Da Paolo il Giardino

Da Paolo il Giardino
501 Bukit Timah Road, #01-05,
Cluny Court. Tel: 6463 9628

I know this place must have been critiqued over three billion times. But here goes.

I've been to this place a couple of times. Never had the discipline to pen it down. The last time i went there was after a horrible incident at home. Details will be spared. And then, lunch sucked after that.

However, the latest time I visited this delightful joint(they've got about 6 outlets) i was swept away. Swept, I tell you.. washed away. fell head over heels.

Ambience
It’s a quaint restaurant at the corner of the row of shophouses situated just outside Botanic Gardens. You will be greeted by a narrow parquet pathway- sides lined with tea lights. There’s the alfresco dining area where diners (or lunchers for that matter) bask in the sun, heat and humidity is carpeted with gravel and sheltered with wooden frames intertwined with tendrils.
Moving into the restaurant is dimly lit where walls are made of horizontally stacked granite slates (very cool) and curtains made of long cylindrical glass tubes. You can see an extremely sterile kitchen through a glass panel displaying shelves of wine glasses.
The lunch crowd includes expats who speak quietly with their children ordering Cokes and punch as if it were free flow.
All in all, very cozy. Very classy. Pairing elements such as wood, glass and slate together with warm lighting. It’s a fool proof combination. A very good place to impress. =)

Service
Naturally, small spaces results in attentive staff. Constantly making sure that you have enough bread, water and that the food is palatable. And of course, attending to your every whim and fancy without making you wait forever. Can I have more vinegrette? Sure. Can I have some ground pepper? Sure.

A word of caution. Waiters are like banks, you see, they like to serve the rich. So dress as if you own a ferarri. And talk as if you’re a UN respresentative. Even if you ain’t any.

Food
Don’t get me started. But I must! Mister and I went there for lunch. So we had the set lunch lah. I’ll just focus on what I had

Bread. There’s only one kind of bread I enjoy- warm bread at these places. Because its soft, chewy and warm. And oh. Did I mention its free flow. Plus olive oil and vinegrette. mMMM-mmmm! But honestly speaking. I love it. (what don’t I love!?)
Appetizer. Parma ham with mozzarella. Parma ham by nature is very salty and will reduce your lifespan by 10%. But trust me, pair it with uncooked mozzarella chunks and it will absolutely be to die for. Plus this cheese is extremely lightly salted which just evens out the flavor. If anything, the cheese adds texture to the whole dish.
Oh yes, don’t discount the two rocket leaves which you thought were just garnishing. If the dish gets a tad too heavy going, have some of the salad and it will clear your palate and gets you ready to clean up whatever that’s left.

Main course. Tenderloin chunks. The main course drizzled with a red wine gravy which makes it more like a luncheon meat. Of course, when I say luncheon meat, I mean meat to be eaten during lunch, not the canned thing you eat with porridge.
I’d usually be very particular over the doneness of the meat. But you can always trust good (and I mean good) luncheon meat to be gentle on the jaw- without specifying how you want it done.
Never ever discount good garnishing. I loved the sautéed mixture of mushrooms, capsicums, squash and cucumber on the side. It’s a tad bit charred, giving more texture and flavor.
Eat it while it’s hot.

Desert. I was dieting that week. Which failed- FYI. Anyway, I opted for the Banana Chocolate Mousse. Oh. Its good. Its really compact, and I mean small but extremely thick with banana mousse and a layer of chocolate mousse on top. *diet doubly fails*. Its not spongey, just very thick and creamy. Banana and chocolate is another fantastic foolproof combination.

Price
Da Paolo has always been more on the pricey side.
$24+++ for set lunch with pasta as the main course
$27+++ for set lunch with meat as the main course.
But it was all worth it.

Overall
Very satisfying. ‘nuff said.