By Verne Maree
Issue 88 - November 2009

Oso Ristorante
46 Bukit Pasoh Road
+65 6327 8378

We love the buzzy style of this shophouse restaurant, its ground level dominated by a bar where a couple of gratifyingly stood-up London banker types yell into their phones. (Do they think they’re on the Tube?)

Upstairs is a large space featuring dark wooden floors and furniture, stark white napery and phalanxes of shiny glassware, very nice. On this Friday night, mainly businessmen are chucking back mainly red, mainly Italian wine from a wine list that starts at $80 and soars to over $4,000. Appetisers are $22, pastas and risottos $24 to $26, main courses $35 and desserts from $12 to $14.

Once the service has settled down – who tossed into the fray a waitress so green that she hasn’t yet been shown where the Ladies’ is? – and the Prosecco has been poured, Chef Diego Colleroni’s food proves superb. 

Our tartare of mozzarella with black truffle is generously laced with the aromatic fungus and topped with crushed sea salt to release the flavour, and followed by perfectly al dente black truffle risotto.

And where, I demand to know from Stephane, the maître d’, did they get the sun-redolent cherry tomatoes that top the crispy-skin seabass?

“From Napoli, Madame – we source most of our ingredients directly from Italy.” Of course they do.

“Is something wrong?” whispers a waiter, brow delicately furrowed, when I don’t polish off all my delicious veal cheek with pumpkin. But I do find room for a bite of rich, creamy panna cotta, a few crumbs of zesty orange cake and a glass of Moscato. I bet you would, too.