Dinner at Senso Ristorante & Bar

Having heard about Senso Ristorante & Bar for a while, I finally made plans to eat there. It is located between Tanjong Pagar and Outram area, at 21 Club Street, Singapore 069410, and the number to dial is 6224 3534.

This authentic Italian restaurant serving classical fine-dining cuisine sits amongst a row of Colonial shophouses and boosts of a sophisticated, elegant interior complete with a long hallway leading to the dining halls.

The neo-classical beauty of this place includes a courtyard meant for alfresco dining, complete with second-floor balcony and white-themed sleek decor.

*Charliez and I browsed through the menu, though I already had an inkling of what I wanted to eat beause I'd browsed the online menu before tonight. Upon ordering, we were served a Bread Basket with freshly-baked bread rolls and breadsticks along with olive oil. I enjoyed the crisp breadsticks and soft foccacia alot.

The complimentary starter was an Asparagus Mousse served with a crispy piece of toast - it is their asparagus season. The mousse was somewhat sweet, and rich in its creamy texture. It got a bit too rich after the second spoonful so I had to spread it on my focaccia and dip it with my breadstick - and the combination thereof was awesome (albeit a little déclassé!) 

Our appetiser was served next - Goose Liver "Rou-gie" (SGD$32.00) - pan-seared goose liver "rou-gie" with caramelized poached pear in spices, wine and Balsamico di Modena vinegar. The goose liver was tender and juicy, like roast game encapsulated by warm melted butter. The sweet poached pear was crunchy and delicious, pairing well with the savoury flavor of goose liver.

For main courses, there was the Risotto and Hare (SGD$34.00) - traditional Carnaroli risotto with braised saddle of hare, rosemary, juniper berries and butternut pumpkin.  I have never eaten hare meat before, hence it was the first time I tried this delicacy - tasted like a cross between pork and quail meat actually. The risotto was not grainy enough in taste (the way I like it, done in French style), but the taste of the overall dish was fabulous, a blend of saccharine with savoury overtures, in a soft porridge-like texture.

We also shared the Senso "Bolo"-bster Lasagna (SGD$34.00) - homemade lasagne with fresh lobster meat and tomato sauce. Flavor-wise, there was the hints of lobster sweetness when we bit into the lobster chunks within this baked pasta dish, but the cheese taste was a tad light, unlike the usual lasagne taste. The texture was also non-sticky, and somewhat dry. The crusts were hard, like how Chinese pan-fried carrot cake's ones are like. Once the knife met the lasagne, it crumbled into pieces. It was a little disappointing.

Finally, despite us feeling full, we felt that we were entitled to a bit of desserts, so we had the Lemon Tartlet "Big Meringue" (SGD$16.00) to finish off the meal - lemon tartlet stuffed with red berries topped with meringue. We were thankful that the spiral layers of white above the tart was lemon cream (sourish) instead of sweet icing à la the conventional meringues. The tart was crunchy and flaky, and there were raspberries and blueberries hidden in the womb of this meringue tart, making it a welcoming refresher after the heavier courses earlier on.

We spent a total of SGD$136.53 for this meal, accompanied with excellent and attentive service, as well as a lovely ambience.