My father has upon coming here, proclaimed the squid ink pasta that he ordered ($26) "the best squid ink pasta in Singapore"! While this of course remains to be seen, because we haven't exactly eaten at enough Italian restaurants in Singapore to make this comparison, I think this should say something about the quality of food here.

To be honest, my last trip here with my parents was the first visit in nearly two years. My mom finds it strange that with a number of Italian restaurants coming and going in Singapore, this one happens to be going strong with a steady clientele, even when it isn't as visibly located as a number of other similar restaurants.

Anyway for our visit here, we ordered the spaghetti with squid ink (the father), the penne with Italian sausage in a tomato cream sauce ($24) for myself, and the spaghetti aglio olio ($24) for my mom.

My dad loved his pasta. My mom loved his pasta too. In fact, she finished over half of his pasta for him, after he let her have a bite. 'Nuff said.

I loved my pasta too. I love pasta done al dente. I can say this over and over again, because it's true. I just don't like it done any other way. So while I found Italian sausages a little more salty than I would like, my pasta in the flavourful creamy tomato sauce was a hit. While the cream makes the dish rather heavy, I'd go back just to order it again.

My mom on the other hand, doesn't like al dente pasta. She found her aglio olio a little too tough, pasta-wise. Which is sad, because I tried her dish, and I have to admit the the aglio olio is really well done, and definitely worth an order.

Now, for this restaurant, while the pastas on their own are reasonably priced, if you want to keep costs down, you should just stick to the pastas, and not order other stuff. In any case, I believe the pastas are the main sellers here.

My father ordered the tomato soup (of the day), which cost $8. It was rather tasty, but I guess not everyone would want to pay $8 for tomato soup. I ordered the portabello mushroom topped with ricotta cheese as a starter to share. It cost $22, and consisted of one portabello mushroom cut into three pieces and topped with a whole lot of ricotta cheese. It's great if you like ricotta cheese; it isn't quite so great if you're lactose intolerant. Perhaps we could have ordered the wrong appetisers, because the dishes were rather unmemorable.

Desserts are also expensive, but ordinary. The tiramisu cost $10, and while not bad, it tasted ordinary. Non-descript. I suppose tiramisu can't vary all that much taste-wise. But then again, if I could get the same-tasting tiramisu for a lower price, why would I want to pay so much for it? At the same time, the warm chocolate lava cake cost $16. They must have used extremely good chocolate, because the cake was also tiny. Yes, it tasted really good, no doubt about it. But once again, the dish wasn't particularly memorable. It kind of made you wonder why it cost so much money.

But also on the plus side, service is excellent, and the bread (they top it up without you asking!) is warm and soft. Yay.

I would come back here for the pasta. But I would leave out ordering the other stuff unless I got a six-month bonus or something (which is never going to happen anyway).

I used to love Da Paolo but have become very disappointed with them of late. While the staff is trying hard to keep things going, it is clear these guys are over the hill and have been given a run for their money by more innovative let alone better restaurants. I eat out very often for business and no longer take my guests to any of the Da Paolo's. It may be a case of getting jaded by the same experience but I just feel they are not trying hard enough anymore. Strange in these times especially....

i've been to this place numerous times. the pastas are what i come here for. they're really good. for those of you who don't know, they have a great weekday set lunch menu for 25 bucks or so. my fav is the al funghi pasta. the aglio olio is amazing also.

Check out the full review at my site: http://tastingheaven.blogspot.com/ and please leave a comment

The advent of new Italian restaurants might have caused stir in the dining realm, but this long established chain remains strong in its high position.
Da Paolo Il Giardino, part of the ubiquitous Da Paolo chain, is probably the best valued in town. And the pasta here is quite possibly one of the best here in Singapore.
Conveniently located in Cluny court, wedged between Serene Center and the French Embassy (Ambassade de France), this laid back restaurant is attracts a good lunchtime crowd on weekdays, and is usually full on dinner weekends.
And, justifyingly so, there is a reason for such a popularity. The ambiance is semi-casual yet stylish. The facade of the restaurant is a stainless steel walled entrance, an outdoor patio for alfresco dining, and a stained glass window that allows the cool wind to creep in, creating a really wondrously relaxing effect.

But, first things first, down to the food.
The obvious selling point of this restaurant is its great valued 3-course set lunch ($22 for pasta main course, $26-$28 for meat/fish main course), which, so far is unbeatable. (Though the set lunch & dinner from Au Petit Salut comes in a close second). Starters usually consist of the usual fare: parma prosciutto and melon, rocket salad with smoked salmon with olive oil, minestrone, soup of the day, etc. Salads are usually quite heavy on rocket leaves (arugula), which some are not fond of.
There is a very good selection of pasta, taken from the A La Carte menu, but in smaller portions. Specialties include dishes like Parpadelle al Granchio (the sinfully heavy pasta with crabmeat, cream and vodka will satisfy even the most nitpicky food critics), pasta with seafood (either white wine or tomato based sauce), linguine vongole (the best so far I have tasted in Singapore -- the white wine clam stock is well infused into the spaghetti, and the pasta is not drenched in a bland stock, a very common mistake made in many Italian restaurants here), and penne alla norma (penne with tomato, eggplant, etc. A simple, well cooked dish that is packed with flavor).
The meat selections, however, are not as strong. Quite often, the fish dishes can be quite bland, and the meat dishes disappointingly uninspiring. But there a couple exceptions, if you're lucky.
The set lunches round off with a cake desert (usually tiramisu or an equivalent type of cake), with coffee/tea.
Food prices are higher from the a la carte menu (lunch & dinner). But pastas are still reasonably priced in the $18-$22 range. The meat/fish dishes are priced at a rough range of $25-$35.

Do not make the perilous mistake of visiting disastrously bad Italian restaurants -- Senso, La Strada, and especially La Forketta have one thing in common: the food borders on inedible. Da Paolo might just be the perfect Italian restaurant you have been searching for.

This restaurant has a fantastic location tucked away behind Cluny Court. The courtyard has a lovely ambiance and is very romantic. The food is quite good as well so this is a great place to check out!

Starters:
Mushrooms topped with tomato sauce & mozzarella was delicious! A dish that will bring me back for more. The Scallops pan fried in brandy and herbs was nice but the scallops were overcooked which ruined the dish.

Mains:
Ravioli stuffed with spinach & ricotta in a tomato vodka sauce was yummy and tasted just like it should. The spinach pasta with scallops & prawn was quite nice as well.

This is a great little restaurant - perfect for first dates & intimate dinners.