We’ve greedily anticipated the return of Chef Nancy Silverton’s Cal-Italian restaurant Osteria Mozza, whisked away by a hankering for her luscious, earthy duck ragu maltagliati first served at its Marina Bay Sands outpost.
Thankfully, for the carb-ravenous set, the pasta dish — among other perennial crowd-favourites including the orecchiette with sausage and Swiss chard — has found its way back to their dinner menu.
Shuttered in 2018 in the pall of a sexual misconduct scandal involving co-owner Mario Batali, the restaurant’s latest incarnation at Hilton Singapore Orchard has a decidedly breezier, dialled back vibe: gone are the starched linen tablecloths and gleaming white marble countertops, supplanted by warm wood panelling, tactile wall surfaces and a semi-outdoor dining area aflutter with ornamental plants and herbs. Its muted grey mozzarella bar sits unobtrusively at the restaurant’s entrance, without dominating the space.
The ‘al-fresco area’ is a choice spot to stretch out with a cackle of rambunctious day-drinking buddies for the 120-seater’s newly launched lunch menu that centres on pizzas baked in the inhouse wood-fired oven. For one, you probably won’t feel shamed into repressed laughter and hushed tones, given the pop/dance soundtrack that sets the fizzy daytime atmosphere.
Indecisive diners may appreciate the simplicity of the lunch menu, which skips the requisite So-Cal gimmickry (yes, we’ve all had enough of charred cauliflower, thank you very much) for fresh ingredients dressed in classic flavours.
The antipasti leads with Silverton’s signature summery salads, including the Shrimp Caesar whose crisp ice-berg lettuce and springy shrimp coated in aioli gets its umami edge from house-baked anchovy croutons and sharp Parmigiano Reggiano. If you’re after something with more bite, try their Meatballs al Forno served with sesame toast and herb butter, which
Is dense with flavour and yields to the fork — summoning to mind your mother’s home-cooked meatloaf. The appetisers are by no means, earth-shattering in terms of inventiveness, but comfortingly familiar.
The finer points of gourmet pizza are often disregarded, given that it’s a meal typically associated with varying levels of inebriation, but Osteria Mozza’s latest refinements to its dough are clear. Kneaded with King Arthur bread flour plus spelt and rice flours, its new iteration has an airier, light crust and crackly base grounded in rounded, yeasty sourdough notes.
Highlights include the Fennel Sausage with panna, mozzarella, red onion and scallion, whose spiced meat topping is satisfyingly nubby and savoury without being slicked in oil — thanks to a leaner but no less flavourful sausage.
But the real standout is the Burrata served with slow-roasted tomatoes and Sicilian oregano, whose wobbly cow’s milk cheese and sweet glistening tomatoes are baked into a beautiful silken medley. No need to waste time with the Margherita, we say.
If that’s not too much dairy, plunge your spoons into the velveteen Butterscotch Budino, layered with caramel sauce, crème fraiche and Maldon sea salt — again, uncomplicated but indecently decadent, by any standards.
