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

What better restaurant to find at the mezzanine level of Grand Hyatt hotel, than Mezza9 itself! The place offers an interesting upscale dining experience in an otherwise casual and laid back ambience. We chose the Set Dinner ($79.90), which allowed us to customize our menu from their array of international cuisines.

Complimentary bread with tomato dip

For starters, we were each served a warm Blue Swimmer Crab Cake with Remoudale sauce (similar to Tartare sauce). These balls, in the style of cutlets, were breaded and fried to give a crispy coat that was an absolute delight to bite into. Evidently I was too engrossed in them that I missed a shot of their signature appetizer. A great start to dinner, I secretly wished they'd serve us a second round!

Along with the crab cakes, we had Smoked Scottish Salmon which was beautifully garnished with chopped egg, herbs and sour cream. This dish was not only aesthetically pleasing, but tasted good too.

Smoked Scottish Salmon

From the Japanese cuisine, we ordered 8 skewers of Assorted Yakitori which included Beef, Chicken-leek, Chicken meat ball, Chicken wing, Pork-belly onion, Tomato-bacon, Sword fish-chilli and Smelt fish. These were marinated in Yakitori sauce, a type of sweetened soy sauce, which perfectly complemented the grilled meat. My favourite was the good ol' chicken meat ball, which were of decent sizes and seasoned generously with pepper.

Assorted Yakitori

For the main course, we had Wok fried rice with shrimp, Hong Kong kai lan, Steamed Seabass fillets with ginger paste and orange peel, and Wok fried chicken with cashew nuts and dried chillies. The chicken was similar to the dry chilli chicken preparation from a hawker center, except sadly this one had more dried chillies than the meat itself. And what's a fusion cuisine without lamb rack! So we ordered some Char-grilled lamb rack with buttered asparagus and parmesan. The meat was done medium-rare and had too much fat for my liking.

Steamed Seabass fillets

And now to the best part of dinner - the desserts! I was seriously spoilt for choice, but my favourite was the Vanilla & Praline Mille-feuille topped with assorted berries. This popular French dessert was made up of alternating layers of puff pastry and whipped cream, and when tasted, a silky smooth custard and a burst of berry flavours pushed all the right buttons for me.

Vanilla & Praline Mille-feuille

The Chocolate Fondant with coffee sauce is a match made in heaven for real chocolate lovers. With a thin crust-like chocolate outer coat and a soft centre of rich molten chocolate, this warm dessert was sure to send off enough endorphins to keep me happy for the night.

Chocolate Fondant

Next in line to tingle my tastebuds was the Granny Smith Apple Crumble with custard sauce and Tahitian Vanilla bean ice cream. The apple pie which was served in a ramekin had a delicate cinammon crust in the shape of a dome, and the custard sauce was served separately in a shot glass. Unfortunately, the dessert had me embarrassingly licking the sweet custard off the spoon to neutralize the taste of the sour apple crumble.

Granny Smith Apple Crumble

Banana & Passionfruit Crêpe

AND THERE'S MORE. Mango, raspberry and chocolate Sorbets, for the reduced guilt pleasures in life. Served elegantly in a martini glass, the sorbets came with a cripsy chocolate coated wafer in between them; well I guess they have their ways in just throwing in extra calories. The flavoured sorbets were refreshing and a perfect wrap to the feast.

Sorbet

With its dim lights and lovely setting, Mezza9 is the place you'd wanna bring your date to impress, though be prepared to keep your wallets full to maximize the experience here. I wouldn't mind going back again (with Su this time) to savour their famed cakes over a cosy afternoon tea!

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