Sunday, July 25, 2010

Osvaldo Ristorante

My tastebuds are quintessentially Asian, having grown up eating potent rempahs and fiery chilli padis. Whilst eating remains my favorite past time, I am almost ashamed to admit that my food vocabulary in recent years has very much revolved around the likes of Asian (Indonesian, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese) cuisine.

Until now.

Yesterday, my tastebuds were jolted awake by the discovery of Osvaldo Ristorante at Maxwell Chambers.

Italian food never tasted so good.

The vibe in Osavaldo is unmistakably homely and if I may add, a little quirky.

A very queer dog portrait

Stacked neatly in shelfs lining the walls are Italian pestos, jams and preserved fruits for guests to peruse and purchase.


For the Italian (cook) in you...

As you can tell, the best things in life do not come cheap (click to enlarge)...

Especially enticing were the huge jars of bottled peaches placed just beside our table.

Unfortunately they do not come cheap.

Owner Osvaldo Forlino himself can be seen flitting from table to table engaging in friendly banter with guests, many of whom have become regulars. Service isn't top notch but our glasses were constantly refilled and it was relatively easy to grab the attention of a passing waiter.

We started off with a simple appetizer of mussels in white wine sauce. The portion was extremely generous and the chef had thrown in some additional clams for good measure. Everything was fresh and perfectly cooked. I enjoyed the jus so much that I couldn't resist mopping it up with some bread.


Mussel delight

Save some bread for the jus

Our next dish turned out to be the highlight of our meal- asparagus with parma ham and poached egg. This is undisputedly the yummiest Italian dish I have eaten in my whole life. The salty richness of the parma ham was not over-cloying. When doused with dripping egg yolk and eaten with tender asparagus spears, the end result was almost orgasmic.


Before bursting the egg

and after- our joy was uncontainable

When the main courses arrived, my mind was still reeling from the after effects of the excellent starters. Whilst my dining kakis were full of praises for their respective orders of risotti and lobster spaghetti, I found my gnocchi lacklustre. On hindsight, I realise I had commited the cardinal sin of ordering something off the menu. (The gnocchi was meant to be served in a walnut cream sauce but I had requested for it to be served arrabiata style instead)

Kaki No 1: Took a bite and went "WOW"


Kaki No 2: Took a bite and instantly went to 7th heaven

Me: Took a bite and sighed

Feeling slightly unfulfilled after the forgettable main, I tried to salvage the situation by ordering dessert. Gelato didn't quite jive with my mood so I decided to stick with good ol' tiramisu.

It didn't take long before I joined Kaki No 2 in 7th heaven.

The mascarpone cheese was creamy, light and slipped down my throat like a soothing balm. I haven't felt so satisfied after a meal in awhile.

As mentioned above, all good things in life seldom come cheap. Our total bill came up to SGD210, or about SGD70 per pax.

I'm already planning my next meal there and I can't wait to try the battered zucchini flowers stuffed with cheese!

Osvaldo Ristorante Italiano
32 Maxwell House
#01-03, Maxwell Chambers

Tel: 6224 0978

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