Italiannies is a fairly new American-Italian (*raises eyebrows*) diner at TripleOne Somerset. One thing that it doesn't say openly, at least in its local website or within the grounds of its restaurant, is that it really originates from Malaysia rather than either the US or Italy. Well, not that it matters entirely, and the first thing you would notice about Italiannies is its praiseworthy service. It's quite rare in Singapore that you would be served complimentary drinks while waiting for a table, but that's exactly what Italiannies did and you can say I was quite impressed by the small but thoughtful gesture.
Complimentary Bread
The slices of focaccia from the Complimentary Bread Basket were really quite delicious, in large part because of the pleasant aroma, the slightly crisp crust, and the soft centre. Thumbs up.
Margherita Pizza
In contrast, the Margherita Pizza was an utter disappointment. I'm not acting like a snob who expects every Italian dish before me to resemble those in Italy, but the way this pizza was presented was just plain... boring. It's supposed to be good tomato paste all around, but there was barely much of that. In its place instead were large slices of tomato that didn't pair very well with the equally disappointing (and cheese-deprived) biscuit-like crust.
Chicken Parmagiana
The Chicken Parmagiana has promise, especially the wonderfully tender chicken that is a delight to munch and chew on. The let-down has to be the ready-made (and terribly typical) spaghetti, which is very much the kind you can find in all supermarkets. If only I could match the chicken with authentic al dente pasta from Cugini, that would be quite delightful I'm sure.
Clam Linguine
Dinner buddy Glenn wasn't impressed with his Clam Linguine, and he boasted that he could cook much better than that. Well, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt haha! We did agree that the healthy portion of pasta was a waste given the number of empty or closed clams.
Service
Fair. Do note that free iced water is not served here.
Price
$9.90 for the (9") margherita pizza
$19.90 for the chicken parmagiana
$18.90 for the clams linguine
* Prices subject to the usual 7% GST and 10% service charge.
Place
TripleOne Somerset, #01-02.
Behind 313 @ Somerset.
Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.
11 Foodie Comments:
I can see your disappointment just by looking at the photo of the pizza. haha.
June 19, 2010 at 9:51 AMYup the focaccia is rather addictive. I have been buying it home since my first visit.
June 19, 2010 at 1:55 PMAngeline: Too many "keropok" pizzas in singapore man.
June 19, 2010 at 2:40 PMPY: Oh i didn't know you could buy it home, there's a bakery counter? Shld go check it out next time.
me love italianies at first sight till now...
June 20, 2010 at 3:57 AMHaha, benefit of the doubt? Reallllly? Haha! TCC serves up better Linguine ala Vongole (Comparing cafes in the same price category)
June 20, 2010 at 7:37 PMThis can arguably be the worst meal I've ever had in Singapore!
Actually my humble 2 cents on service - I wouldn't rate it as, "Very Good". Besides the complimentary glass of coke while waiting, service was clearly lacking.
They clearly forgot about the complimentary bread (I'm not a sucker for free things but -- just one of those things where I saw tables who arrived earlier, seated behind us getting their breads while we were not served ours) and I would have preferred a simple notice that, "Would you like any drinks to go with the meal as we don't serve iced water", rather than having to figure it out ourselves. That said, I couldn't remember if it was on the menu?
I would recommend Linguine Alle Vongole of Modestos :)About the same price.
June 20, 2010 at 8:51 PMmizzura: ya? what wld you recommend, maybe they do have some good signatures that we missed completely :)
June 20, 2010 at 9:43 PMglenn: aye aye bro, chill chill haha. you must not sink into the dark depths of you-know-who, you must not!
loraine: i like the lasagne emiliana at modesto's, but i'm not sure if they still have it...
@harris: haha yeah! fine fine! anyway, worst meal of 2010 thus far.
June 20, 2010 at 10:46 PM@loraine: hmm i should try it then - vongole's one of my favourites.
I had Chicken Parmagiana in Gold Coast :)
June 21, 2010 at 9:55 AMHehe but i'm glad to be back home!
glad to be home? you shld have stayed longer in aussie girl!
June 21, 2010 at 9:52 PMPost a Comment