Etna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria's the perfect place for great company and food. An intimate setting with dimmed lights and fantastic service. We also like that it's tucked away amongst rows of shop houses in good ol' Duxton Hill. Had a such a nice time at Etna's, in fact it was my second time there!

Lucky for us we made reservations cause they were full house that night! Ambience was nice, quiet and intimate, though a tad small. There were lotsa couples and a few after work cliques.

We were served the usual complimentary bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Dee thinks it's the best she's ever had, she continued munching on them even after our mains arrived.

Burrata di Andria con Rucola, Pomodorini Pachino e Prosciutto di Parma ($32.00)

For starters, we shared the Burrata di Andria con Rucola, Pomodorini Pachino e Prosciutto di Parma ($32.00) which for us translates to, Fresh mozzarella cheese with rocket salad, Pachino cherry tomatoes and Parma raw ham. I love Parma ham and the mozzarella cheese was amazingg, +++ points! Definitely a great start to our meal. Dee preferred the starters at Spizzico, though she says the oozing mozzarella cheese was "fascinating".

Merluzzo Norvegese alla Griglia con Pomodorini Secchi al Limone ($28.00)

We had the Merluzzo Norvegese alla Griglia con Pomodorini Secchi al Limone ($28.00), Grilled Norwegian Codfish with sundried tomatoes in lemon sauce for one of our mains. Decent portion of fresh codfish with a wee bit of an antipasto flavour with the kalamata olives & sundried tomatoes! 

Taglierini al Nero di Seppia ai Frutti di Mare ($26.00)

Our second main was the Taglierini al Nero di Seppia ai Frutti di Mare ($26.00), Squid ink pasta with seafood. Pats self on back for a great choice. Full of flavor and fresh seafood! Definitely a must if you don't mind having black teeth for awhile, unless well you're on a first date, then maybe squid ink pasta's not the way to go.

I'd definitely go back to Etna, cuz well what's there not to love? Ideal location, stellar service and great authentic Italian food! Perfect for a fancy date night, or if you're looking to impress that special someone. Oh and they've also got an ongoing 3 course weekday lunch promotion @ $27.80++ that we're hoping to check out soon!


Etna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
49-50 Duxton Road
Singapore 089513
Tel : 6220 5513
Fax : 6220 5613

Opening hours: Daily: 12:00PM - 2:30PM, 6:30PM - 10:30PM

Etna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria (East Coast) 
 110 Upp East Coast Road
Singapore 455298
Tel : 6444 9530
Fax : 6444 9553

Opening hours: Mon to Sat (Lunch): 12:00PM – 2:30PM; (Dinner): 6:30PM – 10:30PM
Sunday 11:00AM – 11:00PM

We decided to have some Italian at Spizzico Ristorante Italiano, post yoga/post Valentines, since it's tucked away from the usual hustle and bustle in town and the last thing you'd want is to bump into yet another couple with a huge bouquet and an abundance of balloons, teddy bears and chocolates. The place was a nice quiet escape for a romantic afternoon.

For our meal we used a Groupon voucher ($20 for $40 worth of Italian Cuisine)! Well we aren't usually keen on getting dining vouchers since past experiences have led us to believe that the serving size and quality of service is greatly compromised. But Spizzico was an exception - extremely efficient and friendly waiters serving up palatable dishes!

We were spoilt for choice with their comprehensive menu of salads and soups, pastas, pizzas, risottos and main dishes.

Prosciutto e Melone ($20.00)

The Prosciutto e Melone ($20.00) for our appetizer was a unanimous decision - simple, yet refreshing and perfect for the afternoon heat. The sweetness of the rock melon complemented the parma ham well. The last time we had proscuitto was at Etna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria - a classic mix of parma ham with burrata and rocket salad.

Crab Meat and Prawn Ravioli ($24.00)

The Crab Meat and Prawn Ravioli ($24.00) was divine. A lovely dish of homemade ravioli covered in a creamy saffron sauce, accompanied with onions and sundried tomatoes. Did I mention the ravioli was heart shaped? Plus points for details! Dee wished they were more generous with the filling though; cause she felt full too soon from having plain dough for majority of the dish.

Crab Meat Linguine with Arrabiata Sauce ($20.00)

I opted to customise my pasta selection with a Crab Meat Linguine with Arrabiata sauce ($20.00). It was perfect for me, just the right amount of spiciness and generous servings of crab meat with garlic slices. I couldn't decide if their version was better than the one I had at La Nonna! Though the 1-for-1 lunch promotion at La Nonna makes it a tough contender.

We were eager to end the meal with sweet treats such as the Crème Brûlée or Tiramisu, but we were too stuffed by then. Contented with our meal, we'll be finding our way back to try Spizzico's Set lunch. Priced at just $14.50++, the set includes an appealing variety of starters, mains and desserts of the day. Besides who wouldn't want to spend a nice afternoon in a pretty Italian restaurant hidden away from the crowds!

Spizzico Ristorante Italiano
81A Clemenceau Avenue #01-13
UE Square
Tel: 6333 6174 / 6333 6833

Opening Hours: Daily: 11:30AM - 2:30PM, 6PM - 10:30PM

Guess who just turned one! Wimbly Lu. I love the name of this cafe, though I have no idea what it means, just sounds really quirky and happy. Located in Jalan Riang, just off Serangoon MRT, I absolutely adore the ambience here. While you've got waiters at the doors of other restaurants to greet you, Wimbly Lu's got a sweet vintage red and white Volkswagen Beetle, pretty much permanently parked right outside their entrance.




This cafe feels almost like it'd fit comfortably among a row of quaint shop houses somewhere in France. The decor inside was also really pretty, with coloured buntings hanging from the ceiling, old school brick walls, dim lighting and dark wooden floors. But my favorite part about the cafe would definitely be the skylight. Allowing sunlight to stream in and fill the cafe during the day and the evening hues of purple and dark blue to fall on us, it's a great place to share a dessert or two with a loved one.




Selling different types of handmade chocolate truffles, you can purchase a box or two to enjoy them in the comforts of your home.




So we had the popular Root Beer Cake ($6.00) first which was served in a martini glass with a single scoop of homemade Vanilla ice-cream. The combination of root beer and chocolate was surprisingly good! The taste of root beer wasn't too overpowering and we were still be able to enjoy the chocolatey cake. Definitely a must-try, if you're heading to Wimbly Lu.

Root Beer Cake ($6.00)

We also tried the signature Blackout Cake ($6.00), which was essentially just plain chocolate cake. It was too dry and crumbly for my liking, since I prefer my cakes moist and slightly spongy. There wasn't anything that particularly stood out, and was pretty much just a good ol' slice of chocolate cake.
 

Blackout Cake ($6.00)

Next on our menu was the Chocolate Crème brûlée ($5.00) which Dee would gladly vouch for any day. (She pretty much wiped it clean all by herself, though I managed to steal a few spoonfuls before she proudly presented me with the empty ramekin). With a perfect texture of custard, it was just the right amount of sweetness and wasn't too chocolatey.

Chocolate Crème brûlée ($5.00)

And a great finish to our chocolate indulgence, was the Chai Latte ($6.00). It came with a cinnamon stick and a sweet biscuit which kinda reminded me of the latte served at Orange Thimble. The taste of cinnamon was a tad too strong though. Moderately sweet, the latte was otherwise a great accompaniment to the rich desserts.

Chai Latte ($6.00)

Wimblu Lu, was definitely a winner in terms of ambience and the interior. It's the place you'd want to take a special someone over to have a quiet chat over some rich chocolatey dessert. With a classic vintage vibe, and a very pocket-friendly range, we'd be back again to try the much raved about waffles and salted caramel ice-cream!

Wimbly Lu Chocolates
15-2 Jalan Riang
Tel: 6289 1489

Opening Hours:  Mon – Fri 1:00PM –10.30PM, Sat 9:00AM–11:00PM, Sun 9:00AM–10.30PM