If you can’t go to Italy, Italy will come to you. At Osteria Mozza Singapore, that is.
Italy is known for producing some of the best cuisine in the world. Sadly for most of us, we may never get to travel around Italy to test the food from every single region. But thanks to Osteria Mozza, you can now eat your way through Italy with the restaurant’s new dinner series that highlights cuisine from a different Italian each month.
For the month of March, Osteria Mozza is featuring heartwarming creations from Emilia Romagna. Part of Northern Italy, Emilia Romagna is home to some of Italy’s best food. Think Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, parma ham and balsamic vinegar.
The Emilia Romagna menu comes with an antipasti, pasta, main course and dessert. Each course allows you to make a selection between two choices. For antipasti, I opted for the Affettati Misti – a platter of thinly sliced prosciutto, salame, coppa, bresaola and lardo served with gnocco fritto – instead of the soup, Minestrone alla Emilia Romagna. Celebrity chef Nancy Silverton – who was in town and met us during our dinner – urged us to tuck into the gnocchi fritto while it’s hot. I could see why she did so – a bite of the warm gnocchi fritto topped with some lardo (cured back fat) felt like pure guilty pleasure.
Affettati Misti – mixed cuts of cured meat
Minestrone alla Emilia Romagna – vegetables and shelled beans in a Parmiggiano broth.
For pasta, it was a toss between the Tortellini in Brodo (pork-filled pasta in capon broth) and the Cappellaci alla Ragù (ricotta filled pasta in meat sauce). My choice was the former, of which the pasta was served in a bowl before the server poured some capon broth over. Filled with veal, prosciutto and mortadella, the bite-sized tortellini was cooked perfectly. A pity though was the broth, which was too salty for me. It made me wish that I had chosen the Cappellaci alla Ragù, which the others at the table sang praises of.
Tortellini in Brodo – pork-filled pasta in Capon broth
The breaded veal may not be a Emilia Romagna classic, but Mozza Osteria adds a touch of the region to the dish with Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano for their version. The star ingredients shone through in Cotoletta alla Bolognese and added much life to the usually mild-flavoured meat. The Dutch veal was lightly breaded and shallow-fried in the pan, giving it a crisp that comes with every bite.
Cotoletta alla Bolognese – Breaded veal with prosciutto and Parmiggiano
Ending the meal on a sweet note was the Zuppa Inglese, which at first glance could be mistaken for a tiramisu. The name Zuppa Inglese literally translates to English soup, but there’s no soup to be found in this dessert. It’s in fact a nod to the British trifle. Slices of sponge cake are soaked in brandy and then layered with chocolate and vanilla crèmes. The brandy was subtle in a good way and did not overwhelm as many alcohol-laden desserts would. This is one dessert that you would want to selfishly have all to yourself.
Zuppa Inglese – chocolate and vanilla cream with brandy-soaked cake
The four-course Regional Menu is priced at S$128++ per person, or S$228++ with wine pairing. The menu changes every month.
Osteria Mozza
2 Bayfront Avenue, B1-42-46,
Galleria Level, Marina Bay Sands
Singapore 018972
Tel: +65 6688 8522
