Like authentic Italian pizza and pasta? Explore the breadth of traditional Italian food at the Rail Mall’s latest Italian resto
Toss a stone in any neighbourhood and there’s a good chance it’ll bounce off the doors of an Italian restaurant. But, the ubiquity of the cuisine in Singapore has made it suffer a lack of authenticity at times. More readily available ingredients are used in place of the traditional, and more conveniently swift techniques are preferred to time-consuming Italian methods. But at Acqua e Farina, what you get is the real deal.
Tucked away in Rail Mall at Bukit Timah, Acqua e Farina sees co-founders and executive chefs, Roberto Galbiati (formerly owner of Galbiati Gourmet Deli) and Antonio Manetto (formerly owner of Pizza Bella and Pasta Bella at Robertson Quay), flex their culinary muscles in two distinct styles of Italian cooking. Chef Antonio – a native of Naples – brings to the table his expertise in Neapolitan-style pizza, utilising a traditional method that lets the dough rise for 30 hours. Chef Galbiati, on the other hand, showcases his Milanese-style cooking with his selection of handmade ravioli, fettucine and agnolotti, along with other Italian specialties.
While eager to dive right into the pizza and pasta selection, we started with the fagottino di mozzarella e prosciutto ($23). The chewy balls of Italian mozzarella came served with sweet tomatoes and slivers of parma ham..It’s not a heavy starter, but one that segues nicely into the more substantial mains.
Like the signature Pizza Acqua e Farina ($25) – it’s a simple pizza with a tomato base topped with mozzarella, ricotta cheese, salami and sauteed spinach. The salami here shines with its smoke and spice, but the magic here is in its Neapolitan-style base. It’s crisp on the outside, but fluffy and chewy on the inside – hallmarks of the style.
Up next was one of Chef Galbiati’s pasta dishes, the fettucine nere alla polpa di granchio. The linguine pasta is infused with squid ink for its rich, black colour, before being topped with crabmeat and tossed in tomato sauce with just a hint of cream. The portion of crabmeat here is substantial, and taken only from crab claws, so you get nice, meaty chunks. Definitely worth the modest $23 price tag.
The menu goes beyond pizza and pasta staples. Our next dish, the costoletta de malale ($34). was a hearty number that’ll be a treat for meat lovers. It comprises a pan-fried pork chop topped with pancetta and sage, and served with vegetables, potatoes and white wine sauce.
To end our Italian feast, we were served Acqua e Farina’s dessert platter, the piatto di dolci ($14). This medley of desserts consisted of taster portions of crème brûlée, lava cake, panna cotta, and the quintessential tiramisu. The small portions make it perfect for sharing with a date, especially if you prefer variety over portion sizes. Stand-out dessert? Definitely the crème brûlée that was mildly flavoured with cinnamon and not cloyingly sweet.
If it’s Italian food you’re after and you’re particular about authenticity, Acqua e Farina will check all the boxes for you. And, its extremely reasonable price point is just the cherry on top.
Acqua e Farina, 400 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 678050. p. 6462 0926. Open weekdays 11am-2.30pm, 5.30-10.15pm; weekends 11am-3pm, 5pm-10.15pm.