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Food review: Braci

SINGAPORE — Italian restaurateur Beppe De Vito’s latest concept is a bijoux little restaurant and bar set in the heart of Boat Quay. Sequestered from the hubbub of the main street, Braci is tucked away on the fifth floor and rooftop of a recently renovated shophouse. It is hard to spot from the street, until you learn to look for the lift, hidden past the ground floor entrance.

SINGAPORE — Italian restaurateur Beppe De Vito’s latest concept is a bijoux little restaurant and bar set in the heart of Boat Quay. Sequestered from the hubbub of the main street, Braci is tucked away on the fifth floor and rooftop of a recently renovated shophouse. It is hard to spot from the street, until you learn to look for the lift, hidden past the ground floor entrance.

THE VIBE

With an open kitchen and only 
16 seats in the dining room, patrons can get really close to the culinary action. The cooking revolves around a Josper oven and a shichirin grill (a small Japanese barbeque grill), both of which use charcoal to imbue dishes with a distinct smokiness. That also means that the dining room can get a little warm and diners come away with smoke-scented clothes and hair. But it is a small price to pay for the lovely dining experience that Braci purveys. If you are lucky enough to be seated facing the windows, you’ll get a splendid view of the river and the area around 
the Old Parliament House.

One floor up, the rooftop bar is as beguiling as the sleek, wood and peach-tinted dining room. Ringed by soaring skyscrapers from every angle, this alfresco gem is gently lit from the base, suffusing the wood-panelled space with a soft, warm glow.

WHAT TO ORDER

The charcoal grills are employed for most of the main courses, including a dish of duck breast served with heirloom carrots (S$38). The restaurant ages fresh ducks for seven days and then cooks the breasts long and slow over the grill. The result is intensely flavoured flesh — think the folksy essence of duck, amplified and distinctly pronounced. The carrots, deliciously caramelised on the grill, provided the sweet accent needed to cut through the meat’s acute earthiness. Though the slivers of crisped skin were meant, according to De Vito, to resemble the shiny, friable skin of Peking duck, they turned out to be a closer approximation of charred croissant crusts.

The best thing we sampled came from the menu of starters. Presented like an elegant entremet, the foie gras terrine — reinterpreted as semifreddo (S$26) — was coated in a barely discernible shell of white chocolate. The lush and surprisingly light pate was topped with candied kumquats and dots of vincotto (a thick fig vinegar) made by De Vito’s father in Italy.

A tartar of beef tenderloin served in a hollowed-out bone (S$26) was alluringly tender, but minimalist in its seasoning. A bolder hand with the anchovies, capers and all things umami would elevate this already delectable offering to something with real oomph.

WHAT NEEDS IMPROVING

Italian desserts are not the most populist of sweets and it is no different here. Though the options sound sophisticated and unique (pumpkin pie with frozen yoghurt and liquorice; avocado and coffee parfait; S$18 each), they didn’t tempt our ever-eager sweet tooth. The apple panzerotto (S$18), essentially a buttery hand pie filled with a light molten cheese and apple filling, would have made a fantastic tea snack, but it lacked the cool, sweet elegance you want after the kind of satisfying meal we had here.

VERDICT

By virtue of its limited seating, beautiful space and tight menu, it would be a surprise if Braci is not an instant hit. Good luck getting a reservation.

BRACI is at 52 Boat Quay #05-02 & #06-01. Telephone: 6866 1933. Opening hours: Daily 6pm to 11pm (restaurant), 5pm to midnight (bar). Closed on Sunday

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