Hot Tomato @ Plaza Singapura

Hot Tomato is a Western casual dining restaurant that was established in 2006; the era of the boom in Western cuisine in and around Singapore. I was quite excited to try out this place as I was shocked by the meter-long queues outside an outlet of Hot Tomato at Nex. This time, rather than going to Nex, we went a few stops down the line to Plaza Singapura at Dhoby Ghaut. The outlet at Plaza Sing was an express outlet but included everything in the main menu, however with limited seating and faster service.

Since 2006, Hot Tomato has rapidly expanded to feature seven outlets around the island as of now, with a few being at 313@Somerset, Nex, Bedok Mall etc. To avoid the possibility of a long queue, we stepped in on a Friday afternoon. Despite the timing, the place was close to full with people both from work, and people like us who wanted to give this place a try. Hot Tomato's philosophy was to give everybody a slice of the good life at friendly prices, and I was hoping I would have such an experience. 

Caesar Salad with Grilled Salmon

The Caesar Salad with Grilled Salmon ($6.50 + $4) was our first appetizer of the lunch. Although I'm not a big fan of salads I had decided to give it a go. However, this salad certainly didn't change my initial opinion of salads. Evidently, by the photograph, there is an overload of the caesar dressing causing an imbalance in the flavours. Due to this, the whole salad was acidic in taste. Also, the overload of the dressing caused the crutons to become bland and soggy in nature, which spoilt the classic contrast of the leafy from the salad leaves and the crunchiness from the crutons.

Although the grilled salmon was perfectly cooked, the balance in flavours of this dish was not up to the mark in my opinion.

Rating- 2.5/5

Mushroom Soup

The Mushroom Soup (4.50) was the second of our three appetizers we ordered. This mushroom soup was actually extremely delicious as the flavours were balanced beautifully. The soup had this robust creaminess that really elevated the soup and added a wonderful consistency to the soup. The soup was rich and thick but not too filling as the mushroom flavours were light, yet delicious. The soup was also flavoured with onions and olive oil, therefore elevating its flavours, making this soup from a mundane mushroom soup to one I would come back to slurp. 

Rating- 4.5/5

Calamari with Fries

The Calamari with Fries ($6.90) was a side dish I was keen on ordering. This classic side didn't fail to impress me at all. The calamari was incredibly crispy therefore making it a joy to eat, and so were the fries; although they lacked some vital seasoning. The sauce you see in the small red container in the picture was a lemon tartare sauce. This sauce proved to be an amazing complement to the calamari and fries. The classic rich tartare sauce was elevated by the infusion of the lemon adding a citrus kick to the sauce that made this classic side dish delicious.

However, I was not too pleased with the doneness of the calamari as it was overcooked and rubbery, making it difficult to chew on. Overall though, this was a wonderful dish. 

Rating- 4.2/5

Lobster Linguine

The Lobster Linguine ($14.90) was the only entree we had ordered for our lunch. Picking out an entree took me quite a while as I had a conflict between several dishes on the menu, and this dish certainly didn't meet my expectations. From the photo itself, you can tell that the presentation was extremely clumsy, and so was the proportion of the pasta to its ingredients. Although the lobster was perfectly cooked, other ingredients such as the cherry tomatoes overfilled the plate; so much so that there were 15 cherry tomatoes on that small plate after counting! 

The pasta itself was rather bland and lacked basic seasoning. The flavours of chilli, olive oil and garlic were non-evident in this dish. Overall, I felt that this dish was clumsily made and could be greatly improved upon. 

Rating- 2.8/5

In general, the experience at Hot Tomato was not up to the mark as I felt some dishes didn't deliver in terms of flavour and presentation, and was made in a hurried manner. However I feel that this particular outlet being an 'express' outlet wouldn't serve food to the potential that the non-express outlets would serve, and therefore I would definitely come back to Hot Tomato probably at its outlet at Nex to taste the difference in quality between the two outlets. Also, with meter-long queues at the Nex outlet, the food should certainly live up to its potential.

Overall Rating- 7/10

Hot Tomato (Express)

68 Orchard Road

#B2-40, Plaza Singapura

Singapore- 238839

Opening Hours

11 am - 10 pm

Daily

Tel(Plaza Sing)- 6341 9162

Web: http://www.hottomato.com.sg/

Nearest MRT- Dhoby Ghaut (NS24, NE6, CC1) 

Otto Locanda @ Maxwell Chambers

Otto Locanda is an Italian restaurant located in the prime area of Shenton Way in the CBD, near the Red Dot. Due to its location, this restaurant attracts a lot of office crowd on weekdays and Friday nights, and regular customers on weekends. The restaurant opens up into a beautiful bar, with the tables and kitchen surrounding the bar.

The restaurant is managed by the Head Chef Marco Violano, who goes to each table, asking for your preferences in taste, texture etc. and will prepare a four course meal accordingly. Chef Marco was very welcoming, and even asked me to give him a call to work in his kitchen!

In a traditional Italian restaurant, there are generally four courses: First, the Antipasti, which are the appetizers, then the Pasta e Risotti, which includes pasta and risotto, as appetizers as well. Then the Secondi, which are the entrées, and finally Dolci, the desserts.

Burrata Cheese topped with Parma Ham and Italian Bread

Our first appetizers or Antipasti was the Burrata Cheese topped with Parma Ham and Italian Bread. The dish was beautifully presented on a rustic wooden chopping board, and screamed 'Italian!' This burrata cheese was creamy and extremely refreshing, and also giving a slight hint of sweetness, and in contrast the parma ham, gave a dash of saltiness to the dish. This sweet-salty combination balanced out the dish beautifully. The home-made bread was incredibly soft on the inside, and crusty on the outside, and the cherry tomatoes elevated the dish by giving a tangy kick to it. Overall, this is a five-star dish for me.

Rating- 5/5 

Proshuitto wrapped Scarmoza Cheese with Fritters

Firstly, apologies for the picture, as we already started eating it before the picture was taken, so don't judge a book by its cover! This dish was almost similar to the previous dish as it consisted of a combination of ham and cheese, and this dish didn't fail to impress me as well. The Scarmoza cheese has a firmer texture compared to the Burrata cheese, giving the dish more of a structure. A simple combination, however giving complex flavours, tingling every taste bud with the sweet-salty combination. However, I wasn't quite impressed with the fritters as they were quite soggy, and the filling was pretty much bland, for my taste and I feel it could have been replaced by another side dish such as a salad. Nevertheless, the tomato sauce served alongside the dish was absolutely delightful. Overall, a decent dish.

Rating- 3.5/5

Mushroom Risotto and Lamb Ravioli

This was another dish customized by Chef Marco, combining two of his dishes, which was the creamy mushroom risotto and the lamb ravioli, which he had recommended to us. This dish was the beginning of the next stage of our four course meal, which was the Pasta e Risotti. As evident in the photo, the dish was beautifully presented on a long plate. The mushroom risotto was cooked perfectly and the creaminess was just right, and therefore the dish was light and not too overwhelming. Another good feature about this dish is that the natural flavours of the mushroom were brought out, which for me, is the most important aspect of the dish. The lamb ravioli was also presented beautifully and a nice meaty texture was nicely contrasted against a smooth pasta texture. The ravioli was soft and tender, which made it extremely easy on the mouth, and is always delightful. However, I felt that the ravioli could be seasoned more to elevate the flavours of it. I generally enjoyed this simple dish.

Rating- 4.5/5

Roasted Octopus with French Beans Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

I apologize once again for the picture, as we were so excited to eat it and so I forgot to take a photo when it first arrived, as it was our first Secondi, or entrée, and we were extremely hungry at that point! Trust me, the dish tastes much better than it looks in the photo! This was probably one of the few times I've had octopus, as I don't usually like it due to its fishy taste. However, the roasted octopus tasted immaculate as I tried my first bite of it. It was flavourful, and as it was roasted, a slight charred flavour was hinted in the octopus, which I absolutely enjoy, in general (others may not though). I felt that stronger flavours could be incorporated in the octopus to improve this dish, but a pretty well-rounded dish nevertheless. The vegetables were deliciously marinated with the cherry tomatoes, and they tasted wonderful, but I felt that the French beans were too soggy for my taste, as I expected it to be crunchy in texture. Overall, this dish was delightful.

Rating- 4/5

Meat Trio with Potato Cakes

This dish, is another one customized by the chef, consisted of a trio of meat served with potato cakes. On the left was the Pork Cheek, and Rack of Lamb, stacked on top of each other, over the potato cakes, and on the far right of the photo, is the tender Beef Sirloin beautifully sliced up. The sirloin and lamb was cooked absolutely beautifully to a nice medium-rare temperature, which made it tender and moist, but however I couldn't say the same for the pork as it was unfortunately dry and chewy, as it was slightly overcooked. Overall, I felt that the meat could have been given more of a flavour, as I didn't find any particular stand-out flavour in the trio; and it was a pity as it was cooked and seasoned to perfection (except the pork cheek). The pork cheek, in my opinion needed major improvements, as I didn't enjoy it as I thought I would, as I generally savour meat, and especially red meat in particular. The potato salad was unfortunately dry, and tasteless, and needed a lot more seasoning in my opinion. Overall, I expected more than I tasted in this dish. 

How it looks on a plate: (Clockwise order from top left: Pork Cheek,

Potato Cake, Beef Sirloin and the Rack of Lamb) 

Rating- 3/5

Tiramisu

We finally arrived at the sweet, sweet desserts, or Dolci, in fancier terms! A simple tiramisu is always the perfect way to end a dining session. The tiramisu was extremely chocolatey which was a wonderful element of this dessert, as it added the slight bitterness and alcoholic element to the dish; therefore elevating the flavours of it. However, I felt that the tiramisu was too creamy, and it would have been better if there was a bit more substance to the dish, as it felt like eating whipped cream. It's a pity as the tiramisu tasted fabulous in my opinion. It's just these little things that can make to huge difference in this dessert. 

Rating- 4/5

Raspberry Sorbet

As you can see, we weren't done with the tiramisu mainly because I heard they had sorbets, and especially a raspberry sorbet! I can't explain to you my love of berries; name it, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries (especially), I'll eat it! As you can see in the photo, the colour of the sorbet in a mouthwatering hot pink. You will surely know when a raspberry sorbet is good when it is in that colour! They had other choices of sorbets which were lime and mandarin; which I can only imagine how picturesque it would look as a neon yellow/green and a neon orange. I absolutely loved the sourness of the raspberry which was beautifully balanced with the sweet raspberry syrup drizzled over it, and the minced almonds. Writing to you about this makes me wanting to eat more of this excellent sorbet. In general, I enjoy sorbets way more than ice-creams, because I find sorbets lighter on the stomach, simple, and vibrantly flavourful in taste. This, for me is definitely a five-star dessert.

Rating- 5/5

The service at Otto Locanda was delightful, the servers were professional in their attitude and conversations with their customers, and therefore making the dinner wonderful to enjoy. The servers, answered all our 101 questions (they must have been annoyed inside), in an orderly, polite fashion, and therefore I would easily give the service a five star.

Service- 5/5

The overall experience for me at Otto Locanda was absolutely delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed the food, although some dishes can be improved on, and most of all the homely feeling you get in the restaurant itself. Chef Marco Violano, was very welcoming and made our dinner extremely pleasurable. Otto Locanda is one restaurant I'd come back to, if I get the chance. 

Overall Rating- 8.5/10

Pricing varies according to customization (optional). Prices of individual dishes can be found at Otto Locanda's website (www.ottolocanda.com.sg)



Otto Locanda
32 Maxwell Road #01-03
Singapore- 069115

Nearest MRT- Tanjong Pagar (EW15) (210m)

Reservations at 6224 0978

Opening Hours-
Lunch
Monday- Friday
11:30 am- 2 pm

Dinner
Monday- Saturday
6- 10 pm

Closed on Sundays