La Bottega Enoteca Review: Hidden Italian Gem In Joo Chiat Bags Best Pizza in Singapore
PUBLISHED September 27th, 2023 02:00 pm | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 04:26 pm
Singaporean restaurants and bars are not only making waves but are also receiving worldwide recognition, with nine spots on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, 11 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars, and our first award on the 50 Top Pizza Asia-Pacific 2023 list. Taking the 19th spot is La Bottega Enoteca, a hidden gem along Joo Chiat Road. More than just the quality of food, the judges of 50 Top Pizza judge the establishment as a whole, reviewing its ambience, wait time, and service alongside food and drink offerings. So, what does it take to be crowned the best pizza in Singapore? Here’s our review of La Bottega Enoteca.
Unlike other restaurants along the stretch, La Bottega Enoteca has no noticeable entrance. They keep their wrought iron grilles half-drawn, leaving an entryway big enough for only two people to walk through. Although it is easy to miss the restaurant, the boundary perfectly separates the inside and the outside. Beyond the grilles is a cosy al fresco-styled space set in an Italian back alley. Think cobblestone streets, vintage lamps, red brick walls, and brass tables and chairs. The wishing well centrepiece adds to the piazza vibes and leads to the vintage-themed indoor seating, where their open-mouthed ovens sit. If you look closely, you’ll even find pictures of chef Antonio Miscellaneo and his family sitting on the shelves, just like a real home. After all, “Our home“- Casa Nostra – is where Chef Antonio started to offer Italian home-style family cooking.
On the Dough
With La Bottega Enoteca, Chef Antonio brings classic Italian fare and his passion for pizza, even innovating ways to craft them. Combining tradition with modern techniques and technology, chef fires Naples-style pie with soft and bubbly crusts using fermented dough in the Newpolitan®.
Unlike other restaurants, the chef adds the ingredients to each slice of the pizza, ensuring full flavours in every bite. The pizza comes in full or half size (one flavour), or like us, have it as a half and half, enjoying two flavours in one full pizza. Suitable for plant-based eaters, the new Broccolini (S$28 for half, S$48 for full) features a mix of charred broccolini, San Marzano DOP and taleggio, topped with lemon breadcrumbs, adding extra crisp to the chewy pizza base. Also new on the menu, the Mortadella (S$32 for half, S$58 for full) sees finely hashed Italian sausage served with parmesan fondue, red pesto, and pistachios. We found that the best way to eat this lightweight pizza is to fold in the generous toppings to savour it all in one go.
Something New, Something Fresh
In addition to new pizza flavours, we also tasted the new antipasti items. Starting with the toothsome Cannelloni Di Melanzane (S$24++), a vegetarian-friendly eggplant doused in San Marzano DOP and Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, the dish was served with extra lashings of ricotta and mozzarella for a delectable cheesy finish. The light and bright Calamaretti Alla Griglia ($25++) features baby Calamari flavoured with mint, pea and lemon zest, an appetising starter cooked to a soft and tender finish.
Mains and More
From the secondi menu, we tried the Caciucco E Fregola (S$68++), a seafood stew that will hit the spot for seafood lovers. With the medley of sweet Mediterranean red prawns, monkfish, scallops, mussels and squids, we had the scrumptious taste of the ocean rolling in our mouths. We recommend adding a little tang with a squirt of lemon and soaking up the rich flavours with homemade bread. Just as we were craving more stew, the Il Peposo Dell’Impruneta(S$38++) made its way to our table. The luscious Tuscan-style braised Wagyu beef cheek is melt-in-the-mouth soft and carries hints of black pepper that cut through the dish’s richness. At this point, we can’t decide which we love more.
Our meal ended with the humble Seadas (S$14++), a Sardinian delicacy made with cow’s cheese and honey. And we also had some fun with the Bomboloni “Fai Da Te” (S$18++), which translates to a DIY doughnut, filling it up with Mascarpone cream.
While La Bottega Enoteca bags the best pizza in Singapore award, it’s chef Antonio’s culinary finesse, together with the Italian alleyway vibes and attentive service, that shines as the star of the show here.
La Bottega Enoteca is located at 346 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427596, p.+65 9071 8400. Open Mon – Thu 5.30pm -10.30pm, Fri – Sat 12pm -2pm, 5.30pm -11pm, Sun 11.30am -3pm, 5.30pm -9pm.
