Newcomer lunch and we went to a familiar eating place right behind our office. Note to myself, do not over order this time.

Gourmet Italian Osteria aka GIO continues to be helmed by chef David Marchiori, who brings the best of the great Italian tradition of hospitality and quality at the table. And once again we were served by the impeccable and attention Brother Imran, who picked our lunch menu (again).

1. Prosciutto Crudo e Burrata
2. Calamaretti Fritti con Zucchine
3. Pizza Fritta con Pelati Conditi e Bufala 
4. Parmigiana di Melanzane 
5. Gnocchi al Ragù di Bistecca
6. Ravioli di Zucca, Amaretto e Ricotta Affumicata 
7. Rigatoni alla Carbonara
8. Filetto di Pesce Spada con Cipolla Caramellata e Crumble di Olive Nere

Prosciutto Crudo e Burrata

Prosciutto ham, burrata cheese, italian herbs, balsamic vinegar glaze

We started with a new antipasti, a simple prosciutto ham with a whole burrata cheese sprinkled with dried Italian herb mix and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar glaze. The sweet and sour vinegar was binding flavour for the creamy, milky cheese and a delicious, salty ham.

Calamaretti Fritti con Zucchine

Deep fried japanese baby squids with battered zucchini

The crowd favourite the other time, and this time they used the Japanese firefly squid which made this antipasti even better!

Pizza Fritta con Pelati Conditi e Bufala 

Deep fried pizza with peeled tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella

Pizza fritta or fried pizza is a Naples specialty enjoying a cult status amongst the locals. It is made by sealing the toppings between two layers of pizza dough and frying it in hot oil until it becomes golden and crispy. Here at GIO, they have done it as an open face pizza. Think of the Chinese hamm cheem phang meet Italian pizza toppings.

The Bufala (water buffalo mozzarella) was really creamy and delicious, and only with a pizza with out a sauce then you realised how delicious it was to be able to taste the individual ingredients.

Parmigiana di Melanzane 

Deep fried eggplants, tomato sauce and grated pecorino romano

My favourite antipasti this time around, as they had given more pomodoro (tomato sauce) with the melanzane (eggplant). The baked cheese disc was made from pecorino romano (hard cheese from sheep’s milk) and was similar tasting as a parmigiano but with a slight musky taste.

Gnocchi al Ragù di Bistecca

Home made Italian potato dumplings with grilled ribeye beef steak ragù

As I did not like gnocchi, I was not a fan of this prima piatti (first plate). The potato dumplings were quite huge and chewy and were tossed with chucks of beef ribeye steak ragu. The ribeye had been stewed in a red wine braise until fork tender, but the sauce did not save the flat tasting gnocchi.

Ravioli di Zucca, Amaretto e Ricotta Affumicata 

Pumpkin ravioli with amaretto, caramelised butter and shaved smoked ricotta

It was a crowd favourite the last time round, and the ravioli stuffed with pumpkin (zucca) did not disappoint this time as well. The sweetness was enhanced with the sweet amaretto liquor and some smokiness from the smoked ricotta. The sauce was a nutty beurre noisette and the pasta was finished with fresh shaving of parmigiano reggiano.

Rigatoni alla Carbonara

Rigatoni pasta prepared with guanciale (cured pork jowl), egg yolks, grated pecorino cheese and black pepper

This was another new dish that we did not try the last time, and it was really good carbonara. The sauce was creamy and flavourful, and the salted pork cheek bits called guanciale provided a lot of depth in the saltiness. The rigatoni tubes allowed the sauce and the pork to be scooped up and consumed in the same bite. Pecorini is a hard sheep’s cheese that was used to make the carbonara sauce and some more was sprinkled on the pasta for another sharper, musky taste.

Filetto di Pesce Spada con Cipolla Caramellata e Crumble di Olive Nere

Oven baked Swordfish fillet with caramelised onion and black olives crumble

They had changed the presentation of the swordfish this time, with the caramelised onions on the bottom and the black olive crumble on top of the same dry piece of swordfish fillet. They seriously needed a sauce for this swordfish.

Afterthoughts

The food remained solid and high quality, but the swordfish was rather disappointing once again. The pastas were delicious, and so were the antipasti. The service was impeccable as usual. But again, we need to try to order from the menu ourselves the next time.

Gourmet Italian Osteria – GIO Singapore
27 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088450, Singapore
Tel : +65 8269 0659

Visited Apr 2023

#GIO #gourmetitalianosteria @gio_singapore #giosingapore #tanjongpagar