La Nonna, Namly Place

In Italy, you never crack jokes about 2 things: Mafia and Grandmothers. From what I've read and watched, it seems the culinary gods in Italy aren't celebrity chefs addicted to the TV cameras but pint size grandmothers- silver-haired folks who make pasta from scratch and turn white at the thought of bottled pasta sauce.

I mean, how often do you hear how so-and-so's grandmother makes the best gnocchi or that the lasagna is sensational because "it's exactly how Nonna used to make it...."

Pretty often? I thought so too.

After taking into account Orchard Crowds and Marina Bay Traffic Jams, we decided to head down to La Nonna (italian for grandmother) for my customary birthday dinner.



La Nonna welcomed us with a basket of warm bread rolls and crisp bread. The breads, which were made in-house, made a beeline to my heart. Crusty warm bread rolls, which broke away to reveal fluffy insides, was exemplary while the herb-speckled crisp bread offered a crackling good time.



I can finally cross off 'ravioli' from my To Taste List. La Nonna's ravioli showcased thickish pasta pillows stuffed with minced veal, smothered in bolognese sauce. Most of us grew up on bolognese sauce so that shouldn't come off as a surprise to anyone.



We had fun with the Rigatoni, with braised duck leg ragout "Aretina" style . Rigatoni was decidedly al dente and the tubes were coated with just enough sauce. I think for the less discerning folks (sigh, myself included), it is difficult to differentiate Italian sauces especially since they are "regionalized". I so need a Pasta Sauce for Dummies guide.



One of the gluten-free items we tried was the Gemberoni, pot cooked king prawns "Guazetto". Gua-what? Guazetto is a slow cooking method that concentrates flavors by simmering ingredients in stock with tomatoes and seasonings. I'm running out of ways to describe yet another tomato-based sauce.. HELP



Our other main dish was the grilled Italian spicy Italian sausage, served with greens and potatoes. 2 foot long sausages, complete with appropriate sooty surfaces appeared. Was it good? Yes. Was it hands-off-it's-mine good? Well, yes for the potato ingots.



Then there was their signature pizza La Nonna, topped with tomato, mozzarella, parmesan, asparagus, egg and truffle. Sounds like a match made in pizza hell but pizza turned out surprisingly pleasant. The flavours melded well, save for the asparagus who decided to throw in an earthy note.



Service was schizophonic. I noticed there were only male waiters and while one was helpful and smiley, a burly-sized waiter barked "Excuse Me!" when my mum didn't hear him the first time. Ok, so now we know what The Hulk's been hiding since his movie debut flop... Though it is situated in hide-and-seek Namly Place, it wouldn't be long before La Nonna finds itself serving to packed houses.