Al Dente Trattoria

Happy Birthday.......... to ME! *Smiles*

Daphne was very attracted to the idea of rooftop dining and brought me here for my birthday. The view's really pretty good, so as long as you keep your head towards the skyscrapers and a bit of the waterfront, and not the up-and-coming integrated resorts. It's especially good for couply pictures like this one:


Truth be told, we did not spend more than ten minutes on the rooftop because it was a tad too humid, so we went downstairs (air-conditioning!) to have our dinner instead. The staffs were very polite and attentive indeed, and it's quite surprising really, considering how this place has taken quite a beating from harsh critics on the Hungrygowhere forum. If we had to rate service, it would be a nine or even full marks for us.

Complimentary Bread Basket




Linguini con frutti di mare: 7.5/10


"Linguini in white wine ragout with tiger prawn, baby clam, mussel and fresh basil". This was good, I liked the generous serving of clams all around the pasta and the white win ragout was really nice. The one thing that I was pointing out from the time the food was served till now is... the size of the "tiger prawn"! Perhaps they ran out of tiger prawns, but three small sized prawns is just too little. I didn't want to kick up a fuss, so I ate it anyway. I've read that some people have complained about the pasta texture but I think it's fine, to be honest I think they may have little idea what "al dente" is when they stepped into this restaurant! Add chilli flakes for that extra taste!

Tortellini di formaggi e di pomodoro essicato al sole: 7.7/10


"Tortellini of farm ewe cheese and sun dried tomato, chipolata sausage in chicken jus reduction". Daphne liked this a lot, I didn't exactly though. I have to say this dish is quite an "acquired taste", and you've really got to like your cheese and cream to like this one. The rating above is hers, I would put it way below five, but as you can see taste really is just subjective. Daphne says, "Don't underestimate the six pieces of house-made cheesy pasta. It looks little, but it's very filling!"

Service
As I've mentioned above, the service was really very good. Perhaps the forumers on Hungrygowhere did have a less than pleasant experience previously, but it's possible that Al Dente Trattoria is slowly, but surely, taking steps to do something about it.

Price
$26.00 for the seafood linguini
$28.00 for the tortellini

*Prices subject to the usual 7% GST and 10% service charge.

Place
The Esplanade, #01-13.