Pietrasanta: Place for a nice laid back Sunday Lunch

Rucola Parma Ham pizza

Remember the Italian/Singaporean couple I blogged about last year who opened a little stall selling pizzas at HDB prices? Well, they have decided to move upmarket and have opened a cosy little restaurant in the beautiful countrysidish part of Singapore known as Wessex Estate.

Portsdown Road is one of those last places in Singapore where you can still enjoy that "countryside" atmosphere and daydream about our colonial past. In fact, the whole of the Portsdown and Dover area used to be home to the British who find the "rolling hills" around the area to be reminiscent of home. The church which I attend, St John's St Margaret's, which used to be known as St John's Garrison Church, was the Anglican Parish Church catering to the needs of the British forces. The original triangular building is still there and being used to conduct services although the main service is now conducted in our new sanctuary.

Personally, I find the colonial period to be very romantic. It was a time when much of the world was still being discovered and ceiling fans were still manually driven by coolies. Think Indiana Jones and you know what I mean. I could almost imagine myself in that period as I sat in the the nice little courtyard with sunlight streaming into the restaurant and the smell of freshly cut wood in the air. Ok, I think it is apparent to you by now that I like the atmosphere of this place very much, so on to the food.

The pizzas are better quality than their "HDB" pizzas at La Pizzaola but still quite reasonably priced. The crust is thin and chewy and the tomato based sauce is less tangy which was my main complaint the last time I ate at La Pizzaola. I would highly recommend the rucola with parma ham pizza which really did satisfy my pizza craving that day. 4.25/5



We were because the kids were clamoring for pizzas after church and the last thing I wanted to do was to end up at Pizza Hut.With so little calories to waste, a nice Italian Pizza is actually not much more expensive and definitely tastes better than the commercial variety. But in order to have a more balanced Italian meal, we ordered some pasta as well just to try try. The Spinach ravioli was alright but could have been more tantalizing if the sauce was a little more cheesy. 3.75/5


Chef Owner Loris

Conclusion

Good pizzas combined with the laid back atmosphere of Wessex Estate. This certainly looks like a place I can go back often to get fulfill my pizza cravings. At least it beats having to bring the kids to Pizza Hut!

PS: Just spoken to Jennifer and confirmed that they have closed La Pizzaiola already. You can read about their first eatery here.

Pietrasanta
5B Portsdown Road
#01-03
S(138311)
64799521
www.ristorante-pietrasanta.com



What to do next

• Read about Jennifer and Loris's first restaurant: La Pizzaiola
• Other Ang Moh's in the heartland stories: Crazy Ang Moh and Finalmente Gastronomia
• Looking for other places for Pizzas? Click on the Pizza Label
• Check out where our forummers are eating their Pizzas: Click Here

Stiff Chilli: Hole in the Wall Pizzas

OK, this is the kind of "Hole-in-the-Wall" outfit that I really feel Singapore should have more of. It's a dingy, dilapidated little place surrounded by Karaoke Lounges such that you get to hear middle aged men dishing out their own renditions of "I did it my way" while digging into your pizza and pastas.

Call it rustic, call it cheap. I call it "Boh Chup" (Can't care less) decor. The walls spot original paint from WWII with the existence of old electrical trunking left unashamedly evident. Oh, it just brings back memories of the times I was in the rustic cafes of Bangkok. It's original and it's got personality. It's a far cry from the standard "Nanyang School of fine art" plug and play type, I copy you, you copy me and "why think of something new when we can play it safe and stick to what everyone likes" kind of decor. No, we are talking about raw concrete, don't bother plastering up defects and using whatever is lying in our storeroom to decorate the place kind of approach.

Too bad the food was not as original as the decor. It's good but I was hoping for something that would have the same amount of raw, unabashed passion behind it. This is a shame as they even went to the extent of building a wood fired oven at the back to cook the pizzas. The pizzas range from $15-$26 dollars and are as competent as any pizzas around. 4/5

In case you are wondering, Stiff Chilli is a branch of a chain of restaurants started in Bali by this Aussie guy who married some Balinese princess. So I guess the "Boh Chup" decor probably resembles its sister restaurants in Bali. I was kinda hoping that this was going to be another "Ang Moh in the heartlands" story, but unfortunately, the joint is being run by a local, so it really is a shame. Having an Ang Moh behind the counter could really complete the illusion that you are somewhere overseas!

Conclusion

Great place to chill out, get a nice bite to eat and listen to Karaoke music!

Stiff Chilli
279 Jalan Besar
Singapore 208943
Phone: 62975509
Recommended by Damien

Finalmente Gastronomia: Another Italian in the Heartlands Story!

There are updates at the end of the blog

Ravioli stuffed with Stewed Veal cheek $12 (3 pieces)

One of the best things about Bangkok is the number of "Hole in the Wall" type eateries which are opened by Europeans who happen to pass through and decided to stay. These places are often small, rustic and bursting with character. There aren't many places like that in Singapore, so when Davina wrote in to tell me about this little Italian place which just opened in Macpherson (yes, you heard right, Macpherson), I couldn't help but check it out.

In recent years, there has been an "outbreak" of Italian food in our HDB heartlands. But these are often run by locals offering the standard Italian fare like pasta and pizzas. Mind you these places do serve up pretty good pastas, but it is not the same as having a quirky Italian man taking your orders, cooking up your meal and later coming to clean up the table as well. It's the kind of informal setting that I really enjoy.

Although the food here is real value for money (+ no +++), Italian chef Luca does not compromise on the quality of the ingredients and you are not going to get Singaporean tasting Italian food. (The dead giveaway is the use of commercial dried Italian spice mix) Only fresh herbs are used here and the cheeses, prosciutto and other produce are imported. I was pleasantly surprised that you could get a handmade pasta dish for as little as $12! We tried the homemade Ravioli with stewed veal cheeks and it was really quite shiok. You get 3 palm sized ravioli for $12 which is not really enough to fill you up but enough to satisfy the tastebuds. 4.5/5.


Pizza with Cooked Ham $9.50 23cm

Pizzas here are the thin and crispy type and prices start at $7.50 for a 23cm neopolitan pizza. The Rocket and Parma Ham pizza is $14 which I think is probably the cheapest in Singapore. (I am planning to come back for this) The base was really thin and crispy and although it may not be as outstanding as some that I have tasted overseas, it certainly rivals a lot of the more expensive Italian restaurants in Singapore. 4/5


Suckling Pig $11

The Italian suckling pig is a house specialty but don't imagine that you are going to learn about pig anatomy here. The whole pig has been de-boned and then all that skin is wrapped around a strip of tenderloin and spiced with herbs. The skin was nice and crisp as you would imagine and overall it was quite tasty, though I found the loin a tad dry. Worth trying as it is not all that common in Singapore. 3.75/5

Ever wonder why an Italian man would want want to settle in Singapore to open a restaurant? I always ask that question when I meet expats. Inevitably it has something to do with a pretty Singapore girl. Yes, our Singapore girls are doing a great job luring foreign talent to our shores!

That's Luca in the picture showing us a plate of Italian White Truffles. That 250gm plate of truffles costs $2500!! Now Truffles is something that I really never understood. Yeah its nice, but forking out $30 for 4 slivers of truffles over a plate of pasta is not something I get myself doing very often. I would rather get a nice steak for that amount of money. But if you are a truffle lover, I think you'd be making a beeline for the restaurant very soon.

Conclusion

A place where you go just to enjoy good Italian food at a great price. Don't expect great presentation or atmosphere, just good food and a nice friendly chat with an Italian chef.

Updates 6 July 2008

Our readers Lina and perception reports that the original Chef had left and now the standards of the restaurant has dropped.

Finalmente Gastronomia
443 Macpherson Road
Between Hotel Winsor and Mazda Showroom
11.30am to 10pm
Closed on Mondays
62883009
Luca Visani 98669752
Recommended by Davina

La Pizzaiola: Authentic Italian Pizza at HDB prices!

With iwatch_ueat and Damien

Quattro Formaggio $13.90 for a 12 inch pizza

Don't you think it is a little redundant to label a pizza as "Italian" pizza? Of course, pizza is Italian what, ah boh then?

But the fact is that the pizza has evolved into something quite different from its original form such that there is a big difference between "Italian" pizza and American style "Pizza Hut" pizzas. For me, when someone says "Italian" pizza, I think about a thin crust pizza that is baked in a wood fired oven with a good tomato sauce and lots of chewy mozzarella cheese.

Although I love pizza, I have been on a pizza lull for a while. So this is my very first pizza post. Damien alerted me to this "Authentic Italian Pizza at HDB prices" pizza which I thought was very interesting. And what can be more authentic then having a real Italian Chef making the pizzas? Ah, yet another "Ang Moh in the HDB heartlands" story!


Rucola Parma $18.90 for 12 inch

Loris and Jennifer met Singapore, got married and ran off to open a restaurant in Tuscany before returning to Singapore again. During her stay in Italy, Jennifer fell in love with the Italian pizza so when they returned to Singapore, she had this irresistible urge to share her passion for real Italian pizza with the Singaporean Heartlanders.

They use the thin and crispy pizza base here, but it is not so thin like it's a "water cracker". You still get a 1 cm thick layer of bread in the middle, but it is thin and crispy around the rim which I am told is how they do it in Naples. I found the tomato based sauce a little on the tangy side but both my makankakis said they like it that way. The cheese could have been more chewy, but at $13.90 for a whole pizza, I guess I should not complain too much.

We liked the Quattro Formaggi which is made up of parmesan, blue, mozzarella and emmental cheeses. 4.25/5

The Rucola Parma was nice and having the salad on top of the pizza is very refreshing as you get the contrast between the crisp leaves with the heavier pizza base. 4/5



For those who enjoy Garfield's favourite food, the lasagna here is pretty commendable. It's also probably the cheapest Lasagna you can get anywhere. For $6 you get a good portion of Lasagna which is made with fresh sheets of pasta. Jennifer has modified the lasagna a little to suit the local taste, so the tangy edge has been blunted with the addition of a bit of sugar. Suits me fine. 4/5

Conclusion

Where can you get your Italian style pizza fix, real cheap and on the go? Well, now you know.

Update: 18 Jul 2008

La Pizzaiola as been closed. The couple are now operating Pietrasantra at Portsdown road.

La Pizzaiola
43 Holland Drive #01-63
67795502 10am to 10pm
Closed every Tuesday
www.lapizzaiola.com.sg
Recommended by Damien