Something new at Dolce Vita Restaurant, Singapore

“Change is good”, they always say. While my OC-self tends to squirm at the thought of dealing with any change in my routine more so a change in my comfort zone, I can’t help but agree. With change, come new discoveries and opportunities, after all. I also believe that change helps us grow in life. We deal with new challenges; we conquer bigger obstacles which leads to a more fulfilling reward at the end of it all. We come out a winner after every change.

So one big change happened to one of my favourite Italian restaurant here in the Lion City. Dolce Vita Restaurant's head chef, Chef Marco Manocchio, who has been with the restaurant since 2015 recently launched a new menu featuring some of his personal specialties. How's that for a good change?

I was one of the lucky ones (thank you my lucky stars!) to be invited to try a simple repertoire of Chef Marco’s new dishes. Let me share them with you!



We started with Insalata di Astice (S$36) which is a delicious and refreshing salad creation made with lightly smoked lobster meat, fresh greens and a just right portion of miso consomme. It’s like salad meets soup served as one! It has a very light, fresh flavour making it a good starter choice.

This was followed by the Vitello Tonnato (S$32). I got to admit that I’m not crazy about veal and the tonnata sauce was a bit too rich for me it somehow resembles a pate made more creamy. It’s very pretty though and I’m quite impressed at Chef Marco’s great attention to the littlest details.

Next were two traditional pasta dishes that you and I are really familiar with. It’s really nice to have something very traditional yet you still get bits of surprises in every bite. First was the Carbonara (S$28) which was served in small tasting portions. I can imagine how generous the regular size would be. One bite and I was blown away at how good it was! The pasta was so fresh that you can totally feel the bite and every forkful and the sauce has a perfect consistency not being overly creamy or watered down. Each bite totally sent me to pasta heaven that I wish I had more than this tasting portion. Hehe.. greedy greedy.

Thankfully though, self-control took over and I stopped after one serving. After all, we still have the Lasagna Dolce Vita (S$32) to enjoy. This one is a total show-stopper with 25 thin layers which Chef carefully assembled. It’s cooked with a delicious blend of Neapolitan ragout sauce and smoked Scamorza fondue on top.

via GIPHY

This is probably what Gourmet Garfield would love to have if he had the opportunity to visit Dolce Vita.

At this point, we’re already starting to fill really full but Chef Marco wasn’t done yet. Out came the star of the meal – Tagliata di Manzo (S$98). If only this blog has a smell-a-vision function, I’d love for all of your to smell the wonderful meaty aroma of this perfectly grilled steak. It’s a huge cut of Roasted US Prime Beef Bone-In Ribeye and Chef personally prepared our portion as he also plated it with an array of sauteed veggies and a creamy serving of mashed potato. Who said we’re full? We surely made space for this delicious dish and it’s one thing that you have to try at Dolce Vita. One order is good for 4 pax to share making it such a great deal, don’t you think?

For dessert, we had the Tiramisu (S$16), which of course, is a traditional Italian dessert. Unlike the regular Tiramisu which is presented in a cake form, this one had the mascarpone mousse sandwiched in between chocolate crumbs and what looks like a chocolate disc on top.

Another dessert was the Pannacotta (S$16) done so creatively. It reminds me of the Smurf’s garden with the red and white mushroom-like shells. This is made with vanilla pannacotta, pistachio, berries and burnt milk ice cream. Yummy!

It was such a relaxing and delicious afternoon spent getting to know Chef Marco and trying some of his specialties. I went back for a second time and I fell in love with the Tagliata di Manzo once again. They say, the third time’s a charm so I think a 3rd visit should be planned very soon.

Till then, visit Dolce Vita Restaurant (and say hello to Chef Marco and team)!

Dolce Vita Restaurant is located at Level 5, Mandarin Oriental Singapore, 5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square, Singapore 039797.