Etna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria (East Coast)

I really love the pasta here!

Fatty Patty and me came here to have dinner on a cooling Thursday night. I really like sitting outside, notwithstanding the fact that it can get quite noisy from the traffic.

We had the beef carpaccio, the Lava pizza and the scallop pasta with (flat i think) pasta with pink lobster cream sauce.

I don't have very much to say about the carpaccio and the pizza, coz I think they were sufficiently good. But I just want to add that the rocket that came with the carpaccio was super fresh and looked lovely! The pizza was sufficiently authentic and I was quite happy with that. Oh yes, we also had the tiramisu which was not too bad. Nothing to really scream about but it was fine. I still think Pasta Brava has the nicest tiramisu that I have had so far (super juicy!).

But what i really want to RAVE about is the pasta. It was truly HEAVENLY and DIVINE. I am not a cream pasta person, coz I usually find it too gelak. But the pink cream was SUPERB. It was served piping hot and had a beautiful presentation, with the noodles resting contentedly on 3 scallop shells. It had just the right thickness, and was so flavourful that FP and me were basically devouring the entire plate. The sauce had the wonderfully delicious sweetness of the lobster and an appropriate level of creaminess, which was PERFECTLY counterbalanced by the sharper taste of (i believe) garlic and other ingredients.

The noodles were cooked to perfection and I really cannot say enough about it. My only complaints would be that the scallops were a bit small and had more roe (I think its roe) than actual scallop meat, and that the portion was not enough simply coz it was too divine! But overall, I think the sauce just made up for everything. It was seriously one of the best pasta dishes I have tasted in a long time.

Truth be told, I have been thinking about it everyday and will definitely be going back soon to have my second round!

We ordered 2 pizzas last night from Etna's East Coast. They were delivered 100 minutes after I placed the order - and they arrived COLD. It is not acceptable to offer a delivery service if the food cannot be delivered in a edible condition. Having paid $59.50 for two inedible pizzas, I am very disappointed that my evening was ruined, and that it was a very costly exercise.

This is considering that we live 10 mins from the restaurant!

We emailed HGW and they didn't have the courtesy to reply!

Ordered what was recommended for first timers:

- Etna "white" pizza -- Fancy the freshly baked pizza dough, but a lil stingy on the toppings. Can be shared by two (or perhaps three for small-eaters).

- Linguine with crab meat in pink lobster sauce -- I thought it tasted a lil like tuna at first. But the sauce is indeed something different from the norm. The flat pasta is cooked to my desired texture, slightly what-I-call "chewy". Portion-wise, just right for one person.

- Tiramisu al Pistacchio -- Very close to calling it 'awesomeness'. Can hardly taste the bitterness from the cake as some Tiramisus would. Love the hint of pistacchio fragrance as the whole combination melts in my mouth. 

For the complete post with uploaded pictures and quoted prices, please view:

http://www.thefoodnomads.com/2012/03/16/etna-italian-restaurant-and-pizzeria-upper-east-coast-road/

Ever since my review of Bruno’s Pizzeria and Grill was published on the site, I have been told by several friends and foodies to try out Etna Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria, which is somewhat around the region of Marine Parade- Siglap area. Located a few stretches away, the Sunday lunch crowd in the restaurant had definitely appeared to be thinner than what we had expected. The homely and simplistic ambience had certainly caused the few of us, along with a mere couple of families to feel the cosiness that exuded from the setting.

As pleasing to the eye as it was on the palate, the Etna Pizza did certainly serve decent bites to quell our cravings for truly Italian pizza. With just enough Mozzarella and Cream cheese to lend a distinctive aroma to the dish without stealing the show, the shreds of Parma Ham were scrumptious and delectable to the bite just as well. Well- balanced texturally, the Etna Pizza went a step up with the sprinkling of grounded Pistachio (from Bronte in Sicify).

One of the offerings under their Pizza Rosse (Red Pizzas, Tomato and Mozzarella Cheese base) selection, the restaurant’s Fruitti di Mare was quite yummy too. Appearing to be drool-worthy as seen from its concoction of delightfully succulent shrimps, mussels and squid, together with its hearty tomato sauce from the red edges, I had actually preferred the Fruitti di Mare for I took gratification in how the different refined sweet flavours from the tomato-influenced pizza base and seafood ingredients complemented one another.

Margherite al Pistacchio di Bronte; initially, I could not help but concur with my friends that the culinary team could have been more generous with the servings of home-made pasta. However, all the negativity about the portion simply diminished after I had a forkful of the decadently rich dish. Encased with Walnut and Four Cheeses stuffing in Sicilian Pesto Sauce, the contrast between the sweet and salty savour, the crunchy, creamy and chewy textures made each bite an absolute adventure that was really soul- lifting. The pasta number from Etna was so delish that the plate was mopped clean in the end.

Another signature item from the Pasta- Chef Specialties variety, the Linguine con Capesante did come quite rightly. The flat pasta was cooked to the perfect degree of al- dente but I would have hoped that the Pink Lobster sauce that the Linguine was slathered in, could have been given a more flavour- packed edge in the sense that the flavours could have been a tad more assertive. On the other hand, the Scallops were considerably fresh and tasty.

The menu here at Etna Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria is rambling with an extensive array of pizza standards and pasta dishes that are quite decent, if not marvellous for a few of their signature numbers. When questioned, my friends had said that they would prefer Bruno’s while a few others (not from this visit) would rather pay a visit to Etna. So what is your opinion of the competition here?

Quite a smallish restaurant, and visible from main road. Made reservations and visited on a Friday evening. Were greeted promptly upon arrival. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice and cosy.

Ordered 2 starters and 4 mains to share amongst 5 pax. We had bruschetta pomodoro and prawn salad for starters, and had seafood pizza (fruitti di mare), seafood risotto, linguine con capesante (linguine with scallops in pink lobster sauce) and pork filet. As it was a birthday celebration, we also had a bottle of white wine; Montalto Pinot Grigio.

Overall, the food was mild and light in seasoning. Seafood especially the prawns and squid were fresh, so it was enjoyable. Liked the pizza crust for its slight chewiness, and yet thin enough to finish. Risotto was nicely cooked but personally, I'd prefer softer rice. The seafood in the risotto was quite of a generous portion, comprising of mussels, small clams, prawns and squids. The pork filet was wrapped in bacon, served with mashed potatoes and some greens. Not meltingly tender, but just nice. Goes well with wine.

The tastiest dish was the linguine con capesante. The flavours enveloping the strands of pasta was stronger. Adequate amount of sauce yet not watery. It probably had 5-6 pieces of scallops in this dish. Yums.

Service was good and friendly. This place is birthday celebration friendly, and allowed us to bring a cake. They even sang for the birthday boy when bringing out the cake.

There was a 15% discount (on food) when paid using Standard Chartered credit card.

For more pictures, you may wish to visit here.

pictures here

Bigoli Boscaiola (Homemade pasta with bacon & porcini in pink sauce) SGD22++

This time round, I passed the heavy gnocchi even though I am one heck of a potato junkie because I want to supper on prata later on.

The al dente and slightly chewy pasta was a comfort dish, dressed in tomato sauce with a touch of cream for sweetness.

The sauce was cooked with thin bacon slices and fragrant porcini. Simple and good.

                                       Tagliatelle Carbonara S$22++

We are not a fan of spaghetti, so I requested for the original spagehtti carbonara (S$19++) on the menu to switch to tagliatelle instead which came with S$3 surplus.

It was a good ol’ comfort dish after another rainy Saturday, egg yolk, cream, smokiness of the bacon and some mushroom slices thrown in worked.

                                          Pistachio Tiramisu S$10++

I love nuts!

Pistachio is my all time favourite after hazelnut and chesnut, hmmm…perhaps before macadamia, pecans, almonds…

Anyway, this is the signature dessert of Etna which is of Sicilian cuisine.

Sicily is famous for producing pistachio and the ones used here are from its motherland.

There was a very nutty and delicious layer of pistachio cream layer sandwiched inside the tiramisu, it came with a sweet aftertaste.

Love it.

I like the simplicity and coziness that this place oozes. Food is quite nice although nothing to jump about. The one item I fell in love with is the pistachio tirimisu for dessert. Very unique and not too sweet for the palate.

Overall, it is a cozy environment for a casual weekday dining

It was time to fatten someone up and I could think of no better place than a constant  neighbourhood favourtie joint, Etna.  We ordered starters of Caprese Tower and a perenial favourite of liguine with scallps in pink lobster sauce - absolutely yummy !  The portions were generous and for a brief moment, I thought my "fatten her up" plan was working.  My main of linguine vongole was average but AC's order of pan fried cod fish was superb.  Suffice to say, the food was all too much and alas, I ended eating most of the delicious food.  Kudos to the friendly staff.

Etna's in Siglap is a fairly laid back family oriented restaurant. I usually frequent the restaurant with a group of friends and the food in general is good.

I highly recommend the Pistachio Tiramisu. It is to die for although the portions seem to be getting smaller.

The Seafood Mariana is usually good but my last encounter was bland.  The tomato sauce had no flavour to it and needed quite a lot of help.  Otherwise, the lasagna there is a good bet.

Update:

The team at Etna's really blew me away today. They took my last minute order for a large piece of pistachio tiramisu and helped me plate it (to-go) for my brother's birthday. Thanks very much Yunos and team!

Also, had the spaghetti vongole last week - that was fabulous.

We ordered takeaway a few weeks ago from Etna..

The size of the serving was not even half the takeaway container size. We will never go back...I called the restaurant to confirm that this is their standard size for takeaway, and he said yes, so true to my word I told him that I would post a photo on Hungrygowhere.com to warm potential takeaway customers that they would only receive half of what they paid for.. It's only pasta...and Pasta is cheap..

My opinion: Run a mile!

A nice little eatery on East Coast Rd - cosy, and an awesome risotto which is making me go back again tonight.  It's worth a visit and my kids love the pizza where they use real ham and all great ingredients.