The concept of this outlet is more like a deli, where they have ingredients, condiments as well as ready made chilled food for takeaway like cakes, desserts, salads, soups, pasta sauces, lasagne etc. They have a deli counter which sells cheese, pastries and other typical Italian antipasti. They also sell bread, cupcakes, dried homemade pastas, pizzas and wines. It’s more of a shop rather than a café, and prices here are nett. The service is rather non existent as well.
Salmon & Avocado in Ciabatta – $13.00
I ordered this sandwhich because I didn’t see that they sold pizzas by slices as well. I would have tried pizza if I could choose again, but this sandwich was rather good. The bread was coated with olive oil, and the filling was generous with mixed salad. The amount of smoked salmon and avocado given was not stingy either. The ciabatta was indeed crispy but it can get a bit hard over time. There’s an option for a softer bread, for those who prefer that. This sandwhich is very filling so I guess it’s worth the money.
Tiramisu in cup – $7.50
Even though I was full from the sandwich I was determined to try their tiramisu after hearing that Da Paolo has good tiramisu. They sell it in a cup ($7.50), small ($11) and large ($18?).
It’s quite ugly in the cup, because when you remove the lid the cocoa powder layer comes off.
Pardon my unsightly photo of the half eaten tiramisu but I had to share that this is indeed one of the best tiramisu!
The sponge later was thick enough and thoroughly soaked, although maybe it could be a little less wet. But what was really good here was the mascarpone layer! It was very rich in flavour, yet not too dense in texture! As seen from the photo, you can see a mousse like texture. That gives it a light in texture feel so you won’t feel that you’re just scooping cream. The flavour of the mascarpone layer was one of the best I’ve had around! This should be the closest to authentic tiramisu.
Do note that this tiramisu is the dessert type and not the cake type. (I think cake type typically adds gelatin to firm up the mascarpone.)
Even though the staff was very unhelpful, I still bought some homemade squid ink fettuccine ($3.75) and truffle flavoured olive oil ($16.00) home to cook for dinner. I asked him how do I cook this and he was totally unprepared for an answer. He even gave a patronising ’10 minutes?’. Luckily I did not believe him, as my pasta turned al dente by 4 – 5 minutes! So if you are getting the squid ink fettuccine from Da Paolo, cook it no longer than 5 minutes.
Squid Ink Fettuccine Aglio Olio
- 1 portion of Squid Ink Fettuccine
- Medley of cherry tomatoes (I love how happy my medley of cherry tomatoes look! You can get a pre mixed packet of that from NTUC)
- 5 button mushrooms (better if there’s Portobello)
- Chopped garlic
- Chopped chilli padi
- Olive oil
- A dash of truffle oil
- Salt, black pepper, Italian herbs
- Boil the pasta in a pot of 1L boiling water, with a pinch of salt and some olive oil, for 4 – 5 minutes until al dente.
- Strain out the pasta. Do not rinse. The starch layer should be preserved on the pasta.
- In a frying pan, heat up olive oil.
- Sautee garlic and chili, and add in sliced mushrooms and cherry tomatoes until cooked.
- Add in salt, pepper, and herbs.
- Add in the pasta and mix well.
- Pour some truffle oil above everything.
Fettuccine may not be the ideal choice for aglio olio but I like my pasta to be thick and flat, hence I chose this. The squid ink fettuccine itself was very nice. The texture was so much better then supermarket brands! It was springy as though it was elastic. I will definitely try other pastas they have, next time!
Hungry Bird 