B1-49/50, The Riverwalk, 20 Upper Circular Road, Tel: 6533 9060
Operating Hours: 10am – 10pm

Here is where smart hostesses pick up dinner party essentials like colourful antipasti, cheeses and homemade gelato. But this is not just a purveyor of Italian gourmet items – I went there for lunch recently, and had a whale of a time. It was full to the brim with a bustling young crowd, and the polite and unobtrusive service staff sailed through tables, mopping up spills and bearing steaming plates of Italian classics like they had been doing their whole lives. I had some lovely fresh pasta carbonara and some lovely crisp green salad with olive oil and capers – wonderful. But no visit here would be complete without a taste of their traditional Italian pastries and desserts, freshly made on the premises. For the molten version of love in a cup, try the divine Torino hot chocolate, a sumptuous blend of hazelnut and dark Italian chocolate. WINE: A compact but well chosen selection (four whites, four reds, two sparklings) available by the glass and bottle.