Gattopardo Ristorante di Mare

Gattopardo Ristorante di Mare has been on my to-eat list for the longest time. I missed out when they were at Fort Canning, but made it a point to check them out after they relocated to Tanjong Pagar. Finally!!

Renowned as a seafood specialist, Gattopardo purportedly serves up the best seafood stew. I have to confess: we don't regularly order seafood stews whenever we're at an Italian restaurant, so we've got little base for comparison. In any case, we thought Gattopardo's stew was outstanding. So dreamy, in fact, that we took-away three portions of this the very next night for dinner. That being said, save for the amazing stew, the rest of the menu was middling. Definitely decent, for sure, but the food failed to leave an impression.

Dinner kicked off with an amuse bouche, a fish chip topped with ricotta and truffle sprinkles. It had quite the lovely mouthfeel, and left me hankering for more.

The Calamari alla Griglia ($18), a trio of squid columns imbued with the smoky char of the grill, were just the slightest bit overdone. They still passed muster, but would have done so with flying colours if taken off the grill about 5 seconds earlier. A drizzling of lemon and oregano vinaigrette and balsamic lent a bright piquancy.

The Busiate al Granchio ($30), fresh pasta coils laced with shreds of snow crab in a brandied sauce, was delicate and luscious. The interplay of the juicy tomatoes and sweet crabmeat was wonderfully balanced.

A signature, the Zuppa di Pesce 'Gattopardo' ($42), a sumptuous tomato-based stew of salmon, cod, shrimp, squid, mussels, and clams, served sizzling in a terracotta pot, was sublime. Nuanced and robust, the seafood was sparkling fresh and plentiful.

The Tiramisu Classico ($16) was pedestrian, primarily because the sponge was uneven, moist in the middle, and dry at the sides.

The complimentary sesame-d bread roll, baked in-house, and so, piping hot, fresh and fluffy, sided by their house brand olive oil. I didn't love it, the oil had a bite that was too sharp and overwhelmed the delicate bread.


Gattopardo Ristorante di Mare
34/36 Tras Street
Tel: 6338 5498
Open weekdays from 12noon to 2.30pm for lunch; 6.30pm to 10.30pm for dinner
Saturdays from 6.30pm to 10.30pm for dinner only;
Closed on Sundays
Website: www.gattopardo.com.sg

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