Dolce Vita: Sweet Living With Excellent Italian Fare!

When dad came back for his birthday this year, the foodie friends were betting that I would coax him into celebrating it at CUT by Wolfgang Puck. Well that was a very high possibility given our love for steaks, but I knew that something else will take an even higher precedence; good Italian food! And so we made a reservation at Dolce Vita!




Located at the poolside of Mandarin Oriental and helmed by One Michelin-Starred chef Marco Pedrelli, Dolce Vita is a real pretty place to bring your date to or for a quiet family dinner. The al fresco area was charming with the citylights while the spacious indoor seating was soothing with its orange hue (reminded me of The Line actually) and modern furnishing. Service was also very much commendable as we were well attended to throughout the meal.



Bread Basket with Dips

There was just a single choice of warmed mini baguette, though I remember the dips as rather tangy and appetizing.



Salmon Cream Cracker, Salomon Undhof Pfaffenberg ($100.00)

Served as amuse bouche, the salmon cream was squeezed upon a sesame cracker, bore no fishy aftertaste and had a smooth texture. Made us look forward to our orders already!

Choice of alcohol for the night was a bottle of Austria Riesling. Still not as good as the German stuffs but definitely better than their Australian counterparts.



Carpaccio dello Chef ($26.00), Asparagi Alla Griglia($26.00)

As always, the family's favourite Italian starter made its appearance! Though the slices of raw beef looked a little more pink than usual, it was nonetheless fresh and flavourful, going well with rocket salad and shaved cheese.

The second starter came as a chef's recommendation. Strips of lightly grilled asparagus were paired with shaved Iberico Ham and drizzled with mushroom ragout, as the individually complex flavours balanced each other nicely. Impressive!


Tris Di Pasta ($36.00)

Not sure which pasta to go for? Let the chef choose for you then! Picking three signature creations into tasting portions, this dish allowed us to try more with less!

Crab Ravioli - Small packages of joy that was succulent and brimming with sea goodness.




Wild Forest Mushroom Tortellini - Juicy, earthly flavours with a delightful cream sauce.

Oxtail-Foie Gras Cannelloni - Served on a bed of sauteed spinach, it was the only one that I thought was a waste of quality ingredients. Couldn't quite taste the foie gras richness or the tender touch of oxtail shreds.



Risotto Con Tartufo Nero ($28.00), Linguine Ai Gamberoni ($36.00)

Dolce vita sure didn't scrimp on the prized black gold here! With the rice cooked to perfect hardness and blended with sliced mushrooms and cheese, the truffle aroma was very evident in every mouthful. My mom joked that people might mistaken the smell as a gas leak, but definitely not for us. Awesome!

The last pasta that we shared was still very good, but inevitably paled in comparison to the rest. Al dente noodles with a quality mix of seafood in light white wine sauce, very well done on its own but didn't manage to wow.



Tiramisu ($18.00), Torta Mele ($18.00)

Two sweets for sharing! The classic one was done to my liking, moist ladyfingers with notable hints of alcohol. The other, an apple tart with vanilla ice cream, was again good to have but nothing spectacular.

Bill for three was $308.80 after 15% Citibank discount and taxes. If you exclude the bottle of wine that ballooned the bill, dinner at Dolce Vita is actually very reasonable considering the quality, service and ambience in return. Sweet meal first, CUT can wait!

Dolce Vita
5 Raffes Avenue, 5th floor
Mandarin Oriental Singapore
Tel: 6885 3551

Taken with Nikon D70