The perennial popularity of Italian cuisine in Singapore looks set to continue with a recent wave of new and revamped restaurants in hotels. Italian chef Daniele Sperindio is back in action, almost a year after the closure of his one-Michelin-starred contemporary Italian restaurant Art di Daniele Sperindio in National Gallery Singapore.
The restaurant will resurface next January at METT Singapore, an 84-room new-to-market luxury hotel in Fort Canning Park, where Sperindio has assumed the post of director of culinary and F&B.
Besides helming the fine-dining restaurant, he also oversees four F&B concepts at METT Singapore, a colonial building which housed Hotel Fort Canning.
The hotel, opened on October 28, is run by Dubai-based Sunset Hospitality Group, which also runs Sushisamba and Mott 32 restaurants.
The group has brought in L’Amo Bistrò del Mare, a Mediterranean seafood restaurant that has made waves in Dubai. Reflecting the flagship restaurant’s location by the Dubai Harbour, the Gambero Rosso-recognised L’Amo Bistrò del Mare serves a seafood menu inspired by Italy’s southern coast.
The Singapore menu is mainly similar to the one in Dubai.
Photo: METT Singapore
Highlights include Polpo al Josper, slow-grilled octopus tossed in olive oil, red capsicum, and brunoised chives, as well as handmade pasta dishes. The Spaghettone Cacio & Pepe, crowned with uni, is enrobed in creamy pecorino and black pepper sauce, while the Tagliolini Lime & Caviale, tossed in a lime butter emulsion and finished with Italian caviar.
Mains include Catalana dell’Amo, buttery-poached lobster brightened up by Datterino tomatoes and crisp vegetables and Costolette d’Agnello alla Brace, roast lamb chops served with kumquat jam and red cabbage. End with desserts like Ti…Amo…Su, a tiramisu of homemade savoiardi biscuits soaked in aromatic coffee.
A series of signature cocktails completes the dining experience — from Florence, concocted with gin, citrus, and St. Germain to the bold Grappissima, a nod to Italy’s after-dinner ritual with grappa and herbes. The bar is backed by a wine cellar of more than 300 Italian and French labels.
Photo: St Regis Singapore
At St Regis Singapore, the Astor Grill has been rebranded as Sophia, a modern Italian restaurant, starting in mid-October. Helmed by chef de cuisine Angelo Sergio, who hails from Puglia, the menu celebrates the best of cuisines from 11 regions in Italy.
Standing out from the pasta section is Tagliatelle Atavi e Porcini, which has been smoked over hickory wood. Mains include the hulking 1kg Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a grilled Angus T-bone seasoned with pepperberry sea salt.
For desserts, make room for the Cannoncini stuffed with cream or the chocolate salami that are prepared on a trolley and served tableside.
Photo: Marina Bay Sands
Over at Marina Bay Sands, rooftop Italian restaurant LAVO Singapore, which is perched on the 57th storey, reopened on September 13 after a four-month renovation. The interiors have been spruced up, and so has the menu, which zeroes in on a coastal Italian theme.
While favourites like the gigantic meatball and towering 20-layer chocolate cake remain on the menu, look out for new dishes like the Jumbo Shrimp Alla Scampi, which is sauteéd in garlic, white wine, and lemon butter and Mafaldine Seafood Alfredo with shrimp and scallop tossed in lobster butter and a light cream sauce.
Dining and Cooking