If you step into Bottega di Carna at the Mondrian Singapore Duxton, you’ll feel like you’ve been whisked straight into the rolling hills of Tuscany! Imagine sun-kissed vineyards, the aroma of truffles wafting through the air and the smell of the finest cuisine in the distance. Okay, two those might just be in your head, but the food? The food is the real deal, and Bottega di Carna has brought Tuscany even closer to home with its new ala carte menu!
At the helm is none other than Dario Cecchini, the legendary butcher of Panzano, a man who has meat in his blood – he’s an eighth-generation butcher! And with a new menu that’s equal parts opulent, inventive, and sustainable, Bottega di Carna isn’t just a meal – it’s a love letter to Italian cuisine, reimagined in the heart of Singapore.
Here’s the play-by-play of how this butcher extraordinaire and his team will transport you to the Italian countryside, one bite at a time.
Dario’s Signature Steak Tartare
Steak tartare is a classic, but here, it’s been elevated into something that feels like a revelation, yet maintains a classic simplicity! Dario’s Signature Steak Tartare’s take on it is fresh and delicate without any over-beefiness gumming up your palate, with a dusting of chianti salt providing bursts of flavour. But the real star of this dish is the beef tendon cracker served atop the tartare!
A perfect embodiment of Dario’s nose-to-tail cooking ethos, the tendon is soaked, boiled, compressed, baked, and fried until it transforms into a crackling, crunchy miracle that tastes exactly like prawn crackers. It’s practically alchemy, and the pairing with the tartare is nothing short of genius. Forget the usual bread – this is how tartare should always be served.
Rating: 9/10
Basket Tortelli
This is one of the highlights of the menu! If autumn could be distilled into flavours, it would be the ones contained in this dish. The Basket Tortelli is a masterclass in balance – luxurious but never cloying, with a bold pumpkin filling that speaks for itself. Additionally, the presence of a Parmagiano Reggiano cheese fondue alongside it doubles down on the deliciousness!
Not to be forgotten, the handmade pasta wrapping is perfectly tender, hugging the filling like with a warm embrace. This dish screams comfort food, yes, but with all the refined finesse of an Italian opera.
Rating: 10/10
Oxtail Agnolotti
Oxtail is already a decadent cut, but here, it’s been transformed into something delicate and refined. The Oxtail Agnolotti are wrapped in a thin, gossamer-like skin that somehow holds all that meaty goodness together without stealing the show. The filling is robust and hearty but stops short of being stiflingly gamey, while the subtle truffle flavour adds an earthy, exotic note without hijacking the overall culinary vibes of the dish.
Oh, and let’s not forget the capon consomme that the agnolotti came in, which was made, to my horror – and amazement – with castrated chickens! Regardless of the alarming ingredients, the consomme was as rich and stomach-warming as any other chicken stock would be, lending a light, soupy rounding to every bite. However, while the flavours were great, the dish wasn’t as substantial as I would’ve liked, and the consomme diluted the taste of the filling quite a bit.
Rating: 7.5/10
Polpo alla Griglia
Cooking octopus is a high-risk, high-reward game. Over or undercook it just a bit, and it’ll be inedibly chewy or rubbery, but at Bottega di Carna, they’ve nailed it! The octopus in the Polpo alla Griglia is impossibly tender, with a perfect amount of bite, paired with a delightful array of condiments!
What takes this dish to the next level is the delicately spicy pepper salsa – a fiery little kick that wakes up your palate – and the blended umami nuttiness from the garlic and nuts, which adds an almost Asian-inspired twist. It’s bold, it’s unexpected, and it’s the kind of dish that makes you stop mid-chew just to savour and analyse what you’re tasting! The only area of improvement I can think of is an inadequate amount of pepper salsa – it ran out far too quickly in comparison to the piece of octopus, which led to some unbalanced flavours towards the end of the dish.
Rating: 8/10
Bistecca alla Florentina
When a restaurant is run by one of the world’s greatest butchers, you expect the steak to be a showstopper – and the Bistecca alla Florentina certainly does its best! Served rare, almost blue, the Florentina T-bone steak is the headliner of the entire ala carte menu, but it sort of fell flat for me.
While the crust and seasoning were decent, I found the overall cook of the steak far too rare for my liking, even as someone who takes their meat medium rare. The char from the crust became lost among the chewing through the meat, which took a lot of shine off what could have been a great dish. The only good things to me were the carrot puree and oyster mushrooms on the side, but the meat itself was quite disappointing.
Rating: 6/10
Delizia al Limone
No Italian meal is complete without a little dessert, and the Delizia al Limone certainly didn’t disappoint at Bottega di Carna. It starts with a white chocolate shell that’s rich and indulgent, but once cracked open it reveals its surprise – a citrusy lemon mousse and a tangy strawberry compote within!
The white chocolate shell and filling sit on a bed of white wine jelly that adds a unique texture and sophistication, tying it all together like a final flourish. My only complaint is that it requires a great deal of effort to crack the shell open, but aside from that, it’s a satisfactory ending to a meal that’s been a culinary journey through Italy!
Rating: 8.5/10
Bottega di Carna
At Bottega di Carna, every dish tells a story, whether it be of tradition, innovation, or an unflagging respect for ingredients. Whether it’s the handmade pasta, the nose-to-tail philosophy, or the delicate balance of bold flavours and subtle touches, this is Italian dining at its finest.
📍Location: Mondrian Singapore Duxton, 16A Duxton Hill, #03-01, Singapore 089970
⏰Opening Hours: 7am to 12am
So, if you’re ready to be transported to the Italian countryside without ever leaving Singapore, book a table at Bottega di Carna. Come hungry, leave happy, and take a little piece of Tuscany home with you – if only in your stomach. If you’re looking for more information on Bottega di Carna, you can find it on their official website, and to stay up to date with the latest news from them, be sure to follow their Instagram! To end things off in the immortal words of Dario Cecchini, buon appetito!
Photos by Izzah Ilyana of the DANAMIC Team.
Rating 8/10