Madrinaa Italiano

I was looking for an Italian restaurant near the workplace for a farewell lunch when this restaurant popped up in my search

Nestled along the row of Showhouse in Chip Bee Gardens, Madrinaa has been around since 2007 offering authentic Italian dishes helmed by Chef Sunda. Originally located at Queens Road, the restaurant took over the space occupied by the previously popular Michaelangelo’s

With both indoor and outdoor seating, the restaurant uses sophisticated and cosy furnishings to create a homely and comfortable ambience for diners to relax

As I was still on a vegetarian diet when I visited, I ordered some of the vegetarian sides like the Caprese salad which had slices of Buffalo mozzarella served with marinated tomatoes, drizzled with basil pesto with a side of salad as well as the minestrone soup. The soup was pretty hearty with chunks of vegetables and a nice balance of flavours. The mozzarella and tomatoes were refreshing with the basil pesto sauce and were great starters for the meal

I ordered the Parmigiana which is grilled eggplant layered with tomato sauce, mixed cheese and basil. The cheese was well grilled with a nice toasty skin encasing the eggplants but there was still a creamy cheese pull with each mouthful of the eggplant. The flavour profile of the dish is mainly the sweetness and sourness of the tomato sauce and the savouriness of the creamy cheese

My colleagues had the set lunch which was a 2-course meal of a main pasta, side and dessert. The main was a spicy cream-based crab penne while they opted for the truffle fries as the side and a creme brulee for dessert. The pasta was cooked al dente but was not spicy at all according to my colleagues. The fries and the dessert were generally without fault but nothing too extraordinary

I also ordered the panna cotta and tiramisu for dessert. Personally, I feel the tiramisu is the best dessert with the mascarpone cheese melting in your mouth. The cake itself was nicely soaked with coffee liqueur and has a nice bittersweet flavour which is matched well with the cheese. The panna cotta on the other hand was slightly lacking as the sweetened cream was slightly bland and the strawberry compote did not really boost the flavours sufficiently

Overall, the meal at Madrinaa was slightly lacklustre and nothing too outstanding to make an impression. The service was attentive as we were the only ones in the restaurant during lunch. I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt that their pizza might be the better menu since that is the speciality as per their website

Address: Blk 44 Jln Merah Saga, #01-60 Chip Bee Gardens, Singapore 278116

Opening hours: 11.30 am to 1.30 pm and 5.30 am to 9.30 pm