Tavolo (2) -- Never Again!

I said I would go there again and so, as promised, today (Feb. 18, 2008) I went to Tavolo again. I wanted to make sure whether my previous negative impression was due to a momentary lapse of culinary reason, or due to what I consider poor cooking.

After today's visit, I definitively lean for the second. True, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder -- and taste in the taste buds of the person eating, but my judgement was confirmed by a friend who joined me for lunch.

We also had to ask to be seated at a different table as the air conditioning was too strong and direct. If I go to the hawkers' center and pay 3 dollars for a meal, I am not too fussy. You get what you pay for. When I pay 80 dollars (each) for a meal I am fussy.

Here, given the steep bill, I expect to be able to enjoy my meal without catching a cold.

Food: My friend had a bruschetta and veal scaloppine. He found the bruschetta average and the veal tasty and tender. I had a caprese (tomato and mozzarella salad) and linguine with beef sauce. Again, the pasta was overcooked and the sauce was too sweet and oily. This impression was shared by my friend, who is not Italian but knows good food when he eats it.

As for the sauce, I think it's the chef's style to prepare it oily and sweet. Maybe he is trying to adapt Italian cuisine to Singaporean taste. I wander what he'd say if I gave him sushi with cooked fish...

When I asked the waiter to convey my complaint to the chef, the chef answered with a shrug... not very professional. A chef that really cares about his job, would listen to a complaint and reply, if the case. A shrug denotes lack of professionality.

Wine: The wine list was divided into two parts. The general list which had some interesting names at non interesting prices, and the "Owner's List" which had some famous names such as Ornellaia and Sassicaia with equally famous prices.

We had a house wine, a generous Montepulciano (red). When we asked for another glass, the waiter said they had run out of Montepulciano and could give us an Australian shiraz.

Although I don't have anything against Australian wine, I find it unacceptable that an Italian restaurant does not have an Italian alternative to their house wine.

The 1-billion-dollar-question: Will I go there again? Definitively not.