Il Lido: Italiano with a View!

Nestled on our little vacation island of Sentosa, Il Lido is one of Singapore's favourite Italian restaurant. It might be quite a hassle to visit if you don't drive but hey, its worth the effort if its your mom's birthday!




On a cool day, it would be rather nice to dine al fresco while watching the sunset, but with the stuffy humid heat wave around, I will opt for the cosy indoor with comtemporary funishing. The staffs were friendly and knowledgable in making recommendations, even made small talks and ensure dishes were to your liking throughout the meal.


Compliementary Bread

Its the first time I've seen bread being sliced so thinly that they were almost like potato chips! Quite an experience but I would still prefer my bread to be of the doughy warm type.




Pan-fried Foie Gras ($22.00), Parma Ham with Melon ($20.00), Beef Carpaccio ($22.00)

All my favourite Italian starters! The foie gras was of reasonable size given the pricetag, the crispy skin gave way to smooth rich interior and complemented by a sweet sauce, which I had sincerely forgot which fruit flavour it was.

The rock melon was sliced as thinly as the parma ham itself, leaving a sweet aftertaste among the aroma of cured pork. The beef carpaccio was also of excellent quality without any trace of unchewable fats, served simply with shaved cheese and rocket salad. Truly appetising!



Champagne Risotto with Tiger Prawns ($26.00), Seafood Spaghetti in White Wine Sauce ($25.00)

I couldn't really taste the champagne in this, but the semi-cooked rice was quite to my liking, slightly hardened and absorbing the sticky cream sauce, served with crunchy large prawns and asparagus.

The spaghetti was flawlessly al-dente, blended in smooth wine sauce and mixed with tomato bits and assorted seafood. Good ones!


Squid Ink Linguine ($23.00)

Now I'm really looking forward to this! It came in the form of a tower and was topped with well-cooked tender squid slices. Although the pasta itself was not infused with squid ink, the sauce was unmistakably black and one mouth of it confirmed my guesses.

The distinct yet not overwhelming taste of squid ink is really quite indescribible which might not suit everyone's taste. Well it definitely pleased mine and I'm wishing they could make their own black pasta like Pontini, served with the present sauce. That would be really perfect!

We were rather full from the mains and starters so we only shared one Creme Brulee ($12.00) for desserts, coming in a fairly large and flat bowl. Tastewise it was a tad too bland for our liking. Shots of it turned out rather bad as my camera couldn't focus on the gleaming burnt surface.

Total bill for 3 was $264.83 after taxes, balloned by a bottle of house red wine ($75.00). Otherwise, I would find the price rather reasonable for its meticulous presentation, excellent quality and comfortable ambience. Don't be turn off by the $2 Sentosa entrence fee, great food awaits!