Under the umbrella of the Michaelangelo's Group of Restaurants, Zambuca is located at Pan Pacific Hotel. My first attempt at Italian from this famous group of restaurants, boasting Michaelangelo's and Sistina under its belt.Off I went with my bunch of babelicious girlfriends to celebrate one's entering into the chapter called Marriage.
They've got a bar and a restaurant side by side, dimly lit...very cozy surroundings infact. Cushy seats, we were given a 6 seater with a round table. Diners were a handful that night, mostly couples and a family apart from us 6 giggly and noisy bunch.
The complimentary appetizer. Not quite sure what it is, a spoonful of ham that was rather bland and a sprig of green.
Moist, warm fluffy bread!
I get the art in the orchids and butter...they're in flowery designs.
Upclose, the piped butter. I had two servings of bread, deliciously soft and chewy.
Soup of the day, Spinach Soup $10. I'm not a fan of spinach soup, this was a thick soup with no spinach bits, with the bread it's just normal to me.
The first starter of Gamberi con Aglio Olie e Crema, $20. I think this is the name of the appetizer. Two tiger prawns with a bed of salads and drizzled in some sauce. Twenty bucks for this! I wouldn't think it's the best I've ever eaten, just well marinated.
Cesare, $18. One interesting Caesar salad that I've ever eaten. Two halves of a baby romaine lettuce stuffed with croutons, anchovies and homemade dressing. Parmesan shavings and crispy panchetta are dusted upon. We had it with cracked black pepper. The lettuce leaves are impressively evenly flavoured. I liked how the crunchy panchetta and parmesan slices went with the lettuce. Nice!
At the end of these shared appetizers I was somewhat full already. Not sure if it's the notion that food when shared fills you up more quickly.
W's Pasta Frutti de Mare, $30. Seafood spaghetti with fresh chillis, white wine and extra virgin oil in tomato sauce. A beautiful butterfly display of seafood! It has 3 creamy mussels, 1 large fat scallop and 2 prawns on a bed of spaghetti. I stole a bite of the mussels, well cooked I say! Not tough nor over chewy, loves it! The prawns are somewhat disappointing though.
E's and K's Spaghetti Carbonara ($26), spaghetti tossed with bacon and mushrooms in a tasty cream sauce. The bacon bits are fatty and the cream sauce went awesome with the pasta. Not overly stuffed after eating. One of the better carbonara's I've eaten.
P's Capelli di Angelo con Vongole, $24. Vongole sauteed with onions, garlic and fresh herbs, chillies and white wine on angel hair pasta. Flavourful seafood sauce, the vongoles are juicy and flavourful. A slight hint of wine that made this dish very easy on the palette.
My Tortellini ($30) wrapped with smoked duck and foie gras gravy, as far as I cam remember! I was forewarned on the portions, yeah 5 pcs. It was between this and the gnocchi that's equally bite-size in portions. Looks like an orchid-display eh?
Each wanton like dumpling has mashed duck meat, the pasta tastes much like the Asian homemade-noodle. Gravy was slightly salty but yummy. I declared after the 5 pcs, I've eaten enough flowers for the meal. The petals didn't have a distinct flavour nor taste..I figure it's more for aesthetic purposes.
Their leather bound-stitched menus!
A disappointment. Creme Brulee infused with Amaretto served with forest berry sorbet ($12) that's served chilled and tastes like soyabean curd. We enjoyed the raspberry sorbet that came with it though.
The better of the two! Pistachio Parfait with pistachio cream and lemon butter wafer. The wafer's on the soft-biscuit side. The slab of pistachio gelato was good.
Overall, I'd say the portions of food are on the large side with the exception of my tortellinis. It's not overly expensive but somehow doesn't justify as "value for money".
Service is in a nutshell; intrusive. Yes I agree that dining in hotels or such poshnosh Italian eateries have to be a notch higher than your usual run-of-the-mill regular pasta joints but Zambuca's service level is...slightly annonying. The waiter snatched my menu from me the first time we placed the order, and even returned again to request for one menu he forgot to take. Throughout the meal he kept coming by to change the cutlery and ask very pretentiously "how's the food" and leaving it there. I rather the small talk be left out totally, sometimes. Zambuca in comparison with La Strada and even Garibaldi pales.
I'll be back just for the seafood pasta and pizza! Good for cozy dates..not really that conducive for gatherings.
www.zambuca.com.sg
Zambuca Italian Restaurant & Bar
Pan Pacific Hotel
Level 2
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