Oso Ristorante

C says:

A and I are off on our annual holiday (finally!) later today, and we decided to start the festivities early by having a nice lunch. After being turned away at Au Petit Salut because they were full and we didn’t make a reservation (it’s a Wednesday, for crying out loud!), we made our way to Oso instead.

We’ve been to Oso twice before – once for a friend’s birthday party, and again for dinner, and have been impressed both times. It’s slightly more upmarket and fine-dining then I would usually prefer in an Italian joint, but at least the waiters are still very friendly despite the posh surroundings.

On Mondays to Fridays, they have a 3-course set lunch for $28, which is what A had. He started with a terrine of parma ham with baby spinach salad, followed by a grilled chicken breast with sautéed zucchini, and finally the dessert was a chocolate and banana pudding served with vanilla ice cream.


Whenever I come here, I can’t resist having the chicken liver pate appetizer, and today was no exception. With only 3 choices per course for the set, I was inadvertently drawn to the regular menu, and ended up having the pate and a pasta. The pate is one of the best I’ve ever had – incredibly smooth, creamy and luxuriously rich, and served with crostini and cherry tomatoes.


The home-made ravioli was filled with beef, in a cheese fondue sauce with mushrooms. This was very good but very rich; the cheese sauce had distinct flavours of gorgonzola which added a nice depth of flavour. Good thing the portion was fairly small, otherwise it would have been a struggle to finish it.


In short, the $28 set lunch is definitely very good value for money, as long as you don’t get side tracked by the very tempting options in the regular a la carte menu.

Oso has also opened Oso Privato, which is a two-storey shophouse opposite the main restaurant, and which is where we celebrated A’s friend’s birthday last year. It allows you to host private functions, and provides a customized menu. The Oso Bar is on the ground floor for guests to mingle, and the second level is the spacious and opulently decorated main dining room.

Recently, they’ve added yet another aspect to their repertoire – Oso Living, which is a home catering extension of the restaurant. We haven’t tried this yet, but if the food is up to the restaurant’s standards, then it can’t go wrong.

Anyway, this is the last you’ll hear from atetoomuch for a while. We’re off to the wilds of Scandinavia for two weeks; we’ll check in again when we get back!

A says:

Very good value! While the portions of the $28 Set Lunch are small, they taste damn good. Plus, the cake I had for dessert ended up filling me up.

The presentation is great and service is also impeccable. The waiters are friendly and knowledgeable and not snotty. The owner likes to chat with his customers but knows just how much people like to talk (we, of course, don’t like having to make small talk so we just said hello) and politely left us alone. He gets along very well with a few of my friends though so feel free to start a conversation if you’re that sort.

While a full meal may be a bit expensive, this place is so good that it’s well worth treating yourself once in a long while.

Note to self: Cappuccino not bad but not fantastic. Try latte next time and see which is better.

Oso Ristorante
27 Tanjong Pagar Road
Tel: 6327-8378

Lunch: 12 – 2.30 pm (Mon to Fri)
Dinner: 6.30 to 10.30 pm daily