Italian

Along the bustling streets of Club Street is a hidden gem in the form of Italian restaurant Cugini. Believing in good homemade food, this five-year-old trattoria takes pride in using quality ingredients imported from all over the world. For the best squid ink pasta in town, look no further. Expect a burst of flavors in your mouth with the squid ink fettuccine ($27.90) with seafood, green pea puree and mullet roe. Made with extra yolk, the fettuccine pasta is richer, with a touch of homemade bottarga sauce (a Mediterranean delicacy made of mullet roe) that gels everything together.

Aptly named, inITALY offers a little piece of Italy in the heart of Singapore’s famed Chinatown district with the #2 Pasta World Championship 2013, Chef Mario Caramella, helming the kitchen. A version of the dish that bagged him the #2 spot in the Pasta World Championship 2013 is a cold spaghettini ($38) salad with Mediterranean red prawn tartar and a sprinkle of chives and extra virgin olive oil. A generous helping of tobiko graces the dish; enhancing the sweetness of the prawns.

‘OTTO’ is Italian for ‘eight’, and dining here will give you reason to believe this was meant to be the eighth wonder of the world. The food speaks for itself, and its no surprise with acclaimed Italian Chef Michele Pavanello (formerly of Il Lido) heading the culinary team. A special off-the-menu dish we also enjoyed was the Wagyu beef and pan-seared foie gras tagliatelle ($44). Grain-fed for 180 days, the Australian Wagyu is incredibly tender; the pan-seared foie gras so creamy and smooth that it melts in your mouth like butter. A very hearty dish, but delicious nonetheless.

Showcasing traditional wood-fired oven pizza (no gas chambers, here) made with an inherited secret recipe of pizza dough from one of the oldest pizzarias back in Italy, you know they’re serious about its food. A classic pizza consisting of three ingredients: tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil, the margherita pizza ($19.90) uses fresh buffalo mozzarella flown in three times a week from the volcanic region of Campania—where the cheese in the best Neopolitan pizzas are from. One bite is all it takes to know we’ve found the pizzeria in town.

It’s not everyday you get to dine in a mansion on a hilltop. Surrounded by lush greenery atop Telok Blangah Hill, Alkaff Mansion exudes a European-styled ambiance that will have you feeling like royalty—with service standards to match. Our personal favorite is the housemade pappardelle with black pork ragout ($28). Handmade fresh daily, the pappardelle pasta is chewy and firm, with a smooth texture that lets the creamy sauce slide on easily. Marinated for seven days, the pork is soft and tender, sweetened with piquant flavors of red wine.

Indulge in an Italian gastronomic journey with Chef de Cuisine Antonio Facchinetti at Prego, Fairmont Singapore every Sunday as he presents a feast of his 40 favorite dishes. This semi-buffet ($68++ or $98++ for free flow of wine) allows you to order as many of the 40 dishes as you like. To further sweeten the deal, tuck into the freshest of seafood, Italian antipasti and array of desserts on display at your own discretion and pleasure- all made with Chef Antonio's heartfelt Italian warmth. *Brunch available on Sundays only!

Located in a row of shophouses in Braddell Heights estate, La Pizzaiola serves up wholesome, authentic Italian fare. Here, the homey ambience is perfect for enjoying a romantic evening of great food, without burning a hole in your wallet. Their 12" pizzas go for $14-17, pastas for $13-15, and house wine for just $8 a glass! Go for the Parma & Rucola Pizza ($16.90), and choose your own pasta and sauce combination.