, those stuff are “poisonous”. They make you forget the starch diet and you unknowingly pop them all into your mouth till you realise they’re all gone. It was nicely grilled with a tinge of sweetness, yet slightly burnt for the nice grilled taste… ok, I feel silly swooning about the little sides now. But really, if you eat the steak, eat the potatoes too, don’t neglect them.

And as all good meals have to end, for dessert we had a cheesecake, a limoncello cake, a chocolate cake (I think it was flourless or something on that line), profiterole and chocolate lava cake.  We even met the pastry chef who’s a pretty (and very slim) lady… makes me wonder how can she make all these nice desserts without getting fat. Ha. They have a little glass showcase of the cakes near the entrance so you can check them out for yourselves.

The cheesecake came pretty, covered with berries, and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it (cheesecake’s my personal fave)… it was made with mascarpone cheese (if I remembered correctly) which gives it a much lighter texture compared to our usual new york cheesecake. Of course it was nice, but I must admit my disappointment coz nothing makes me happier than a good old sinful heavy cheesecake. But to those that can’t stand the “heaviness” of the typical new york cheesecake, you’ll love their rendition of it.

The novelty was the chocolate lava cake. It came in flames. Like a flaming Lamborghini. Ha. We were joking about putting a straw through to suck the chocolate. Of course this was the first time I was served with a flaming lava cake and couldn’t wait to eat that. Maybe it was the novel and excitement that let me down a little. Don’t get me wrong, this is still nice (especially it’s really lava hot after the flame)… just that with such excitement of seeing the flames, I was half expecting the cake to transport me out of the world. Haha.

The profiterole was voted the favourite dessert by of one of us on the table of 6. I liked it too… It’s unlike the typical hard crust with icecream kind of profiterole. Soft, and melts in your mouth… what I really liked about it was that it had a nice touch of lemony flavour, which was a nice surprise by picking on your taste buds when you’re just expecting the typical sweet. Score up for this one.

And the best of the lot to me, the limoncello cake! I had to admit that this cake looks more humble then it’s flame bearing, berry busting, sinful chocolate laden counterparts. but there it was, down to earth and simple. Tasted of sweet lemon fragrance, with a nice nutty texture. It’s as if it’s got a “character” of its own. Not saccharine sweet… but yet it brings a perfect sweet ending to our meal.

Rather the almost end to our meal. We had to end off with a shot of limoncello – what’s a trip to a restaurant named limoncello without trying what it was named after. A nice digestive wine that was made from lemon peels and sugar…. I could almost picture the beautiful lemon trees in sorrento already…. Bring me back to this place, if not to Italy =)