Drew Nocente cooks Italian his way at Cenzo

NEW RESTAURANT

Cenzo 81 Club Street Singapore 069449 Tel: 9155 8374 Open for lunch and dinner Mon to Fri: 12pm to 2.30pm; 5.30pm to 10.30pm. Dinner only on Sat. Closed on Sun.

IF there’s one thing that Drew Nocente has finally learned after his many years in Singapore, it’s to just be himself. His tenure so far has seen ups and downs - a stint with rib-sticking dude food, a dabble in almost-there-then-inconsistent fine dining, and a noble no-waste mission. But generally, it’s been about throwing darts at a board called “career path” and hoping something sticks. But it’s hard to find your way in a dark place, namely the dreary drab confines of his old Salted & Hung premises in Purvis Street, where you couldn’t tell if it was night or day unless you stepped outside.

He’s finally seen the light at Cenzo, his new venture in Club Street that makes up for lost time in the bright and happy department. It’s quite big - very red, very shiny and with a big skylight on top that insists on letting in more sun even when your watch says enough already, it’s dinnertime.

It’s not the humble abode you expect, though, and no “welcome to my home, oh friend and neighbour of mine” vibe. Unless you’re the type who dons a jacket to welcome friends and mixes drinks for them at your custom-made bar counter. Then again, we suspect we could also walk in in shorts and slippers and not get thrown out.

At Cenzo, the food is free-style. Italian in spirit but otherwise open to interpretation according to Nocente’s whim. Which means a bit of old-school, some fancy twists and a penchant for more salt and acid than we would like, although it suits everyone else just fine. But underlying all this is food that feels uncontrived, follows no agenda and simply aims to please.

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Against a background of energetic music better at spurring laggards in cardio class than soothing peckish couch potatoes, we dig into pickled mussels (S$12) - a chef’s recommendation despite our general aversion to vinegared anything.

The pungent brine and oil mixture is in your face but the mussels themselves are more restrained, picking up all the flavour without the harshness, tender with no trace of funkiness. And the buttered toast is a perfect antidote, sweeping through the braising liquid to bring the sharpness down a notch.

Parmesan chips (S$12) are less polarising. Amiable thick batons of piping hot crispy-edged and fluffy deep-fried fritters topped with shavings of cheese are familiar and comforting, as is the malleable pull-apart focaccia (S$12) covered with melted smoked mozzarella.

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Bread co-stars with many dishes on the menu, showing up as the bestie of raw blue prawns (S$25) so that you can dip it into the surrounding briny oil and wakame paste. The sashimi shrimp stand firm and fresh with a satisfying slippery bite, but the clincher is the crunchy deep-fried prawn heads on the side - the high cholesterol equivalent of beer nuts. Addictive umami-rich nuggets that we can’t get enough of.

Venus clams (S$18) get a porky twist with strips of pancetta ramping up the natural juices of the clams and seaweed broth, and shavings of fennel for crunch. A sodden piece of sourdough suddenly appears like the latecomer to a party that you wish didn’t show up. So you poke at it in an unfriendly manner and ignore it while polishing off the sweet plump shellfish.

We’re slightly lukewarm to the veal tongue tonnato (S$24), shavings of tender tongue in a subtle cream sauce with a tuna accent - the equivalent of a polite conversation with no great talking points. 

Nocente’s Italian roots show through in cacio e pepe (S$24), a deceptively simple triumvirate of pasta, pepper and cheese. It hits the spot with its jaw-pleasing textural casarecce pasta slicked in a coat of sticky-creamy cheesiness and spiked with a fierce hit of black pepper. 

Coincidentally, we end up on a seafood spree with shellfish risotto (S$32) - one of the menu highlights with perfectly al dente rice grains infused with cream-enriched broth and a drizzle of intense roasted shrimp oil to seal the deal. Lightly grilled New Caledonia prawns are firm and lush even if they sneak in more salt than they need.

A whole red snapper (S$68) is split, flattened (the expression on its face indicates it isn’t very happy about it) and grilled for an excellent charred skin and still-moist flesh. We just can’t decide on the accompanying sauce - a yuzu beurre blanc studded with ikura which may or may not be necessary. 

For the vegetable-leaning, a tender roast cabbage (S$16) smothered in a subtly nutty macadamia tahini sauce meets your plant-based aspirations.

To end off, Nocente’s cannoli (S$8) is an easy-pleasing classic cigar-shaped fried dough filled with barely-sweet ricotta and crushed pistachios. For a little more drama, there’s his take on tiramisu (S$16), re-enacted as a tower of Bailey’s ice cream, coffee jelly, a sphere of mascarpone cheese and a chocolate sable base. Nice try, but our vote goes to the excellent chocolate cookie.

Cenzo leans a little to the heavy side with a rich and hearty repertoire, and there’s a sense of wanting to give more out of good intentions, even when it’s ok to show a little restraint. But what’s more important is that Nocente is showing his true self, and it’s looking good.

Rating: 7