Italiannies Pasta, Pizza & Vino @ TripleOne Somerset (Singapore Power Building)

When I heard that TGI Friday is the "sister" restaurant of Italiannies, a new Italian chain restaurant from Malaysia, my expectations of the food went down the hill. I have read enough bad reviews about TGI Friday to totally avoid the place even though long queues form outside the restaurant every night.

However, we learn from school that we should not judge a book by its cover, or rather not judge a restaurant by which restaurant it is related to. So here I am at Italiannies to give a try at its food.



The staff was very polite and courteous. A great start for our dinner. Once we were ushered to our seats, they immediately poured their olive oil and balsamic vinegar on a plate.



The whole restaurant has a rustic Italian feel to it. Unknown to many, this Italiannies originated in Malaysia and is a popular Italian chain across the Causeway.



Before coming here, I read reviews of how they actually rolled and baked their breads in house. Well, we saw it with our eyes. The chefs kneaded and baked the breads directly infront of us. Though there was nothing spectacular about the bread, I will give it 5 stars for their effort to actually bake the bread fresh.



There is a small counter next to the restaurant which sells just their freshly baked bread for takeaway customers. I am not sure how popular it was because nobody was there to buy their bread.



We had the appetizer of Fried Calamari - Hand-battered calamari fried till tender and served with marinara sauce. Wow, it was really really good. Unlike ordinary fried calamari whichi had either too thick batter or rubbery calamari meat, the calamari was tender and fresh, while the coating was crispy and not too thick. Some spices and cheese were also added to add extra ommph.

This is super addictive, and portion is big too. Highly recommended.



Marsala Mushroom Soup with button mushroom and Marsala wine. Find this quite ordinary la. Nothing special. Can taste the Marsala wine though.




Ordered the 12 inch Napoli Bianco Pizza - Meatballs, pepperoni and diced chicken on Alfredo sauce with melted Mozzarella cheese. It was big. Really big. Too much for 2 diners, and I think is just right for 3. If there is only 2 diner, it is better to share the 9 inch.



The crust is those thin crispy crust yet there is some chewey bite to the pastry. As you can see, they are very very generous with their ingredients. I don't really like pizzas with tomato base sauce, so this was a pleasant surprise with the creamy Alfredo sauce. And their cheese is of good quality.

I have nothing but praises for Italiannies. In fact, I was so impressed I returned 2 days later for another dinner. This time, shared the Carbonara pasta (dinner size). It was equally good too, but I prefer the pizza more. Will definitely make this my regular eating place. Price for 2 is less than S$50, including GST and service charge.

Something to note: Italiannies only serve free iced water when the restaurant is not full or too busy. This is because they have limited manpower and cannot go around refilling your water. So you may need to order a drink if they are too busy.


Italiannies Pasta, Pizza & Vino
#01-02,
TripleOne Somerset (Singapore Power Building)
111 Somerset Road