Borgo is located on Bukit Timah Road, along the stretch of shophouses unfortunately referred to as the ‘Corduroy and Finch row’. Opened by Chef La Mura Dominico (aka Chef Mimmo), formerly of La Braceria restaurant in the Greenleaf estate, it serves Italian fare in simple, understated surroundings. (However, we still managed to bump into 2 different sets of fairly chi-chi friends dining here on Friday night, so maybe it’s hipper than it appears.)
La Braceria is/was known for its grilled dishes, and apparently this place is no different. Their specialties are their grilled items, like their grilled sausage platter and their steaks. They also apparently do a good Osso Buco, but that has to wait for another visit, because on Friday night A and I decided to share a starter, and the massive Bistecca Alla Fiorentina – 700g of seared T-bone steak.
The starter we shared was the Scarmorza Dello Chef – discs of baked scarmorza cheese, crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, topped with sautéed button mushrooms. Texture-wise, the scarmorza was similar to mozzarella, but had a slightly fuller but not overpowering flavour. It was served with some rocket salad that went with the cheese very nicely.
Then the main course arrived and it was quite an intimidating sight! The platter was huge; the good thing was that the steak was pre-sliced for us into wonderfully thin slices. Kudos to the chef or whoever it was who did it, because the slices were the perfect thickness, and hardly any meat was left on the bone. It was medium rare, just the way we ordered it, probably no easy feat for a steak of that size.
For $55, this was actually a pretty good deal, considering that a 680g Porterhouse at Mortons was $86. It was just the right size for two rather hungry diners. I actually preferred the striploin side of the T-bone; it was chewier but it had the most amazing flavour. The tenderloin side, though admittedly very smooth and, well, tender, I found it a bit flat-tasting. A much preferred the tenderloin side, though. The slices were placed on a bed of rocket and other mixed greens tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette, but the rosemary leaves scattered on top of the steak were a tad overpowering.
Beside a cheese platter, Borgo only serves four desserts – a Caprese almond cake, a chocolate lava flambed with Grand Marnier, panna cotta and tiramisu. The lava cake doesn’t come with vanilla ice cream, and 100% chocolate was a bit overkill after all the meat, so we decided to share a panna cotta instead. It came topped with strawberries, and was rich yet quite refreshing.
Some of the pizzas on the menu look quite appetizing as well; guess we’ll be going back to try those, as well as the Osso Buco.
A says:
Appertisers looked really good. The waiter recommended the Italian mussels which I’ll try next time. The baked cheese somehow managed to smell, look, and taste a bit like chicken to me. I’m sure it’s just my imagination. At least that’s what the voices in my head tell me.
I’ll also try the pizzas next time. Not sure how big they are though so I’m wondering if I can do a starter, pizza and a dessert.
Of the desserts, I don’t think I could do the chocolate cake without ice cream, so I’d either go for the panna cotta or pop over to Venezia at Guthrie House for a yogurt flavoured gelato.
Borgo
789 Bukit Timah Road
Tel: 6466-7762 Lunch: 12:15pm - 2:15pm
Dinner: 6pm - 10:30pm
Closed on Tuesdays
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