Porta Porta (Changi)

A beautiful shop house hidden away from much development often out of sight unless you pass by the road. It was my first time there with my family of 6. The other was having the house menu. 4 of us had the "Fatite" i guess that's how its spelled, that's actually up to the chef's creation. Whipping up dishes within a matter of minutes from entrees to main-fares n including dessert. It was literally a surprise dinner. You just had to let them know if you don't eat or allergic certain ingredients etc. Then magic just happens. The staff there was very polite and explained each dish that came out for the "fatite". It was about 7 to 8 dishes excluding dessert. It was really much a steal for SDG50. The wines too was reasonably prices.. which you get get a average one from 50++.

Well, to sum up. If you want good food. A surprise for your special someone or even a surprise family dinner, its worth the try.. but its a small place so do call to make a reservation if its gonna be more then 6..

I think $99 for 2 persons might be a bit too ex. But the Italian food served at Porta Porta is pretty awesome.

I chose the "surprise" meal for two, where you allow the chef to whip up whatever it is he is going to whip up.

There were more than 11 or 12 courses in total. The portions were pretty small, but when you add them all up, I was feeling in pain when the meal was over.

Is it value for money? Yes, especially for special occasions. The place looks very homely, so that is a plus point. I liked the way the dishes did not compromise on flavours. Everything was pretty intense. Kinda like how I would want to cook if I were at home.

Just go there with an open mind. Try everything that is served to you.

i had the fortune of having one of my ex-gf stay near this place and we had some important dinner here once. dont tell her but it was a note to self back then to bring future "first dates" there for dinner! haha.

i've been back there on and off but the frequency has increased quite a bit lately as my last "first date" victim fell in love with this place. i'm glad i brought her there before we got married or she'll contemplate divorce and re-marry the restaurant...

AMBIENCE
it's a small and quaint little place. about 7-8 tables, thats all. split level (2 tables for 2 and 2 sofas - for the staff to laze - at the top level). nice bohemian deco, with fluoracent light covers that resembles the sky. you'll feel like you're eating at someone's nicely decorated italian home. situated at changi, it's not exactly the most convenient of locations though.

SERVICE
staff is freindly and serves matter of factly. dont usually smile but its a small place, staff is mainly family members and one girl who's either family or has become part of the family.... , so they do a good job that dont necessary come with smiles. for instance, i sat at one of the 2 tables at the top level, and they just left the whole pitcher of iced water for me on the coffee table next to me, didnt say anything but it's understood i can help myslef to the water as and when. i'm happy with this arrangement...

first, PRICING of the food. this place is not exactly cheap. $25 for pasta dishes and almost $30 for meat/seafood dishes.

FOOD is decent. the wive loves their cream prawn pasta. me, i just go around tasting their food but am inclined to think she hit on their best dish. "if i'm asked what i want for my last dish, this is it...". with changi prison just opposite, i'm sure the guards could easily provide that should she one day resort to murder to free herself from this marriage to re-marry portax2....

like first dates..., i've tried various dishes there, they're nothing "fantastic" but all good enough food for me to order again but not crave for, though as i write, i'm thinking of their pasta "genovese" which is their version of a mince beef pasta, not with the usual bolagnase, but just onions and oil.

for APPETISERS we're partial to their eggplant parmesan. we're just stuck there and havent moved on!

DESSERT: nice apple crumble. this one... i do have cravings for it now and then. i used to like the tiramisu as well but havent tried it in awhile, a man's got to stay in shape for future first date, you know....

P.S. there is a branch at stanley street next to amoy/telok ayer st opened by the owner's brother. same ambience but the food at the changi place is slightly better.

I have been to this restaurants since 1995, surprise? It's coming to 15 anniversary :)

The food/ambience and the owners gave me "deep" impression during my 1st visit, it was a welcoming lunch where the company I joined was located at Loyang.

Ever since then, Italian food was one of my favourite cuisine. I was there when I was single till now I am a mum and now my girl was already 8. Believe it or not, we partronise the restaurant every year without fail(whenever there is any occasion or finding excuses to be there). Even my daughter love the food there and alway request for more!

This is the place that not only made you fall in love with the homely Italian food but also the ambience and the staff (including the bosses).

It's about time for me to visit again. :>

Food-
Simple home cooked style italain pasta, that is not overly drenched with typical tomato sauce. Their style is to bring out the natural goodness and taste of the ingredients such as garlic, seafood, beef depending on the type of pasta u ordered.

Beef pasta was very beefy, can be quite "jerlat"

Clam pasta was piled high with clams with moderate taste of wine in the sauce.

Prawn pasta was very garlicky with mixture of small and medium size prawns.

Tiramisu is the kind I like, which is does not have the taste of alcohol, BUT my favorite is still Valentino's sister pastry shop at bukit timah.

Serving size is small for me, and the price is quite expensive at about $25 per plate of pasta.

Decor and ambience-
Small homely place and simply decorated with stuffs that reminds you of chic italy??? Anyway I like the relax unpretentious decor.

Service-
Staffs are friendly, and runs the place like a family run restaurant.

Location-
Very ulu!!!! Personal transport is recommended!!! unless u stay around the area.

Overall, i like this place and should be back when i do get my own personal transport SOON. Don't come here expecting those typical italian pasta you get in town, the taste is much simpler focusing more on natural ingredients like garlic with minimum spices.

Thks to v and e for the treat and ride.

Had this for dinner last night. Only came here for lunch as i work around the area. The dinner set was decent but i hope they could change the calamari from the menu. No doubt it is tasty and different but hey, i been like eating there for more than 10 times already.

Still, i would go back again. :)

I enjoyed the warm frocccia bread with oily starters alot. I would ask for more bread though i knew i would be stuffed with the generous main and pasta portions later.

Tip: Tuesday to Thursday = free corkage, so take note.

Dinner for 2 is a comfortable 100. Very good place away from town and excellent for east-siders like myself.

Discovered this wee joint in the middle of Changi about 8 years ago and made the mistake of ordering the squid ink pasta as it was a first date *grimace*

Made no such booboo this time back. We started with a half-portion of the munchy calamari with a token prawn. Its unique as the taste is not disguised under layers and layers of bogus batter. Instead, the exquisite twist of lemon opens up the taste buds with each mouthful. (although i was told that they do not have chili sauce when i requested).

The pasta selection is mind-boggling and we probably wouldnt have gone terribly wrong with any choice but Yvonne had the Spaghetti Vongole and i had the Arrabiata Pappardelle Funghi. We were delighted that we didnt have to wait eons for the mains to arrive and were stoked that the food was piping hot (blame the microwave invasion!).

WE LOVE LOVE LOVE the vongole! Its a definite have to try. Not only the clam portion is generous but THE SAUCE... its imbued with white wine and wonderfully compliments the clams. Its not too rich but yet extremely flavourful.

I kinda deleted the Arrabiata bit in my dish, opting for a tomato sauce based version instead of original aglio-olio. The pappardelle was cooked to sheer perfection and the texture was just right, not too mushy nor too rubber-bandy.

Lastly we wrapped up the dinner with their Tiramisu, an accurate rendition of the real thing, although i wish it is serve in a deep white bowl rather than a poncy looking single-scoop ice cream cup.

Service was attentive and appreciative and it felt like the owners welcomed us to have dinner at their home's dining room.

A definite winner!

(FOOD FOR THOUGHT)
- Liked the food and its quality but the price is rather off-putting from the onset. The pasta prices are startling, ranging from $22 to $30, hence didnt even venture to look at the secondi piatti part! Thought those prices are meant to be forked out in Holland V or in the city :(

- And where was the wine list????

Eclectic would be the very word to describe the setting of this little restaurant (971 Upper Changi North Road, Changi Garden, tel : 65453108) with a somewhat bohemian charm, located at a rather remote spot beside a coffeeshop just across the road from Changi Prison. Homely would probably be the the best word to describe the food served. The dishes as I was served was in summary, tasty and as unostentatious they can come. If you're looking for Italian food with minimal to no frills involved, Porta Porta would probably be a very good bet.

I wasn't sure what was good from the menu at this place, so we opted for what was describe as the "faite" set at $48 which consisted of what the chef could bring out from the kitchen for the day. The set which looked like a sampler of various dishes consisted of a four course of which the first was starters and and soup, followed by a tasting of two pastas. The third course would be the meats along with calamari and prawns and then two desserts. The variety that this set offer looked pretty astounding as the dishes were brought out from the kitchen in quick order.

Starters & soup
Apart from the bread basket that featured a hard, olive oil flavored and dense crusty loaf; there was a wooden platter of marinated vegetable anitpasto; caprese with some smoked cheese instead of the usual mozzarella; some cold unexciting pizza; marinated eggplant; freshly toasted bruchetta; deep fried risotto balls with cheese centers; some fresh tasting plump mussels cooked in a spicy tomato and garlic broth and a rich savory fish bisque.

I hardly know how to begin with this list, but the soup and mussels which arrived steaming stood out pretty well in terms of flavor. The shellfish on the first serving had a weird smell so we requested for a change. A new bowl of freshly cooked mussels was brought back and was soft yet firm with bite. The densely flavored brown bisque has got to be one of the better fish soups I've ever tasted. I didn't even mind the mild coriander taste in it.

Two tastings of pasta
So here we have a pesto ravioli stuffed with cheese and spinach and a very tasty tagliatelle with prawn cream sauce. Both pastas were decently al dente though I would say that they probably weren't the best I've had for doneness. The savory prawn cream sauce turned out very rich in taste and again, was good that I didn't mind the coriander flavor in them. It's something I'll be looking forward to if I ever return to Porta.

The meats
The meats was for me, the least interesting unfortunately. We get a braised beef (no beefiness) that was sweet with the onions it was cooked with and a stringy piece of chicken in some cream sauce akin to carbonara. That's really all there is to them.

The calamari was however something I felt worth mentioning. The batter on the squids were so tissue paper thin that they almost weren't there. It was like a light dusting of batter all over and the squids which too arrived piping hot definitely tasted fresh. Despite appearances, the prawns were also in the same league of freshness. They were unseasoned and came like the steamed variety from Chinese restaurants with sweetness in the crunch flesh. The shells were a tad difficult to remove though as they were a slightly stuck to the meat.

Desserts
Dessert come in the form of a regular lemon sorbet and a rather good rendition of tiramisu. With the myriads of standards in tiramisus these days, I generally take them expecting the worse. This one served in a chinese tea cup turned out very robust in the expresso and atop, very light and well beaten mascapone cream.

On the whole, I thought that the seafood scored better than the meats. The bill includes just a service charge, no GST. I'm thinking that this place is definitely worth re-visiting and I'll probably head for the one at Stanley Street the next time to see what's up in that outlet.

pics and stuff

Went for a last minute dinner. Word of caution: Porta Porta is small, so reservations *highly* recommended.
I had the penne pasta with ricotta cheese and meatballs, sorry, forgotten the name of the dish. The pasta was nicely al-dente, with a pleasant cheese topping and tomato-based sauce. The meatballs were strangely textured: soft, crumbly with a very strong garlic taste. I couldn't finish the meatballs...definately the worst point of the dish. My partner had roast rosemary chicken, which was reasonably average - still moist, but a little salty, and nothing much else to make it stand out. Served with a couple of lettuce and tomato bits on the side, and a few softly-mushy (roast?) potatos.
The ambience is of a dark, cluttered cafe with lots of knick-knacks - every square inch of the walls is covered with something! The overhead blue/cloud-effect fluorescent lights cast a slightly incongruous effect on the rest of the deco.
There were only two servers, but service was fast and friendly.

Went there this evening with my boyfriend to celebrate our birthdays together. The last time we were there was 6months ago, and we thoroughly enjoyed the gastronomic experience.

This time, my boyfriend ordered the House Menu (~$40) which consists of a starter soup (tastes like chicken broth), 2 pastas (i was tortellini with pesto sauce, the other is spaghetti in tomato sardine), 1 lightly-battered calamari rings with a zest of lemon, 1 stewed tenderlicious beef with a cube of estupendous potato, and 2 desserts (1x tiramisu + 1x Granny's pie). For myself, i orderd the Lasagne, which came as a humongous portion!

I thought the lasagne tasted wonderful! its a little on the dry side, probably because i left it there for a little too long before tucking in, but the sauce that they concocted was really great. it had a strong beefy aroma which you could almost taste before putting it into your mouth.
The soup was great, a litte on the salty side though, and the 2 pastas tasted very original, probably homemade? I dont think you can find a replica of this great tasting pasta elsewhere. My boyfriend thinks the calamari was the best he has eaten before. I tried it and i must say that the degree of batter was just appropriate, and it wasnt over-fried to ensure the juicy juice stays in and the "flesh" doesnt become too tough. The touch of zesty lemon was great too!
The beef had a terrific texture to it, very soft, very tender. But the beef had a very "beefy-beefy" taste though, akin to beef innards i suppose. So might not be so suitable for the un-beef people.

Lastly, although most reviews/website rates the tiramisu at porta-porta as amongst the best in singapore, we didnt think it was so great after all. Seems that if your looking for great tasting value for money tiramisu, either check out Pasta Fresca or go make one yourself. Granny's pie was pretty yummy too, but not too much comments on this one as we were too full by that time already.

haha! have fun at porta porta! i would say that overall, it is a great place for more unique and authentic italiano food. dont forget to check out all the eccentric deco they have in the house, makes for an interesting dinner experience! however, you cant expect fine-dining service standards over here, do prepare urself for a more home-ly feel at Porta^2. If ur lucky, you could catch the boss humming some italian songs!!

CHeers!