Not your average trattoria

Despite the diverse cuisines we have, Singaporeans seem to have an enduring love affair with Italian food that is evident in the scores of Italian trattorias, pizzerias and fine dining restaurants across the island. Just about every neighbourhood boasts its own Italian eatery (or three) — and they keep on sprouting like wild artichokes in the Italian countryside.

Their sheer and constant proliferation, however, means these restaurants must often make an effort to truly stand out from the ever-burgeoning crowd. Which explains why eateries both old and new have been pulling out the stops, offering ever more unique concepts and dishes, to entice the diner. Take veteran restaurateur Beppe De Vito’s latest baby, Osteria Art. With plump red leather seats, rich cherry wood panelling and glossy brass and copper accents, the two-month-old restaurant transports diners to a grand Old World Venetian osteria. That it sits in the heart of the CBD is no co-incidence: This “silver service” restaurant and bar was made for wheeling and dealing, thanks to its sumptuous patrician setting and professional service crew. The food is also a show-stopper: The hot-from-the-oven loaves of bread that come to the table first are so alluring, they probably won’t last long enough to be dunked into the shellfish-rich broth of a deeply savoury black cod caciucco (seafood stew, S$32). There are excellent pastas too - the spicy and very al dente spaghetti with octopus and nduja (a spreadable pork sausage, S$28) is a must, as is the luscious and lightly earthy mushroom flan (S$22), with its rich cream sauce spiked with leek and Parmesan and decadent flurry of shaved truffles.

NOT JUST PIZZA

Over at Capri in Binjai Park, this neighbourhood trattoria sets itself apart by serving monthly specials from Italy’s many regions. Opened in 2011, it was taken over by current owner Fabrizio Anzolin last year, who introduced the regional specials in March. Each month, the menu features three dishes from a different province, which have so far included Abruzzo in Italy’s south and Lombardy in the north.

“I wanted to showcase little-known dishes so customers can see that there is more to Italy than just pizza and pasta,” said Anzolin, who is from Milan. “With each regional special, I get the opportunity to talk to customers about what makes the offerings unique, and as a result, I’ve noticed that customers are more adventurous and willing to try something new.”

This month, Anzolin throws the spotlight on the region of Calabria in Italy’s extreme south, with dishes such as the Gamberi E Cappesante Alle Erbe (S$28), in which herb-seasoned prawns and scallops are lightly seared and served with a flavourful sauce anchored by sundried tomatoes and black olives.

(Of course, those hankering after pasta can sample the Pasta Riccia All’nduja (S$25), featuring flat hand-made noodles tossed in ricotta and a spicy njuda infused with garlic, black pepper and chilli flakes.)

Meanwhile, executive chef Antonio Massagli has made Buttero Trattoria Italiana live up to its name (it translates to “Tuscan cowboy”). A bona fide buttero, born and raised in the Tuscan town of Lucca, Massagli brings to the table rustic Tuscan classics culled from his familial memories. There is grilled pork sausage on a bed of melting cannellini beans (S$30) inspired by his family’s habit of filling empty wine bottles with said beans and water and leaving it to braise slowly by the fireplace while the family worked in the fields. For the restaurant’s lunch specials, Massagli also dishes out some unique dishes such as the crespelle (S$23 as part of a two-course set lunch), a savoury cake made of layers of bouncy crepes and spinach bechamel.

THE MALL THE MERRIER

Rather than open in a suburban neighbourhood or the central business district, 32-year-old Luca Bottura chose Suntec City Mall for his eponymous restaurant. “I want to reach a wide range of Singaporeans,” explained the former finance professional from Bologna. “So I felt opening in a mall is a good way to draw a larger population of diners.”

If his surname sounds familiar, it is because Bottura’s family has long been synonymous with the restaurant business in Italy - among his cousins is Massimo Bottura of the three-Michelin-star Osteria Francescana in Modena. Not that Luca has Michelin-star aspirations for Bottura, which opened last month. Rather, this casual, polished space serves a family-friendly range of dishes, including pastas, pizzas, antipasti, mains, desserts and gelato, all made according to his family recipes. It also has a retail option where you can buy Italian gourmet products such as truffle oil, dried porcini mushrooms and aged balsamic vinegar. Among the homemade pastas on the menu is an excellent ravioli (S$14) filled with spinach and ricotta that’s swathed in a light cream sauce with ham and mushrooms. The four-cheese gnocchi (S$14) is also noteworthy for its surprising lightness and good hit of acidity thanks to a drizzle of rocket pesto.

Whether it’s the Italians’ convivial, communal approach to dining; their rustically comforting fare; their consuming passion for the food they purvey; or simply the fact that. sometimes, nothing quite hits the spot like a good plate of pasta (just look at the number of celebrities stuffing their faces on Pinterest) - Italian cuisine has captured our hearts like no other. So, as the Italians say, “Mangia che ti passa” - eat and it will be over, you’ll feel better.

Osteria Art, 55 Market Street, #01-01. Tel: 6877 6933. http://www.osteriaart.com.

Capri, 3 Binjai Park. Tel: 6468 4886. http://www.trattoriacapri.com.

Buttero, 54 Tras Street. Tel: 6438 7737.

Bottura, #02-472 Suntec City North Wing, 3 Temasek Boulevard. Tel: 6238 7527. http://bottura.sg.