Gattopardo Ristorante di Mare
by Clover Ng
@ 30 Jun 2017
Shifted from Fort Canning Hotel, Gattopardo is now open to a wider group of diners especially to those working around the area of... Tras Street! Drive down the lane of Tras Street and you will discover a unique entrance into the 'gates' of the new Gattopardo. The main entrance would lead you into the doors and to the open seafood cooking area and up to the stairs of a unique dining experience. Taking a detour to the right of the stairs will bring you to a private dining area where the minimum spending on weekdays is $800, $1000 for weekends. This private dining area will cater to diners with a private bathroom, private wine selections in the dining room and regardless of dishes you select or number of guests, spending is kept within the price. looking out would bring you pass a selection of cigars depending on how long you would like to take the puffs, and to the al fresco dining area with candles litted to guide your way.
Going up the stairs would lead you to another private dining area for up to 20 seats (equipped with an array of wines) and an outdoor lovebirds balcony dining experience. The new location also aims to serve diners with a fresh new menu, keeping some old classics, but all things seafood. Although opened only from Mondays-Fridays for lunch and dinner catering to the working crowd, dinner is also served on Saturdays and a Sunday seating soon to come. Chef Lino Sauro is the man behind the kitchen and is currently turning the heat up in preparing the kitchen for a new group of diners. Some of his must try dishes include the appetizers like calamari (served with orange, red prawn sauce, barley and tarragon with a unique texture that is not chewy and an unforgettable sauce so full of flavours from the preparation of prawns), trota di mare (ocean trout carpaccio with leeks and persimmon to lift the ocean freshness with citrusy notes with the addition of home-made mayonaise for a hint of savoury). One special main- risone con polipo brasato e midollo di bue (risone pasta that resembles risotto with braised octopus and bone barrow butter) is a savoury dish where the bone marrow butter offers a creamy touch to the pasta and the braised octopus is soft and tender, as though you are tasting braised meat. Chef Sauro has also made a demonstration video at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijnU-bNi0hU&feature=youtu.be on how to prepare this dish. Also, try the seafood stew in terracotta pot and for something seasonal, try Busiate (artisanal spiral shaped pasta dish served with toastes trapani almond pesto and tomato confit. Head down today!