Asia Square consists of 2 main towers. The 1st tower opened this year and tower 2 will open in 2013 and will house the Westin Hotel in its upper floors.
We are here tonight for dinner at a brand new Italian restaurant - Zaffiro. The name "Zaffiro" means sapphire in Italian, and the chef here is Giuliano Dacasto, who has worked in quite a few top Italian restaurants in Europe and in Singapore.
We started our dinner with the San Pellergrino Sparkling Water (S$8 for 800ml).
According to The Business Times, Chef Giuliano Dacasto has worked in one-star Il Convivio Troiani in Rome, two-star Michelin Ristorante Bracali in Massa Maritima and the three-star Michelin Ristorante La Calandra in Padova. In 2009, he moved to Singapore and has worked in il Lido, then Forlino and most recently at L'Angolo. And this also explained why every single dish we had tonight were delicious.
We were first served this complimentary starter by the chef.
And this basket of bread. This basket of focaccia bread must be one of the best breads served in Italian restaurants. The crust is crunchy and the bread itself is soft and slightly salty with a few drops of olive oil. They offered us another basket of breads, but we decided not to be greedy and concentrate on our main dishes.
As there were only 2 soups on their menu, we ordered both of them. The first was this Chilled San Marzano Tomato Soup (S$18) with a Burrata (mozzarella and cream) heart and dry olives. Unlike most chilled tomato soup which is either too sour or too acidic, the version here suits us perfectly. The combination of the Burrata with tomato was excellent.
Top marks for the Chestnut Creme (S$18) with wild rosemary aroma and Amarone wine reduction. The soup had generous slices of white truffles, and it tasted slightly nutty but sweet.
The service staff recommended us this off-menu item: Roasted Greenland Scallops (S$28). The scallops from Greenland (between Arctic & Atlantic Ocean) were grilled with butter, and tasted sweet without any fishy aftertaste. Below the scallops were 3 salsify vegetable. It's a root based vegetable and tasted almost like a hybrid of carrot and potato.
We shared 3 mains. First, the Mushroom Potato Gnocchi with Parmigiano Fondout and Autumn Truffle (S$30). It's truffle season and Zaffiro was very generous with their truffles. The Gnocchi was cooked with some blueberries, and had a slightly citrus taste to it, which reduced the "heaviness" of this dish. All their pasta dishes were handmade fresh from their kitchen, and that explains the "QQness" of the Gnocchi.
We also enjoyed the Veal Shank Ravioli with Savoy Cabbage and Truffle (S$32) very much. Once again, lot's of truffle slices, and each Ravioli was stuffed fully with tender veal shank.
Our 3rd mains was this Spanish Roasted Suckling Pig with Pearl Onions and potatoes. Even though we were very full by now, but we still managed to clear the plates. The suckling pig had a very crispy skin and we were surprised at how juicy and tender the pork was. The mashed potato by the side had a maple syrup taste to it. We like this dish very much.
To digest all these heavy food, we ordered a digestif wine - Jagermeister (S$14 per glass). This German digestif may not be everybody's cup of tea (or wine), but after sipping it, you will feel your chest slowly warm up, and the warm feelings go down all the way into your stomach.
Dessert was the Black Tea and Bergamot Vanilla Creme Brulee with Raspberry Sorbet (S$16). Once again, the chef has done a good job of making sure that the burnt crust on top of the creme brulee was not too thick and too crusty. The creme brulee had a nice black tea taste to it. Alternating between the creme brulee and the slightly tangy raspberry sorbet create the most balanced taste.
We thought it was the end, but the staff brought us complimentary petit four. Out of all, we enjoyed the coffee mashmallow the best.
In conclusion, Zaffiro is an Italian restaurant which serves great Italian food with excellent service. Highly recommended.
Zaffiro Italian Cuisine
8 Marina View,
#01-01
Asia Square Tower 1