Monte Risaia Tasting Session 2020
59 Duxton Road
Opening Hours:
Mon - Sat: 6pm - 11:59pm,
Closed Sun
https://monterisaia.business.site/
This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session.
Attended with representatives from Jennifer Yeo Lifestyle, Purple Taste, NAHMJ Food, Travel & Lifestyle Blog, and Eat Dream Love.
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| Canadian Pork With Port Wine Sauce & Australian Beef Sirloin |
Refined & Affordable Japanese Italian Omakase
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 8
Budget about SGD $68++ / $98++ per person.
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Opening in September 2019, Monte Risaia is a Japanese Italian fusion omakase concept, operated by the Marusaya Group (a Japanese katsuobushi wholesaler), which also operates sister restaurants TEN Sushi, Mai By Dashi Master Marusaya, and the eponymous Dashi Master Marusaya. Focused on serving exquisitely crafted, delicious plates made with fresh seasonal ingredients, Monte Risaia offers an intimate and refined omakase dining experience for under SGD $100 per person.
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| Monte Risaia Signage |
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| Monte Risaia Signage |
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| Monte Risaia Exterior |
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| Monte Risaia Interior |
Ambience at Monte Risaia is cozy and intimate, exuding a quiet elegance. Half of the small area is occupied by a large serving counter and bar, surrounded by 12 seats. With only 2 more private rooms that seat up to 4 people each, the total capacity here is 20 people at any one time. Spotlights create a curtain of light and shadow, while the precise setting of tables and the narrow walk by black walls and wood invite you into a bespoke atmosphere.
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| Entrance |
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| Private Room |
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| Bar |
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| Bar |
Service at Monte Risaia is attentive and interactive. Operated by 2 chefs and 1 bartender / operating manager, they present an exquisite dining experience. With any omakase, expect a detailed introduction of each dish as it's served, highlighting the fresh seasonal ingredients of the day. Clearing is done efficiently between courses. While it's intriguing to watch both chefs prepare each dish to order, they tend to cross paths more often than elsewhere, like a start-stop dance.
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| Prep |
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| Prep |
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| Ingredients Display |
Food at Monte Risaia is a fusion of Japanese and Italian cuisines. Focusing on omakase sets, Head Chef Taizo Yamada, along with Chef Roy, serves up creative, meticulously prepared dishes that are both visually pleasing and delicious. Made to order with fresh premium and seasonal ingredients, each dish we had was a delight. Portions are nicely sized for individuals. Prices are more affordable than other omakase sets elsewhere, budget SGD $68++ for a 3-course meal, and SGD $98++ for a 4-course meal.
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| Chef Taizo Yamada |
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| Chef Roy |
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| Monte Risaia Menu Omakase |
It's a treat to sit around the open counter, watching the chefs at work, and being able to interact. Unlike elsewhere, there aren't fixed timings for seatings; no matter what time you arrive, they'll juggle their preparation such that all customers are properly served.
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| Chefs Working |
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| Chefs Working |
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| Chefs Working |
There's warm and cold options for Green Tea, served in a variety of mugs.
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| Green Tea |
The signature Uni Pudding features a wobbly soft dense mousse of uni / sea urchin, over which is topped more pieces of luxurious sea urchin. Seems there is a little dashi / seaweed stock dressing here. Has bright briny salty sweet flavours of the ocean.
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| Uni Pudding |
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| Uni Pudding |
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| Uni Pudding |
The Mozzarella Al Forno features a base of soft tender eggplant / aubergine / brinjal with delicate vegetal earthy sweet flavour, topped with succulent slices of tender moist omi wagyu beef which has deep meaty savoury salty flavour. A final touch of juicy globules of avruga caviar, which burst with briny salty sweet flavour, complete this luxurious dish.
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| Mozzarella Al Forno |
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| Mozzarella Al Forno |
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| Mozzarella Al Forno |
The Japanese Italian fusion is evident in the Antipasto Misto. Featuring 5 thoughtfully curated creations, each tapas-sized / hassun-sized morsel either excites with its complexity, or is pleasing in simplicity.
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| Plating |
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| Plating |
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| Antipasto Misto |
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| Antipasto Misto |
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| Antipasto Misto |
Plated over a decorative leaf, the Sakoshi Bay Oyster With Ikura is dressed with a sharp horseradish sauce for acidity. The oyster is plump and meaty, with a big juicy bite that floods the palate with lovely sweet briny flavour, and the globules of ikura / salmon roe burst with sharp briny salty flavour. Delicious and succulent.
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| Sakoshi Bay Oyster With Ikura |
The Prociutto Di Parma With Strawberry looks so comfortable as if it's blanket wrapped. The thin slices of air cured prociutto di parma ham lend robust meaty salty savoury flavour, complementing the juicy strawberries with their fruity sweet flavour. Lovely classic contrast here.
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| Prociutto Di Parma With Strawberry |
The Sea Bream Fish With Plum Sauce & Italian Herbs has a succulent, medium thick slice of moist tender sea bream fish, which has fresh and clean-tasting sweet savoury flavour. Garnished with a complex blend of plum sauce, Italian herbs, tomato, shallots, and shark cartilage. This lends a smooth crunchy juicy texture, with bright herbal sweet sour flavours. Novel and tasty.
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| Sea Bream Fish With Plum Sauce & Italian Herbs |
The Prawn Arrabbiata tastes like a typical arrabbiata pasta. The base of seasonal vegetables changes daily, during our visit, we had crunchy stalks of nai bai / milk cabbage, with vegetal sweet flavour. The fresh deshelled prawn / shrimp sits over it, filleted to form a spiral. Has a bouncy juicy texture and lovely sweet savoury natural flavour. This is complemented by the topping of arrabbiata gravy (garlic, tomatoes, dried red chili peppers, salt, olive oil), lending bold sweet spicy notes to the dish.
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| Prawn Arrabbiata |
The Potato Gnocchi With Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce is unique. The round, tender soft potato gnocchi have a mild starchy sweet flavour, but the thick creamy gorgonzola cheese sauce lends a sharp cheesy salty flavour to complement. A crunchy ice plant, with herbal earthy sweet flavour, completes the dish.
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| Potato Gnocchi With Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce |
The Shiso & Omaru Dashi Pasta has a unique combination of flavours that are pleasant yet intriguing. The al-dente spaghetti pasta noodles are served in a base of lobster broth, tomato, deshelled crab meat, and shiso / perilla leaf. You get bright juicy sweet savoury flavours at the start, followed by deep earthy herbal flavours at the end. Filling and satisfying.
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| Shiso & Omaru Dashi Pasta |
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| Shiso & Omaru Dashi Pasta |
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| Shiso & Omaru Dashi Pasta |
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| Shiso & Omaru Dashi Pasta |
From the Canadian Pork With Port Wine Sauce & Australian Beef Sirloin, we preferred the succulent pork loin, with its crunchy juicy chew and light savoury salty flavour. It's also one of the few times I've had well executed, medium rare pork. The port wine sauce is rich, and lends an earthy sweet depth of flavour to the meat. The beef sirloin was perfectly executed to a medium rare, with a tender moist texture but overly long chew, and meaty savoury salty flavour. Served with a fresh crisp mesclun salad (lettuce, mizuna, parmesan cheese) on the side.
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| Canadian Pork With Port Wine Sauce & Australian Beef Sirloin |
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| Canadian Pork With Port Wine Sauce & Australian Beef Sirloin |
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| Canadian Pork With Port Wine Sauce & Australian Beef Sirloin |
Impressed with the cozy ambience, attentive service, and delicious food at Monte Risaia. And with their pricing being more affordable than other omakase outlets, Monte Risaia looks set to draw in the crowds. Advance reservations are recommended!
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CONVERSATION