The place is smart, yet relaxed. There is a pizza joint on one side and a more upmarket Osteria on the other. The dress code is "business - casual" but who knows what that means. I opt for smart jeans and designer shirt but had toyed with the addition of a jacket. I'm glad I didn't as 2 blokes wander in with muscle-t-shirts and work-out shorts and are not turned away. This is definitely more American than Italian then. The rock music soundtrack pumping in the background completes the rather eclectic tone.
We also get an appearance from Mario himself who is in-town doing some PR. Mario's wardrobe of choice is pink shirt, body-warmer or waistcoat and a pair of Crocs as footwear. This is maybe his idea of "business-casual".
To begin; Charles Heidseck Champagne, which delivers fine frothy bubbles; biscuit and grapefruit on the nose combining with lemon and marshmallow on the palate.
Food-wise, we start with Crispy Pig's Trotter with cicoria and mustard for me; for Caroline, Burricotta with radicchio, spiced walnuts, honey & fried rosemary.
The Pig's Trotter is a bread-crumbed gelatinous ooze. It is tasty enough but certainly doesn't wow.
In direct contrast, Caroline's Burricotta is amazing! The combination of flavours is very pleasing and seems very Italian. Only the Italians know how to make great vegetarian food without you realising it. Here the $24 charge seems justified.
Orecchiette with sausage and Spaghetti Gricia are our pasta courses.
The sausage is like greasy mince with a hint of fennel. It needs some greens to counter the saltiness of the meat. It is OK, but not Italian- the lovely porkiness of fennel sausages in Italy are one of life's pleasures. This tastes like something I would cook if i'd ran out of the right ingredients. And the passion for making authentic Italian food.
I think mine is salty; til I taste Caroline's. The cured bacon in her spaghetti is way too salty and removes all other flavour from the dish. Disappointing.
Pan Roasted Sea Trout with umbrian lentils & red cabbage sottaceto and Grilled Beef Tagliata rucola & Parmigiano with aceto balsamico are our mains courses.
I get another very average dish : nicely cooked piece of fish with a few lentils and some pickled cabbage. Fine: but not for $40 and not for a portion of that size. I've seen bigger Tapas.
Caroline's Beef is really good! Medium rare inside, smoky-griddled outside, all with a nice hit of balsamic and Parmesan. This is much more like it. Simple and bold, and well.... tasty.
We finish with a faultless Panna Cotta, all firm yet wobbly with tangy fruits to complement the creaminess of the pudding. 2 strong espressos complete the meal and I wait for the bill.
I know this is going to be expensive - and it is. $500 (£250) is far far too expensive for this kind of thing. There is no consistency at all. Some things are great, some things are bland and somethings are just badly conceived and delivered. At these prices, the food ought to sensational. To be fair, $160 of the bill was a bottle of Champagne, but that seems like a bargain in comparison to most of the wine list!
Might try the pizza next door next time and maybe stick to water...
Mozza is located at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands.
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