Brian Kennett
Amateur Chef and Boozy Traveling Foodie Extraordinaire
Griglia Katong Open-Fire Italian Restaurant is here. She’s been open since 2nd April, and as committed Islifearecipe.net paid a visit to sample some of the best Italian food Singapore and share with you. Suffice it to say, folks, this is WOW. This is gonna knock your Italian socks off and with good reason. Now you’re going to be challenged with: Is this the best Italian in Singapore?
Welcome to the East-Siders Team Griglia Katong. We’re so happy to have you join us, and believe me we’ll be back for more of that Tuna Tartare, Steak Tartare, Bone Marrow and Pork Porchetta. That’s a bet I’m willing to double down on – incredible food, booze, crew and atmosphere – loved it!!!
Griglia Katong is relatively small, folks, so please book to avoid disappointment. We grazed for hours (usually family Kennett-style) and witnessed so many bookings, walk-ins, multiple seating turn around and walk-aways (because fully seated) – they use our mates from SevenRooms for Booking.
This grill allows roll up to get indirect heat, and roll down for direct heat and searing, but also this is used for smoking. It’s a beautiful piece of kit and if you seat indoors you get to see all the action: it’s open-kitchen, yeah baby!!! I so need this in my life. My birthday is June, folks, just saying…
“Curated by Executive Chef Andrea De Paola the menu showcases the culinary essence of the grigliata. Our dishes are based on its classic recipes, with flavours made lighter, more refreshing and presented in a refined contemporary style on handcrafted Mediterranean-style tableware for a complete dining experience.” said Griglia Katong Open-Fire Italian Restaurant
Griglia Katong will literally take you on a journey through fire-kissed Italian flavors. The crew will proudly describe each dish, the ingredients, cooking method and even origins: right down to one tearful description of a dish reminding him of his Mum. It’s a wonderful experience.
Griglia Open-Fire Italian Kitchen’s menu boasts a strong focus on dishes prepared over an open flame (see Gaucho Grill porn shot above), like grilled meats, seafood, and vegetables. You won’t find the usual suspects here – pizzas and pasta take a backseat to unique offerings like grilled steaks, smoked pears and sea bass.
Reviews rave about the succulent grilled steaks, particularly the grilled rack of lamb and the pork porchetta, while seafood lovers recommend diving into the ocean-fresh pescatarian offerings like the whole Turbot. What dod we have? Read on, it’s a smorgasbord:
Best cheese toastie you’ll likely ever have. Come on seriously, Focaccia with a stunner of cheese like Taleggio – but wait, now let’s add truffle shavings. DING DONG!!!
And then Parma they source themselves from local artisans in Italy but then serve with pears that have been intensely smoked. Talk about a ying yang. Quite an incredible pairing, and boy does it work. Delicious!!!
Yes, folks, even Mr. Non-pescatorian tried this, and I am so very glad I did. Non-fishy, almost meaty in taste. Tuna from the Meditteranean, akin to Toro Tuna Belly from Japan so very soft in texture, but then add to that the toppings and it becomes WOW!!! Little things like freshly-grated lemon peel lift this bad boy up to the fish tartare heavens. It’s an absolute stunner!!!
MUST-HAVE!!!
Another absolutely cracking dish, and again up there with the best this family has ever eaten. Class of its own. The addition of the smoked quail eggs is just genius – additional flavour profiles to the beef, and tart of the capers, that make this dish soar. It’s a stunner!!! WOOF!!!
MUST-HAVE!!!
This is food you could marry. What a combo. Grilled cheese on seasoned and baked bone marrow, served with a pesto-like salsa with the crunch of radish and crisp of bread and yet more grated cheese. WOOF, and double WOOF!!!
This dish slaps your senses all over the restaurant. It’s eye candy, it smells divine, it’s massively unctuous and fresh at the same time and then the textures popping all over your mouth. Heavenly!!! This is up there with the very best bone marrow dishes this fat beard has ever eaten!!! Awesome dish Chefs!!!
MUST-HAVE!!!
Yes, Wifey made them cremate this. Way overdone for me. But, still super-tasty Italian food Singapore. A lovely heat profile from the (I assume) dry-rub, so very tender, so very juicy. Your gran could slip he teeth out and easily graze on this. Really nice. Great work Chefs.
Oh my, the Pork Gods were singing that night. They state for 2 PAX, but more like 4 PAX. It’s a huge portion of quite simply some of the very best pork I have ever eaten. The spice and herb flavour plus the wood smoke really gets in the meat, but also breaks down the meat so it becomes the most succulent and tender. It was plain and simple and the most-wonderful pork dish, and likely one I’ll have every single time I return here: best Italian Singapore restaurant.
WOOF and OINK!!!
MUST-HAVE!!!
- Roasted Potatoes @ $10
- Charcoal Grilled Baby Corn, with Brown Butter Sabayon @ $10
- Cherry Tomatoes, Baby Rocket Salad @ $12
- Romaine Lettuce, Anchovies Dressing, Garlic Crumbs @ $12
Man alive is this one dessert and a half? A palate-cleanser, refreshing dessert and cocktail all in one. Vodka-infused lemon sorbet, and then added Prosecco to add some fizz and zing. This is like alcoholic pop rocks. What a perfect end to an incredible dinner at easily a best Italian Singapore restaurant.
Griglia Katong is coming, and coming soon, maybe the best Italian Singapore restaurant will be born. Once a gem shop and now an open-fire Italian Restaurant. I’ll take that swap any day of the week. Originally located at 37 Craig Rd, #01-01, we East-Siders are super lucky to now have a Griglia Katong.
They are renowned for firing up all sorts of Italian dishes including: 1/ Pasta. 2/ Pizza. 3/ Risotto. 4/ Bruschetta. 5/ Tiramisu. 6/ Cannelloni. 7/ Antipasto. 8/ Lasagna. 9/ Gelato. 10/ Calzone.
To be honest. Anyone who puts a sign up like below in their window will catch my attention. This is living the ChillaxBBQ mantra. Just look at the bark on that steak: ooooh Lordy.
“Griglia Open Fire Italian Kitchen is more occasion than a restaurant. Located in the charming Craig Road precinct, Griglia is a contemporary Italian grill restaurant inspired by summer outdoor grill known as the grigliata.
Griglia recreates this magic with classic grigliata dishes cooked in a specially customised cast iron charcoal grill, and served in smaller sharing portions to encourage tasting of the wide selection on offer. Awash in Italian hospitality, Griglia promises conviviality, bonding and memory-making over the fire.
Curated by Executive Chef Andrea De Paola the menu showcases the culinary essence of the grigliata. Our dishes are based on its classic recipes, with flavours made lighter, more refreshing and presented in a refined contemporary style on handcrafted Mediterranean-style tableware for a complete dining experience.”
She’s coming along nicely is Griglia Katong, you can almost sense how this is going to look. I am really hoping open kitchen somewhere to see that open-fire cooking in action.
Conclusions of Grigilia Katong...
I’m just going to recite what they state quite openly: Open Fire Italian Kitchen: The Seduction of Fire, Food, Wine and Fraternity. A new concept of a contemporary Italian grill restaurant. WOOF!!!
Now if that doesn’t float your foodie boat nothing will. Islifearecipe.net promises to keep an eye on the opening schedule and will update it here. We’ve also dropped the crew at Griglia Katong a note to hopefully have a catch-up. We’ll let you know how that goes as well.
Watch this space, folks. This one has got us really excited.
1/ Pasta. 2/ Pizza. 3/ Risotto. 4/ Bruschetta. 5/ Tiramisu. 6/ Cannelloni. 7/ Antipasto. 8/ Lasagna. 9/ Gelato. 10/ Calzone. But over an open fire. WOOF!!!
