Cuisine: Italian
Address: 1 Nanson Rd, Singapore 238909 (Intercontinental Singapore Robertson Quay)
Nearest MRT: Fort Canning station (Downtown line)

A gourmet playground by the waterfront, Publico Ristorante brings a little slice of Italy to Singapore, with an emphasis on authentic and evocative Italian flavours. With interiors designed by New York firm AvroKO, the lively restaurant & bar boasts a multi-sensory culinary experience where you can enjoy contemporary Italian fare highlighting provenance and seasonality. Situated along the Singapore River, this Italian restaurant is a social hotspot that offers a haven of tropical paradise away from the bustle of city life.

The interior of the restaurant was nice and spacious, with simple wood furnishings.

Drinks are a little pricey, from $16 per pint for beer on tap. We tried the Publico Toasted Orange Riverfront Ale which was refreshing, with a citrus and hoppy taste. There are also Italian options such as Peroni Azzurro or Menabrea. I always choose draught beer because it taste fresher. The bottled beer is 330ml and starts from $15 which is not so worth it.

For appetisers, we had the recommended Calamari & Cauliflower Fritti ($22), which was served with a lemon and caper aioli dip. It was the first time that I tried calamari with cauliflower. It was delicious, there was a generous serving of freshly fried calamari and the dipping sauce went well with the food.

Next dish we had was the Crab Mamma Rosa Rigatoni ($36). As we did not like rigatoni, we requested to change the pasta to linguine. There was a generous serving of fresh crab meat, and the tomato based sauce went well with the pasta. There was also a hint of cheese as the tomato was mixed with mascarpone “alla mamma rosa”, a special concoction named after the chef.

Lastly, we ordered a pizza which was good for sharing. This woodfired Tartufata pizza ($30) contains black truffle, porcini mushrooms, smoked scamorza, mozzarella and truffle oil. The truffle oil made the pizza smell very fragrant but may be a tad overpowering for those who do not like truffle-based pizzas. The porcini mushrooms had a slight tinge of sour flavour and they are a common ingredient used in pizzas.

Overall, we had an enjoyable meal at Publico. From the amazing, authentic Italian food to the friendly staff, they made our dining experience wonderful. Even though we ordered three dishes for sharing, the food was still a lot and I took home the remaining slices of pizza that we could not finish. The Italian owner of the place even came to chit chat with us and ensured that we were enjoying the food. I practised my little bit of Italian that I knew.

Do check out Publico for a casual dinner with friends, or to celebrate a special occasion. Do make reservations in advance as the restaurant can get quite busy from Fridays to Sundays. Reservation details here.