Cugini Trattoria Pizzeria
It'd been a crazy day and I needed comfort food. My latest crave is Italian and I'd been hankering to try Cugini for a while now. This charming little place is on the fringes of the CBD area, so it's really convenient to head to after work.
We had one of the more enjoyable and memorable meals to date. Cugini, the Italian word for "cousins", serves Southern Italian cuisine and is run by 2 close friends who have garnered an impressive resume in Europe before setting up operations in Singapore. The vibe here is romantic but casual, with its warm candlelit tables and seaside-inspired turquoise furnishing.
We gobbled up the Raviolo di Ossobuco con Verza e Riduzione al Barolo ($24.90), Italian pasta dumplings filled with minced veal with a drizzling of Barolo wine reduction and topped with freshly shredded lettuce. The refreshingly crisp and palate cleansing taste of the lettuce lifted the heaviness of the red meat. We shared this as a starter. I don't know how anyone can eat this as a main and be full. It's like 5 bites, and poof! It's all finished!
Southern Italian cuisine is distinguished for its heavy use of seafood, so we got the Risotto Mare e Monti ($24.90). This was rustic, and delicious, with the main focus on the freshness of the ingredients. Prawns, mussels, squid, clams, fish and assorted mushrooms provided all the flavour needed through every al dente bite of the arborio rice. I'll definitely be back for more of their risottos.
The Scaloppa di Branzino Mediterraneo ($35.90) of pan-fried seabass with mozzarella foam and sweet bell peppers was tarnished by the overtly-salted crusty skin of the fish. A lighter hand with the seasoning of the fish fillets would have done more justice to the fresh moist fish. I thought the peppers was very well done though, they were soft but retained a wee bit of bite, sweet but with a hint of spice.
The Bread Basket wasn't spectacular, but it did help quieten the growling tummy. It wasn't soft or warm enough, and it was too plain, a very ho-hum affair.
Cugini Trattoria Pizzeria
87 Club Street
#01-01
Tel: 6221 3791
Open daily from 12noon to 2.30pm; 6pm to 11pm
Website: www.cugini.com.sg
We had one of the more enjoyable and memorable meals to date. Cugini, the Italian word for "cousins", serves Southern Italian cuisine and is run by 2 close friends who have garnered an impressive resume in Europe before setting up operations in Singapore. The vibe here is romantic but casual, with its warm candlelit tables and seaside-inspired turquoise furnishing.
We gobbled up the Raviolo di Ossobuco con Verza e Riduzione al Barolo ($24.90), Italian pasta dumplings filled with minced veal with a drizzling of Barolo wine reduction and topped with freshly shredded lettuce. The refreshingly crisp and palate cleansing taste of the lettuce lifted the heaviness of the red meat. We shared this as a starter. I don't know how anyone can eat this as a main and be full. It's like 5 bites, and poof! It's all finished!
Southern Italian cuisine is distinguished for its heavy use of seafood, so we got the Risotto Mare e Monti ($24.90). This was rustic, and delicious, with the main focus on the freshness of the ingredients. Prawns, mussels, squid, clams, fish and assorted mushrooms provided all the flavour needed through every al dente bite of the arborio rice. I'll definitely be back for more of their risottos.
The Scaloppa di Branzino Mediterraneo ($35.90) of pan-fried seabass with mozzarella foam and sweet bell peppers was tarnished by the overtly-salted crusty skin of the fish. A lighter hand with the seasoning of the fish fillets would have done more justice to the fresh moist fish. I thought the peppers was very well done though, they were soft but retained a wee bit of bite, sweet but with a hint of spice.
The Bread Basket wasn't spectacular, but it did help quieten the growling tummy. It wasn't soft or warm enough, and it was too plain, a very ho-hum affair.
Cugini Trattoria Pizzeria
87 Club Street
#01-01
Tel: 6221 3791
Open daily from 12noon to 2.30pm; 6pm to 11pm
Website: www.cugini.com.sg
Comments
If it is stll not enough, there are tiramisu or panna cotta and double shots of espresso.
That's why the bill amounted to over a hundred for dinner.
We thought the portions were fair, though I wouldn't go so far as to say that they were generously portioned. The risotto at Cova was a lot smaller in portion to this one here. Plus, the bread basket wasn't free flow here.
MS please. I'm afraid of disclosing my marital status. -.-