Cenzo: Australian Italian Restaurant & Bar (Club st) — Restaurant in Singapore

I would hate to see this place become hard to reserve if it gets even more popular but good things are meant to be shared.. My partner selected this restaurant for our valentines dinner and it turned out to be one of the best culinary experiences I’ve had!

You know a restaurant means business when you see the owner churning out orders in the open kitchen. Here’s a breakdown of the various dishes we had.

The Shellfish risotto, prawn, chilli, $28. The risotto is well-infused with the umami flavour of the shellfish broth and every grain has a satisfyingly chewy texture. The prawns are fresh and huge, with a smoky charred flavour. Hints of an acidic ingredient (guessing lemon?) balances the flavours of the dish giving it a brighter profile. Amazingly, the dish doesn’t get overwhelmingly heavy like most risotto does. Chef’s kiss!

Bucatini, spanner crab, smoked trout roe, $30. Another seafood dish that was thoughtfully executed. The bucatini pasta was cooked al dente, with its hollow center being the perfect medium to retain the light yet tasty seafood sauce. This was complemented with a generous amount of fresh sweet spanner crab meat and smoked trout roe which added a pleasant briny burst to every bite.

Petite tender, xo salsa verde 250g, $38. Steak was done perfectly medium rare with a charred, slightly crisp exterior and a tender middle. Well-seasoned with a good smoky flavour. The xo salsa verde was an unusual and interesting pairing with a taste similar to dried shrimp paste plausibly from the xo sauce. Unique salsa but the steak was more than good enough on its own.

Cannoli, ricotta, pistachio (2pcs), $6. We had to try their famous dessert which comprises of a light yuzu ricotta filling encased in a cannoli shell, dipped with pistachio nuts on each end. I dislike fried stuff so the hint of oiliness from the cannoli shell put me off a little but my partner felt that the refreshing ricotta filling sufficiently masked it. The pistachio bits added a subtle nutty fragrance, complementing the dish.

Red Sangria jug, $58. Pleasantly refreshing with the sweetness of the infused fruits and slight tartness of the red wine - nicely balanced!

In all, every dish was well-executed with fresh ingredients and amazing flavour. Portion was decent at such a reasonable price point. Service was also impeccable despite a busy Valentines evening.

Thanks Chef Drew and team for the experience. Hope to see such high quality yet value for money restaurants flourish! Will...

Update: Returned for dinner and absolutely enjoyed the mortadella toast, burnt butter & pumpkin conchiglie and porchetta (accompaniment of celeriac slaw could be a tad more refreshing). Although, the arancini seemed to have shrank in size this time. I can see why seafood lovers would enjoy the bucatini, which is similar to our local chilli crab but with a richer, more overwhelming taste of the sea. Perhaps a thinner, less starchy pasta would complement this dish better too. Ended our meal with Drew’s excellent tiramisu. We were seated at the back this time and the ambience was much better for conversations. One small gripe would be the same use of plates, especially when moving on to the mains after having lots of saucy pasta. I enjoyed chatting with one of the older male waiters too (didn’t manage to get his name but he seems to double as the bartender). Thank you for the lovely dinner!

Had a fantastic dinner at Cenzo, although as with the hits comes a few misses. Started off with a jug of sangria and a couple of delicious arancini. Then came the whipped ricotta, which we would have liked better if the ratio of tomatoes to ricotta was more balanced (the tomatoes overwhelmed the thin layer of ricotta at the bottom). A serving of bread to pair with this would have been fantastic too. The cacio e pepe was superb, peppery enough to cut through the richness of the parmesan.

The last of our mains was the petite tender, an unfortunate letdown. It was pretty good on first bite, but got too chewy subsequently and wasn’t pleasant to finish even when done medium rare. Although the manager later explained that it was an uncommon cut with no fat the chef personally enjoys, this could’ve been better conveyed on the menu right from the start. Our meal ended off with a well done cannoli, albeit a more generous sprinkle of pistachio would’ve elevated the dessert. Service although impersonal, was efficient and excellent. Lovely ambience although it can get very loud when the crowd pours in. I have my sights set on other menu items and look forward to trying them on...

Celebrated my birthday at Cenzo last week and it was the perfect choice after reading so many highly rated reviews about it!

First of all, the food was amazing! Kudos to the kitchen team! Highly recommend the grilled octopus and scallops for starters. The crunchy bacon bits and sauce for both dishes were so flavourful.. even ordered a side of bread, so we could soak up all the goodness! Next was the mains… was a bit skeptic about the pistachio pasta at first, but after tasting it, it became the highlight of the meal! The prawn risotto was also packed with flavour from the broth and the char and doneness of the Ribeye was just perfect! Not to mention the beef fat potato sides were irresistible! Lastly was my favourite part… desserts! Being an avid dessert lover, I had high expectations of them and every dessert dish that we had, did not disappoint one little bit! Highly recommend the Tiramisu, an Italian classic dessert, that was presented so nicely by the service staff and my favourite Aussie classic ice cream, ‘Golden Gaytime’, which brought an extra homely feel to the whole meal!

Food aside, another important part of a dining experience is the service of staff and Cenzo does it perfectly! Exceptional service by the service team! Special mention to Jason, Angel and Abby for their attentiveness- checking in on us every regularly, topping up our drinks and changing our plates as needed! :)

Overall ambience of Cenzo is nice too, with indoor and outdoor seatings and a cozy private dining room for special events! Love the open kitchen concept, so that customers can also see the chefs hard at work, without compromising on the overall noise level of the restaurant!

Highly recommend Cenzo for if you are around CBD for a good value and quality meal, whether it be for business meeting, date night or...