La Villa

341 River Valley Road

+65 6836 5286

www.lavilla.sg

Despite being just a speck on the map, Singapore offers an astounding selection of international cuisine, and when it comes to Italian in particular, we are more than spoilt for choice. Woe betide the new Italian restaurateur who underestimates the standards of Singapore diners.

Literally translated as “the house”, though it’s located in the old premises of River Valley Primary School, this open-air restaurant has a charming and friendly feel. Greeted by a pleasant host and seated with a perfect view of the candle-lit garden, we immediately tucked into our complimentary oregano focaccia bread. From a bar list that featured an impressive selection of wine, cocktails, liqueurs and even cigars, we were recommended a glass of beautiful cabernet sauvignon.

Our light starters of beef carpaccio ($19) and sautéed prawns with avocado and rucola salad ($18) featured perfectly fresh ingredients. As the kitchen is famed for its wood-fired pizzas, I opted for the funghi ($22) as my main. With a deliciously light crust, generous smearing of truffle and a cracked egg slowly simmering in the centre, this pizza was a real winner!

Though it was recommended as one of the restaurant’s special items, Angela found her grilled rib-eye steak with fries and cafe de Paris butter ($28) rather bland.

The desserts made up for it, though. Leave space for the tortino ($15), an indulgent treat of oozing dark chocolate and vanilla ice cream, or the double cream panna cotta ($14) with fresh berries. Delicately presented and sinfully rich, dessert at La Villa is a must.

Leanda Rathmell