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Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place

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Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place

Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place

This is a cracker, a little gem in Joo Chiat. If you have not been I highly recommend you do. It is an abso-fucking-lutely cracking place with some of the very best Italian food eaten by these old lips. We had this place recommended by a few, including our very own Mrs Knibbs and even one of our food supplier partners to ChillaxBBQ. So highly recommended by BFF’s. The funny thing is we tried to book a few times to go for Saturday lunch after Jude Jude’s Chinese lessons, but could never ever find a slot. Today we happened to walk past an saw the outside seating area was quite empty so took a walk-in chance and success… We dined a wonderful lunch today. As it a superbly wonderful lunch today. We’ll be back here – that is a certainty.

BUT, learn from our lesson. It seems they do not take bookings via any 3rd party app. No wonder we have never been able to book. You have to book directly from their web site, call or email. How about that? So here you go – here they are;

Contact them @ +65 6243 5215 or cugini@singnet.com.sg

Visit them @ 37 Joo Chiat Place #01-01, 427761

We chose to sit outside in this Mediterranean-style, airy almost feeling beachy area. Bloody brilliant. We felt abroad. Now that is very important in these bloody Covid-19 days. To be transported somewhere else felt fantastic. Great atmosphere. Superbly styled. An incredible open-kitchen and stunning food to match.

I will have one moan though about lunch today, which was the delivery of the food. Let me caveat no complaints re the food quality as you will see shortly and no complaints about the serving crew, all of whom were just lovely. It was a ‘when’ thing. We got Wifey’s main course 1st after a long wait post initial order, then waited 20 minutes and a starter appeared, then 10 minutes and another starter, then a main, then starter, then the rest of the mains and we even had one forgotten starter which we had to re-order. When we got the food there was nothing but compliments about how stunning it was. But the ‘delivery execution’ felt adrift from the rest of the experience. A weird niggly thing.

Anyways. As usual, let’s hear from them… And I really could not agree more with what they say.

“Traditional Italian Cuisine at its finest. The first collaboration between Executive Chef Mauro Muroni and General Manager Gerri Sottile, Cugini is a popular dining destination in Singapore, serving traditional Italian gastronomy in a trattoria setting.

Inaugurated in August 2009 in 87 Club Street, after a successful run of 11 years,  Cugini Trattoria Pizzeria continues its success by relocating to 37 Joo Chiat Place in October 2020. The new upgraded concept has a Sardinian and Sicilian touch,  including an Italian custom-made wood-fired pizza oven and a traditional charcoal grill. Inspired by heartwarming, comfort food, Mauro brings together authentic, home-made Italian flavours in a modern way.”

Let’s have a look. Shall we?

Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place

Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
Very happy campers with our lunch today. It was an absolute belter of a lunch. Absolutely some of the very best Italian food we have had as a family. Without a doubt.
Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
You had me @ hello. Check out that bloody kitchen. I am in heaven. They’ve even got a Gaucho Grill FFS!!! I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!
Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
It really is such a stunning place inside and out. But, I am so glad we chose outside on this sunny and airy day as it really did make it feel like we were sat somewhere else on this planet. We were transported by food and the ambience of this place. Be proud of that Cugini crew, that’s a bloody unique skill & capability.

Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place

Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
And here is that 1st dish of the day. Wifey’s main course order. A little small you could argue, but this punches above the actual weight. From the Cugini Signatures, this is their Fegato Grasso – foie gras, pan brioche, Passito wine reduction, mango salad, pistachio crumbs. I had a little piece of this fro my lovely wifey and man it was soooo good. Pistachio, mango and Foie – who’d have thunk it? Well, these guys bloody did and it is a match made in heaven. A cracker!!!
Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
Stop the fucking Burrata cheese bus, I think we have a winner. A Burrata cheese to die for. Like drinking fresh cream. It is insanely good. With off-the-charts oil & Balsamic, the freshest, best tasting goddamned rocket I have ever had and tomatoes to die for. Best Burrata salad dish I have ever had without a doubt. This is their Burrata Pugliese – burrata cheese from Puglia (now there’s a new holiday destination when this Covid shit is over), wild rocket salad, heirloom cherry tomatoes, basil. WINNER!!!
Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
And another best ever up next. I kid you not. This is without a shadow of a doubt the best carpaccio I have ever eaten in these 52 sodding years I have been on this planet eating my way through it. This dish is incredible. Jude Jude and I devoured this in a disgusting carnivore fashion. Sorry to the restaurant, it was primal. But we could not stop eating this… Some unique things accompanying this too like the confit and the mayo. Bother just amaze-balls. This is Carpaccio Di Wagyu – wagyu beef carpaccio ‘w’ confit rhubarb (WTF I hear you shout – shut up and just try it, say I), quail poached eggs (well egg in our case), and parmesan mayonnaise. Angles sang for this one. They bloody sang well too!!!
Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
#1 gets his main now. Again, he opts for the Cugini Signatures opting for the Home-Made Ravioli Al Tartufo – black winter truffle & potato, parmesan, walnuts, truffle butter sauce. You should have smelt this when the plate arrived. Boom, we were in the countryside. Incredible aromas filled our table. I had a little dib-dab of the sauce. Yep, that’s a keeper. #1 lauded over this. Another phenomenal dish from the kitchen. Going bloody strong at the moment, dish after dish…
Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
And then we get to the pizzas… Did you think I was going to dis the pizzas with that opening statement? I have to state this again, in one blog. The very best pizza I have had. The dough is just out of this world. I mean it. It is out of this world good. I have never tasted anything like it on the base of a pizza, it’s like sourdough on steroids. Fucking amazing pizza. I mean it. I ordered another after we demolished this one. I had to. It is really that good. And for about the same price as some shit from Dominos. Fuck I hope these guys deliver to Siglap…? This 1st pizza was chosen by Strawberry Blonde and what a 1st choice it was. This is Crudo E Rucola – tomato sauce (best I have ever tasted), mozzarella, Parma ham, rocket. They make it sound so simple. What an underplay of the quality of this…

I have to add this little section. Clearly, they are so proud of their pizza dough, and rightly bloody so. They call this out themselves on the menu;

“Our light and fragrant dough has a mix of 7 stone-ground flours, indirect dough cold-matured for over 70 hours, high hydration over 70%.”

FUCK YES!!! THE BEST EVER!!!

Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
Jude Jude and I go for a sharing plate. And here we go again. This is up there with the absolute best pork I have ever consumed. This was like consuming Japanese A5 Wagyu steak. Marbled to buggery, fatty but not chewy, buttery, medium-rare (yes you can eat quality pork like this), as tender as fuck, a little sea salt to season and that was that. Served with a little mustard that elevated my food hard-on by another 10 degrees. This was an OMG food moment. This pork is incredible. I’ll be trying to steal this for ChillaxBBQ in a big way haha. How beautiful does that look? This is off the Charcoal Grill section (of course Jude Jude and I chose from there) Secreto Iberico Pork – black Iberian pig fillet. I love you piggie!!!
Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
We now come to a late entrant. The forgotten dish from the starters. #1 and Wifey got stuck into this in a big way. I always watch Wifey’s reaction when seafood is involved as that highly critical Filipina who lived next to the sea raised on seafood can’t help but come out. And… she loved it. Amazed with the freshness, incredible dipping sauces and a crunch to die for on the crumb outside. Be proud Cugini this gets the Bohol seal of approval!!! Who gives a shit if this was forgotten haha. This is Calamari Fritti – Mediterranean fried squid, home-made mayonnaise & chilli sauce (#1 likened it to a quality Peri Peri).
Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
I really could not help myself. After that 1st pizza, I had to have more. I spotted this 4 cheese bad boy and just had to order it. Despite food coma fast approaching. How could I resist. Everyone saw it and declined a piece due to being completely stuffed. So I tempted them with a little nibble of a piece and within 5 minutes the whole fucking lot was gone. Best cheese pizza of all time. It’s just a cheese pizza, right? Not even close. If this was what Macaulay Culkin had ordered in Home Alone he would have told his family to fuck off returning from France until he had devoured this all to himself. This is 4 Formaggi – mozzarella, fontina, gorgonzola, emmental. Stop the bus!!!
Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place
We did indeed order dessert. Wifey chose to order a bucket-sized Tiramasu, #1 and Jude Jude went home-made gelato and Strawberry Blonde ordered this little beauty. This is the one worth the photo. This little jar of amazingness. I am not a dessert person, but I could swim in this one, brush my teeth with it and use it as hair gel. It’s a WOW dessert. Simply called Panna Cotta – white chocolate base, raspberry coulis, fresh mix berries. What a quality finish to a stunning lunch.

I think the references and recommendations I was given were under-rated. We were blown away by the food here today. Be proud Cugini crew that is, without doubt, some of the very best food we have had in one sitting in our 13 years in this country. It is also up there as likely some of the very best Italian food ever had. Such quality dishes, one after the other. We’ll be seeing you very soon. We loved lunch, we loved the restaurant. Thank you Cugini Italian Restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place for such a great time today. Folks this is a die die must try if you have not been before – ENJOY!!!

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Brian Kennett

Father of 3. All my kids are mixed, with English-Japanese, and English-Filipino - a recipe in the making there. I have been cooking since a small lad, as guided by my Nan and my Mum - gradually that morphed through exposure to Thai cooking from a lovely lady called Da in Margate. I used to hang out in her restaurant and watch the techniques. So the 1+1= greater than 2 occurred - Mum/Nan/Da - off I went in to the world of Asian cuisine. Moving to Asia in early 2000's clearly has brought that on somewhat - we travel continually, and eat locally and therefore have exposure to more and more new things. I have lived my dream and written a cook book whilst here, an amazing experience and all for a good cause too as I raised a lot of money for charity. My blog is now hopefully turning in to book number 2. Watch this space. I hope you enjoy my passion.

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