Hidden by a flight of stairs outside the entrance of Fusionpolis, Pietrasanta The Italian Restaurant is a hidden gem of Italian restaurant in One North.
The warm and inviting ambiance reminds me of iO Italian Osteria in HillV2. Pietrasanta The Italian Restaurant specializes in cuisine from the Tuscany region of Italy.
The Food
The meal starts with a complimentary basket of bread, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
There is a promotion of Spritz Pizzolato Dolce Vita at 2 glasses for S$15.90. The drinks looks pretty with warm orange hues but it contains bitter liqueur and tastes like cough syrup. I had a hard time finishing it.
Appetizer
You can’t go wrong with Burrata (daily special), a classic appetizer in Italian cuisine. The pairing of creamy mozzarella cheese with parma ham, tart tomatoes and rocket leaves makes this a great go-to appetizer at any Italian restaurant.
Fried Whitebait (daily special), fritto di paranza in Italian, means fried small fish. The fish are small and reminds me of Japanese shishamo. The small fish are so crispy and taste great with the accompanying mayonnaise sauce.
These Calamari Fritti [S$25.90] are definitely not store-bought, judging from the uneven thin crispy batter that hangs loosely on the outside of the squid rings. These are delightfully-light and taste even better when eaten with the homemade mayonnaise sauce.
Mains
Tagliatelle Fresche Gamberi E Pomodori Sec-chi [S$28.90] is the most classic of Italian pastas with fresh handmade tagliatelle, semi-dried tomatoes, EVO oil, garlic and basil. This pasta is cooked with prawn broth, giving it a deep unami flavor.
Another tagliatelle pasta dish to try is Tagliatelle Al Nero Di Seppia Ai Frutti Di Mare [S$28.90] with black squid-ink. The sauce is a mixture of seafood sauce with light tomato sauce which is truly tasty.
Secreto Alla Griglia [S$39.90] is perfect for the meat-lover. This “secret butcher’s cut” of black pork is super tender with a mild mild nutty flavor. The roasted potatoes are so sweet I almost thought they were honey-glazed.
Grilled Lemon Sole (daily special) is not a fish commonly served in Singapore. The fish is so tender, it literally fell apart at the touch of my fork. The pesto sauce works wonders in bringing out the freshness of the fish.
There is also a daily special pasta dish of Spaghetti with Clams in pesto sauce that smittens whoever eats it with its delicious simplicity.
Desserts
A true Italian would enjoy the Cheese Platter [S$22.90] which comes with 3 types of Italian cheeses, toasted bread, honey and chilli jam.
When you don’t know what dessert to order, go for Crème Brûlée [S$14.90]. A classic Italian dessert that can’t go wrong. Break the caramelized top to get to the creamy eggy dessert below.
Tiramisu [S$14.90] is another all-time favorite Italian dessert. I like that the tiramisu here does not have too strong of coffee taste.
The most interesting of all the desserts has to be the Cheese Cake Alle 5 Medaglie [S$15.90]. I would never have thought to pair cheesecake with 20-years aged balsamic but somehow it works. The balsamic brings out the richness of the cheesecake in contrast. This cheesecake is best shared between 2-3 people.
Pietrasanta The Italian Restaurant
Address: 1 Fusionopolis Way, Connexis #01-08, Singapore 138632
Telephone: 98639253
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 10pm
Website: https://ristorante-pietrasanta.com