Mietta’s, down on Arab Street, is where the “Angelo” in Michelangelo’s at Chip Bee Gardens has now moved. While I’d only been to Michelangelo’s once (on a one for one deal, no less), I was interested to try the food at Mietta’s to see if Angelo Sanelli’s cooking really held its water. Of course, while Chef Angelo is the face of the restaurant, the kitchen is really not helmed by him on a day-to-day basis and he really is in charge of the culinary direction of the restaurant. So I guess one might argue that it would not be fair to pin the success (or failure) of the restaurant on him. Or would it?
Taking advantage of Citibank’s 1 for 1 set lunch offer (till 28 February 2010), we headed down to Mietta’s for a taste test. Mietta’s set lunch is regularly priced at S$45++, so at 1 for 1, a 3 course set lunch is an affordable S$22.50++ per person. All of the dishes on offer on the set lunch menu are pulled off the regular a la carte menu, so the set lunch is a good way of trying the most popular dishes on Mietta’s menu.
As starters, we sampled the Calamari Fritti and the Symphony of Mushrooms.
The mushrooms were well seasoned and the morels provided a nice depth to the dish. The arugula was a touch “old” and I didn’t quite agree with the use of the arugula in garnishing the mushrooms. Otherwise this was well executed and delicious. As for the calamari fritti, I felt this was a disappointment as the batter slid off the calamari and didn’t hold well. The tartare sauce on the other hand, was a nice mix of gherkins and capers. A pity it made little difference as the fritti was underpar.
For mains, we sampled the Magret de Canard – Pan fried French duck breast on raisin and puy lentil with seared baby vegetables drapped in port wine jus, Roasted Barramundi – Pan roasted barramundi with slow simmered fennel and turnip in orange saffron broth with citrus salad and Baby Lamb Shank – Braised lamb shank with white asparagus, artichoke and truffle puree, roasted vine ripened tomato and mint coated asparagus spears.
The lamb shank had an interesting plating design involving the asparagus spears with the tomatoes (bordering on R rated), and was braised to tenderness. While the lamb was tender, it seemed to lack an oomph in the braising liquid – there just wasn’t that much depth to the flavour. The duck breast was my pick, and had crisp skin with the meat just nicely done. I would caution, however, that I do like my meat slightly rare, and some people may find the meat a touch too rare for duck meat. As for the barramundi, I liked the use of the fennel complemented the freshness of the fish. (As an aside, I always find dill and fennel to be good complements to fish dishes – let me know if you disagree!)
We were rather stuffed when it came to the desserts, but since we were on the set lunch, we just had to try the offerings on the menu. We tried the Chocolate Delice, Cinnamon Panna Cotta and the Tiramisu (not pictured). The Chocolate Delice was a cold set chocolate ganache which was smooth on the palate although it was a heavy end to the meal. This chocolate ganache was accompanied by a wild berry sorbet which wasn’t as smooth as I would’ve liked it to be. I’m not a fan of cinnamon, so my sampling of the panna cotta was brief and I would hesitate to comment except that it was not overly sweet which I liked. Those who had the panna cotta, though, complemented it’s smoothness. The tiramisu was well executed and the saviordi fingers were deliciously soaked in the coffee marsala. Together with an airy light mascarpone cheese mixture, the tiramisu was a good execution of the classic Italian dessert.
On balance, I would say that the food at Mietta’s was decent though unexeceptional. Without the one for one deal offered on the set lunch, I’m not sure I would visit Mietta’s as there are better value set lunches (without the promotion) available. S$45 ++ is still a little steep when places like Saint Pierre are offering set lunches at S$48++ (and that comes with a choice of coffee / tea) and the food at Mietta’s is unfortunately nowhere near the standards offered by Saint Pierre. Still, that’s not to say that the food at Mietta’s is bad. It serves up decent fare which is worthwhile while 1 for 1 offer is available. So do give Mietta’s a try during this offer period and let us know if you enjoyed the food.
Mietta’s
126 Arab Street
Singapore 199819
Tel: +65 6396 5493
