Last night we went to see The Phantom of the Opera at The Esplanade - excellent musical, by fat the best I've seen in Singapore. The singing and diction were excellent, especially the Phantom and the stage was a technical marvel with plenty of pyrotechnics. It was definitely as good as some London Westend musicals I’ve seen and better than most.
VW, CC, KP, PL and I had a pre-concert dinner at Al Dente. We were offered a table on the rooftop but declined, as the smell of frying from the nearby Gluttons Square was very strong. I‘ve avoided Al Dente for a couple of years ever since they introduced the silly policy of charging for drinking water (why do restaurants do that, is it too make more money by forcing you to buy over priced soft drinks or is it just to annoy customers?), but I was reliably told that they have seen sense and removed this policy.
We were offered a pre-show set dinner option but chose to go with a la carte. I was surprised to hear that pizza was not available until after 8pm. Now I’ve always known Al Dente for its selection of pizzas that are wood-fired in a traditional wood stove oven so I was disappointed not to be able order one. I assume that this branch of Al Dente gets most of its customers from The Esplanade show-goers so it is all the more surprising that the restaurant only cooks pizza after the shows have started.
Four of our party arrived at the restaurant early and order immediately. The fifth come about quarter of an hour later. Three of our orders arrived together and the remaining two were served about ten minutes later. I really wish more restaurants in Singapore were able to prepare and deliver all the meals at the same time.
I ordered the fettuccine carbonara and the pasta was very good – a nice thickness and of course “al dente”. The fettuccine certainly tasted like it was home made and not out of a packet, and the carbonara sauce had the right consistency without being sticky or thin. Two of our group ordered seafood spaghetti, both asking for different shellfish to be excluded from their meal – now this is usually enough to throw some waiters off – both meals were delivered as ordered.
The meals were about $20 to $30 per head.
VW, CC, KP, PL and I had a pre-concert dinner at Al Dente. We were offered a table on the rooftop but declined, as the smell of frying from the nearby Gluttons Square was very strong. I‘ve avoided Al Dente for a couple of years ever since they introduced the silly policy of charging for drinking water (why do restaurants do that, is it too make more money by forcing you to buy over priced soft drinks or is it just to annoy customers?), but I was reliably told that they have seen sense and removed this policy.
We were offered a pre-show set dinner option but chose to go with a la carte. I was surprised to hear that pizza was not available until after 8pm. Now I’ve always known Al Dente for its selection of pizzas that are wood-fired in a traditional wood stove oven so I was disappointed not to be able order one. I assume that this branch of Al Dente gets most of its customers from The Esplanade show-goers so it is all the more surprising that the restaurant only cooks pizza after the shows have started.
Four of our party arrived at the restaurant early and order immediately. The fifth come about quarter of an hour later. Three of our orders arrived together and the remaining two were served about ten minutes later. I really wish more restaurants in Singapore were able to prepare and deliver all the meals at the same time.
I ordered the fettuccine carbonara and the pasta was very good – a nice thickness and of course “al dente”. The fettuccine certainly tasted like it was home made and not out of a packet, and the carbonara sauce had the right consistency without being sticky or thin. Two of our group ordered seafood spaghetti, both asking for different shellfish to be excluded from their meal – now this is usually enough to throw some waiters off – both meals were delivered as ordered.
The meals were about $20 to $30 per head.
Would I come back – Yes if I’m attending a concert and if I’m not in the mood for pizza.
Service – Prompt and friendly, they just have to work on delivering all the meals together.
Food – Decent “home made” pasta, medium sized portions.
