And now, for something completely different!
I know this blog is super-boring, and yes, I am a super-boring person. However, the Wannabe Lawyer is not one-dimensional, and has other interests as well apart from politics, economics, the law, and self-flagellation. Today I’m doing a food review, because I found a place which serves wonderful pizza and I recommend it highly.
Disclaimer: This review is not paid for or requested for by the proprietor of the establishment. I recommend the food here because I tried it personally and found it to be excellent.
There I was, at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Bukit Timah Road, and I stumbled upon this little pizza place which I had never seen before.
I popped in and asked them if it was new, and they said they’ve opened for about 3 months. I love the decor. It is bright, cheery, and colourful. I know, we’re reviewing food, but the ambience of the place does set the mood for how one enjoys the food.
There’s Donato the head chef; he’s probably the proprietor of the shop as well, given that it has his name :P. I asked him if I could take pictures of the place, and he said it was ok, although I’m sure he was thinking, that’s this weird guy doing wanting to take pictures of a pizzeria.
I bought 2 slices of pizza, 1 prawn salad and the other mushroom. First I have to say, living in Melbourne exposes me to great Italian food, especially the stretch of eateries along Lygon Street, and the amazing thing for me, is that Donato’s pizza is at least on pair with those found on Lygon, and quite possibly even better than most of them.
The prawn salad pizza is topped with tomato sauces, herbs (dunno what kind, but fragrant), rocket leaves, grape-tomatoes, sprinkling of olives and prawns. I’d like to add that the prawns could very well be frozen ones and not fresh ones, but I couldn’t really tell. The rocket leaves balances out the flavours of the tomato sauce, and brings out the flavour of the prawns as well. Which is quite possibly why I couldn’t tell if the prawns were fresh, because the rocket leaves most definitely were. Good stuff.
The mushroom is abit more average, but the mushrooms were indeed very fresh. All the pizzas are thin-crust, and very crispy, so one gets more taste from the pizza rather than just the pita base.
What I find most appealing about Donato’s pizza is the fact that it is filling, and yet light, and doesn’t leave a feeling of oiliness or queasiness, even after eating 2 huge pieces. That might be due to the fact that I picked the non-cheesy pizzas, but I have to say, these are quite possibly the most healthy pizzas I’ve ever eaten.
The calzonis look really good, but I’ve never really liked them, so I didn’t try any this time round. I didn’t buy any of the cheese-topped pizzas as well, as I suffer from a genetic defect that expands my cheeks exponentially every time I overdo the cheese, so I don’t know how good those are, but if they’re anything like the rest, then they’ll surely be good.
Here’s the address and contact details, they’ve even got a website too. The pizzas are SGD$6.00 per slice, which is a little steep for Singaporean food, but the slices are really big. Also, given the quality of the pizzas, I would say it is most definitely worth 6 bucks.
11 Comments
I drop by Guthrie House frequently and never did notice this place! Looking at it @ 5pm is making me hungry. Will definitely pay them a visit …SOON! Thanks for sharing!
Ah, this lot used to be occupied by a eatery called Ho Chiak. I quite like Da Paolo Gastronomia (just down a few doors from Original Sin) on Jalan Merah Saga, Holland V. And food reviews are Good. =)
At first look, I thought the first 2 photos looked like somewhere in Italy.
Thin crust pizza. That’s the best way of making pizza. Italian style. Nice!
Just wondering is there a Coffee Bean and a Cold storage below Guthrie House?
Cause it soudns familiar to me and i need to hunt down that pizzaria and get my slimy paws on that fantastically delicious pizza
from the estimated size that i could see, perhaps it could be considered similar to the $6 or so (student priced) dominoes pizzas here? albeit australian pizzas is going to be cheaper in terms of the pricings and the size, if it’s as healthy as you say, then its worth every bit the penny, and therefore better than a $6 dominoes wouldn’t it be?
MQube:
Go try it! It’s good lah, for sure one.
Zyl:
Wasn’t that Ho Chiak place selling soya bean-based snacks? I didn’t even get a chance to try them out.
lancerlord:
Yah! The decor is gorgeous! I was drawn to it immediately from far away, because it just looks like someplace out of Italy. And yes, the thin crust was fabulous, all light and crispy. A welcome change to the thick cheesy types which make my cheeks fat.
Julian:
Yes, there is a Coffee Bean and a Cold Storage in Guthrie House, but they’re on the ground floor. You can see both immediately when you enter the building.
The thing is, Donato’s is not actually in Guthrie House, but across the road from it, nestled amongst various kopitiams. Now, that was truly a sight to see, a little Italian pizzeria in the middle of old-school Singaporean coffeeshops.
Panda:
Dominoes are great for a night hanging out with friends, either watching DVDs, playing video games or just having a beer, but they’re seriously not for regular consumption. Dominoes taste good, but you know they’re bad for you.
On the other hand, I have no qualms about eating Donato’s everyday. Especially the salad pizzas. No cheese, just a light tomato sauce. And my cheeks don’t get fat. hahaha.
oh, and when you account for the exchange rate betweeen SGD and AUD, $6 in Singapore is still much cheaper than $6 in Australia.
Yummy. I ordered pizza after reading your entry- just for the record.
lol, i know about dominoes being bad for health, and the exchange rate thingy, just that in comparisons pizzas in singapore, healthy or not, are often in the 20s and that, albeit unhealthy, it is “cheaper” here.
and that for something that healthy, 6 bux, plus the fact its at THAT corner of 6th ave, it is an all right price too. well, that’s just a personal opinion though.
i believe somewhere in bugis area (i can’t remember off hand) there’s a stretch of shops that cater mostly to expats, there’s a real italian restaurant there, complete with an entire menu full of pizzas. it’s like donatos, perhaps a larger variety and rounded.
and more expensive i think. if anyone can just remember something about it (yes, i actually forgot where it is, and the friend who brought me there has sadly returned home to holland and i have totally lost contact since i am right here in aussie land) do say something!
damn you for flaunting singapore food in my face!!!
at least its not char kway teow.. or indian rojak.. mmm.. pizza’s not too bad. can get the good stuff here.. remember il bimbo at brunswick st? we should go there again. im suddenly craving their mushroom and their chocolate pizzas.. call me when you get back.
hey i’ve just stumbled upon a great cafe too!
cheap n good pasta, pastry and coffee. there’s also chinese food for the less-daring.
http://notyourusualshit.blogspot.com/2005/07/cozy-corner.html
the one along bukit timah road serves a kickass vongole
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