Dinner at Otto Ristorante

28 Maxwell Road #01-02 Red Dot Traffic Building, Singapore 069120

Tel: 6227 6819

I have always been fascinated by this long, red building situated along the Tanjong Pagar / Outram district, and wondered what eateries one might find in there. I got my answer, and *Charliez and I decided to try Otto Ristorante for some quality Italian fare.

We walked into the building to locate the front entrance, and noted the vastness of this restaurant. There was a courtyard beyond for alfresco dining.

We preferred to sit indoors, where the atmosphere was warmer, as climate began to dip outdoors.

The interior was a sleek touch of elegance combined with vintage charms. Our suspicions here that the service was excellant were affirmed the moment we were seated in the sophisticated restaurant, and it made the place almost homely, especially with the restaurant manager Paulo occasionally dropping by to check that everything was in order.

With the menus on our laps now, we looked through and re-confirmed what we wanted for dinner.

Two slim flutes of bubbly were served even as I was studying the wine list - loved the cold, soothing glasses of smooth Champagne.

A platter of bread was brought to the table, and I selected the Foccacia while *Charliez chose Onion roll - both bread were soft, but the onion ones tasted better. We ate it with the olive oil dip.

They served a complimentary starter of Smoked Salmon with Yogurt Dressing - succulent slabs of salmon that bore sashimi's tender-firm texture, and revelled in the deliciousness of this palate-teaser.

Our shared appetizer arrived next, the Seared Foie Gras with Celeriac Puree and aged Balsamic Vinegar (SGD$29.00) - tender melt-in-your-mouth goodness with a buttery taste and hints of smokiness at its nearly-crispy seared sides.

I had another glass of Rose Wine (SGD$18.00) - Marabino Rosato, a smooth and light dessert wine with fruity overtures.

Then our Linguine Boston Lobster in spicy light tomato gravy (SGD$38.00) was served - large chunks of springy fresh lobster cooked in a delicious gravy that flirted well with the tongue. The pasta was a tad hard for *Charliez's liking, but I loved the harder doneness, so it was perfect for me. They helped us divide the portion into two tinier side plates (as shown in bottom photo).

Next, we had the Atlantic Cod Tagliata (SGD$42.00) - in a  "Taggia" olives crust with sweet garlic sauce. We rather liked the combination of a flakey crust coupled with the luscious flavor of the snow white flesh of the cod. The dish melted in the mouth like fairy food dust, its distinctive flavors lingering on the palate.

Finally, we went around to deciding on dessert, and had a slice of Venetian Iced Meringue Cake (SGD$16.00) - with warm chocolate soup and pistachio heart. It was a cross between eating ice-cream and icing sugar, dipped in a milky chocolate pool (that tasted like Milo more than chocolate actually), but it was a unique creation. We enjoyed the powdery-cold texture, but thought the cake was a little too sweet (hence one has to savour very slowly).

All in all, Otto Ristorante offered a lovely fine-dining experience, nothing pretentious or snobbish despite its sophisticated setting and courteous service crew of different ethnicity. This place made dining a breeze, we didn't even realize that it was close to 10 when we left!