Vita Italiana Restaurant &#8211; Omakase Italiana

When you think about quality Italian food, Mosque street is not really top of mind. Well let us explore a hidden gem, located in the heart of Kreta Ayer conservation area is the cosy Italian restaurant Vita Italiana.

At Vita Italia, It is generally “omakase” more common found in Japanese restaurants where the chief selects your dishes on your behalf. You may alert the staff to your personal preferences and any food allergies during your order, the friendly chief will be more than happy to accommodate.

Set lunch comes in 3 or 5 courses meals, whereas set dinner comes in 7, 9 or 13 courses; wine / pairing available at an additional SGD$38++ Although our dinner might seem pricey at 70+ per packs for a 7 course meal, ordering a similar individual dish in other restaurants would cost roughly the same price. A alternative option would be to order 3 courses and an additional pasta dish to lower the overall cost.

We started with Triple Malter an Italian beer (unpasteurized triple malt blonde beer – aromas of fresh yeast, vanilla and crusty bread; full-bodied with notes of malt, citrus, tropical fruits and apricots) – a collection of different-flavoured Italian beer created with the methodologies of Champagne wine making.

The dish (3 courses on a board) was a mixed antipasto consisting of classic prosciutto with rock melon, San Daniele Ham, Taleggio Cheese, fresh bread, and mixed salad of greens. Each element was fresh and complimented each other without being overwhelming. The roasted pork belly was the star of the night. The pork belly had an extremely crispy skin with a good mix of fat and perfectly salted meat. We would have ordered just a serving on it’s own and be extremely contented.

The next course was roasted chicken (juicy and succulent), served with mushrooms on top of a bed of watercress salad. The dish was great except for the overpowering coriander which we personally didn’t fancy.

The next dish was a creamy salmon and squid on a bed of bak choy, the seafood was cooked nicely without being overdone.

What is an Italian meal without pasta right? We got a tomato based seafood angle hair pasta with clams and muscles. The sweetness of the shell fish permeated the tangy tomato white wine sauce. Needless to say we finished every last bit of the tasty sauce.

Desert was an interesting combo of vanilla ice cream, cannoli and a dark chocolate tart. The cannoli was a little underwhelming and didn’t really fit into the overall dish but the semi-sweet dark chocolate tart made up for it.