Osteria Italia

Read the review and since it was close to our place, we stopped in for dinner on Saturday night with no reservation. 

Since it was way past the dinner rush hours, we were able to get a seat inside immediately. Be warn that there is a fruit stall with open tables close and the breeze will carry the smell of durian towards the tables outside of the Osteria.

My wife and I ordered a pizza and pasta dish to share and a bottle of wine. Both dishes were done well, no complains. There was a complimentary plate of bruschetta, one serving per person.  Prices for a neighborhood eatery was acceptable and it was nice to see a small but decent wine list that had very affordable prices.  We will definitely be back for the pizzas.

My suggestions to the management; pasta portions need to be slightly larger and bread basket would have been nice.

This restaurant was highly recommended by a friend who knows the owner therefore we decided to go for a try.

Simply decorated, nothing fanciful. The restaurant is supposedly to be pretty new but the place looks like it's been there for a while.  Probably they took it over from the last owner who didn't make it. 

When we arrived, the outdoor seating were already full so we were given indoor seat that was just besides the counter.  Didn't feel like we had any privacy as most staff were hoovering around the counter but still it wasn't that bad.  Could have done slightly better with the lighting as it was too bright.

We ordered :

Italian Antipasto - I love the grilled vegetables but didn't quite enjoy the cold cut, seems to be lacking  taste department.  The rest were acceptable but the foccacia bread was pretty good

Proscuitto & Fungi Pizza - I am very particular about my pizza base and I must say, this is 1 of my favourite as mostly after tucking into your 2nd or 3rd slices, the based would be soaked through with the tomato sauce but this did not!  It remained dry and unsoggy :) Topping was normal and like I say, I find their cold cut meat lacking in taste

Truffle Pasta - I was disappointed that they did not have a wide selection of pasta otherwise it would work better with Parppadella.  I find the pasta too creamy and even though they were superbly generous with their truffles, I was not able to find that fragrance and it didn't linger long enough in my mouth either so it was a real let down

Tiramisu - Boring but better than many we've tasted, reasonable

Chocolate Souffle - Same as above

Overall dining experience wasn't as up to my expectation except for the pizza.  I was left rather disappointed.

The round-off bill indicated includes a bottle of wine & 2 appertif.  Recommendation is only for pizza therefore I've voted for "Not Sure".

As for service, the young Malay lady deserves a pat on the back :)

It's a restaurant with simple setting, nothing too fanciful. It is away from the hustle & bustle nightlife of Katong, giving a very peaceful feeling. Great if one is not into crowds and noise.

The service was great. The staff were attentive, patient and warming, making us feel at home.

We ordered 2 pizzas, the Osteria, and the Quattro Formaggi Al Tartufo, which is a White Pizza. It's my first time trying White Pizza, and I would say that it tastes good, except for the fact that the pizzas came out too soon and NOT hot that I'm convinced they were pre-prepared!! What a total disappointment. The Osteria Pizza which has eggs in the center were obviously microwaved before being served to us. Agree with a previous reviewer that it's like fastfood style Italian food.

We also tried the home-made Tiramisu, and I was not disappointed. I would say it's one of the best Tiramisu I've ever tasted. Large portion, too. It has a large piece of a crunchy dark chocolate-coated biscuit on top of it, which is simply divine.

If I ever decide to come back, it would be for the Tiramisu. Never again for the pizzas and pastas.

A homely set-up at the East side of Singapore, Osteria Italia is run by an Italian and his wife to bring hearty home cooked Italian food to Singapore.

At a recent dinner, I started out with the Osteria Pizza, a thin crust pizza with egg, mushrooms, rocket leaves and lots of cheese.

For my pasta dish I tried the Aglio Olio Prawn ($20), which was full of large pieces of prawn -generous portions indeed.

For my meat dish I had the Ossobucco ($32). The meat was really tender and the bone marrow added an exclamation mark to the tasty dish.

Service is what you would expect from a family restaurant - one with lots of warmth. Expect a relaxed atmosphere without the fine dining foo-fa.

Had the ham & cheese platter, beef lasagna & saffron risotto. 

Platter - halfway decent. 

Beef lasagna - a little dry & overcooked. 

Saffron risotto - nicely cooked but the prawns weren't all fresh, possibly overcooked. 

Service was decent. Place smelled of durians because of the neighbouring businesses. 

The fact that it is located along Telok Kurau Road, away from the hustle and bustle of the Katong crowd, draws me to the place. Loved the food, friendly service and homely ambience for dinner with friends after a long work day.

Thumbs up to the squid ink and tin-foil pasta. The fresh seafood together with al-dente pasta are simply delightful. Leave room for dessert. Went with a group of friends and we managed to try 3 of the desserts: Tiramisu, Chocolate Tart and Chocolate Souffle. No regrets.

Not sure if it was a genteel manner of reminding my group (we were the last to leave) that the restaurant is closed for the day and we should get going but the complimentary gelato with some mixed fruits was a sweet & yummy ending to the celebratory dinner we had that night. Thank you.

We chose to eat early and not have to struggle with reservations on a Friday night.  Especially since we had been turned away once.  The expectation hanging over the place was inevitable.  We sat down to efficient and professional service from who we guessed is probably the lady owner.  If not, they probably have some great incentive scheme going for their employees.  Iced water was poured promptly and drinks orders taken while she left us alone for a little while to pore the menu.  

A typical menu of a casual Italian eatery, offering up appetizers, pastas, pizzas and a small selection of meats/seafood.

Amuse Bouche

Our amuse bouche of a tomato crostini drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and topped with a solitary Parmesan shaving was good.  The tomatoes were sweet and the Parmesan a decent quality.

Caprese alla Bufala

Buffalo Mozzarella with vine ripe tomatoes

The Caprese was actually very good.  Fresh tomatoes and Arugula (with the right amount of spiciness) matched with a creamy Bufala and it all came together with the aged Balsamic, which provided a sticky sweet finish. 

Cartoccio di Mare

Seafood wrapped in tin foil

I was a little puzzled by this one.  The spaghetti was perfectly cooked, with just the right touch of bite.  However, the seafood was a big letdown.  It just wasn't the freshest and as a result, there was no sea taste at all in the tomato-based sauce.  I came away with the feeling that the seafood was separately cooked from the pasta and sauce inside the foil, which misses the point of a Cartoccio.  It probably wasn't the case, but it tasted like so.  Such a shame.

Wagyu Beef Cheek braised in a red wine sauce

The beef cheek was a little better and infused with the goodness of the red wine it was braised in.  End result: a melt-in-the-mouth piece of meat.  However, for non-beef lovers, don't order this since it is rather gamey since there wasn't enough done to cover that off.  My other complaint was that the chef was a little heavy handed with the salt and you couldn't take as much sauce as you want without feeling a little dehydrated afterwards.

I didn't have dessert since I was distracted by the durian mooncakes available 2 shops away.  Overall, it's a comfy laid back joint, and I might go back.  If I do, I would try the other items on the menu since what we ordered didn't really blow us away.  Bruno's is still my choice Italian joint in the East but Osteria has some potential.  The chefs are really quite good, as long as the produce they have to work with improves.

For the original post, visit edeats.blogspot.com

Was craving for some pizza and happend to pass by this hidden find.

Since my partner and I were not too hungry we decided to share a starter and a pizza between us.

Upon ordering, we recieved two slices of bruschetta, two sliced of baguette topped wth some tomatoes and leaves and drissled with a olive oil sauce, there was a hint of a familiar herb which I coulnt put my finger on.  Nevertheless, the crunchy yet soft bread topped with tomatoes was recieved well by both me n my partner. 

Our orders came after around 10 minutes..

Carpaccio Al Salmone - S$17

Thinly sliced salmon pan seared and dusted with homemade pepper n spice.  It came drissled with what seemed like balsamic vinegar sauce and rocket leaves.  The salmon was sweet yet spicy due to the pepper n spices.  Had a good mix of tastes and was not too overly cooked.  It was a generous portion too, along with the rocket leaves it actually makes a good healthy and filling option for a salad, especially for ladies.

We had a Quattro Formaggi -  S$21.00

Im not a big fan of tomato based pizzas and this pizza fit both me n partner,  him a fan of cheese and me a fan of white based sauce, Pizza was thin yet topped generously with cheese.  I wasnt too sure what cheeses were used but I was definitely getting an overdose of it and I didnt mind.  Crust was crispy but a little bit soft as well due to the cheese and sauce.

After seeing the

Chocolate Creme Brulee - $12

on the menu, full or not I had to have it. It came in quite a big serving dish, u know those used for lasagne.  and it was arnd 3/4 of an inch thick. I liked how it was spread out on a big space so we had a huge amount of the crisp, sugarry layer of goodness. 

We were seated outside as inside was fully booked but it was cool and airy and even tho only 1 person was serving us, he was prompt, friendly and fast. 

Enjoyed the dinner there though my ipad is giving me problems so pictures will be uploaded soon.  Next visit the souffle is on my list.

Again, I was naive enough to believe the reviews after reading it here, and gave this place a try.

I was really disappointed with the food. I would say they belong to fastfood category of pasta. Yes, it's that bad. 

I didn't try the pizza. But it doesn't seem like they have a wood-fire stove. No decent pizza can be made without a traditional wood-fire oven. 

For $20, I don't think it's good value because the quality and taste of the food is just not there. 

What is really of good value - the wine. The wine's not great, but it's drinkable and it's cheap compared to most restaurants. 

All Italian restaurants give complimentary bread. Period. 

The service was fast and prompt. Although the kitchen and staff don't seem to be communicating very well. 

Read the review and since it was close to our place, we stopped in for dinner on Saturday night with no reservation. 

Since it was way past the dinner rush hours, we were able to get a seat inside immediately. Be warn that there is a fruit stall with open tables close and the breeze will carry the smell of durian towards the tables outside of the Osteria.

My wife and I ordered a pizza and pasta dish to share and a bottle of wine. Both dishes were done well, no complains. There was a complimentary plate of bruschetta, one serving per person.  Prices for a neighborhood eatery was acceptable and it was nice to see a small but decent wine list that had very affordable prices.  We will definitely be back for the pizzas.

My suggestions to the management; pasta portions need to be slightly larger and bread basket would have been nice.

Went there with my brother after reading the reviews here. 

Food we ate:- Scallop Ravioli with Alla Salsa (cream and tomato) with added bacon- Penne with Bolognese - Pizza with Parma ham and rocket salad.

The portion of the ravioli was a bit smaller than I expected, but it was super delicious. creamy, smooth, with the bacon salty taste. Yummyyy. 

My brother said his Bolognese sauce had really fresh beef and was done very well.

The pizza was an extra buy, partly because of the smaller than expected pasta portion, but partly out of greed. :)

The owner (we're guessing he's the owner as he's the only Italian guy there) recommended the parma ham with rocket salad pizza. It was as great as one would expect of an Italian pizza. the pizza base was delicious by itself, but with the ingredients, just was a great meal in total.