Italian food that counts at Thirty9

NEW RESTAURANT

Thirty9 39 Duxton Hill Singapore 089617 Tel: 6717 3939 Open for lunch and dinner Mon to Sat: 12 pm to 2:30 pm; 5 pm to 11 pm.

IF THERE is strength in numbers, Thirty9 perhaps finds it in its name – which is either a social statement against the stereotyping of Italian restaurants, or someone was just too lazy to think of anything better. Then again, it is the sister of Latteria Mozzarella Bar, which is quite a mouthful so maybe it wanted to save on syllables. 

Yes, Thirty9 is an Italian restaurant, although it labels itself Mediterranean for more leeway. It gets its name from its unit number 39 on Duxton Hill – which always looks deserted in the daytime heat, as if diners and vampires only come out after sundown. 

We chose lunch because of an opening discount of 30 per cent (to attract the budget-conscious undead), although it’s back to normal pricing now, which hovers in the mid-high range. 

The restaurant itself is cosy, dressed in modern cucina style with terracotta homogenous tiles, textured walls and copper pans hanging in front of the see-through kitchen. 

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We are met by an Italian host, who greets us just like at any restaurant in Milan’s Duomo Piazza – with a healthy amount of indifference. But he warms up substantially as the meal progresses, making spot-on recommendations like the seasoned pro he is. 

We’re told that the chef is new to Singapore, so there’s a slightly fresh perspective to the menu. The cooking is not fancy, but done with pride and quite satisfying. 

A good start is the bread – a complimentary basket of fluffed up focaccia and a bun with a roasted cherry tomato belly button. They pull apart in warm and chewy folds, to be dunked in fruity olive oil. 

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Burratina (S$29) is a mini burrata plopped on a mound of simple greens and soft roasted peppers. It’s a combination that’s garden variety if not for the standout, not-too-salty anchovy dressing with a mellow brininess that adds heft to the mild-mannered creamy cheese. 

The chef has a knack for dressings and sauces, with his clever way of matching and blending so they don’t just play second fiddle to the main ingredient. They are the real stars in Polpo (S$32) – slow-cooked and char-grilled octopus leg that is slightly mushy on the ends but supple in between, elevated by a dynamic duo of red pepper and chickpea puree. The earthy hummus plays off well against the smoky peppers, together with thin slices of chorizo all balancing out any of the polpo’s shortfalls.

Pizza passes muster – Neapolitan-style crust minus the inflated ego. The puffy edges are a lot more understated, with a gentle char and thin in the centre. There’s adequate resilience and chew, but what’s more interesting are the toppings. Genovese (S$30) is slathered with very fresh pesto with a lovely basil zing, chopped prawns, sun-dried tomatoes and oddly, wafer thin slices of potato. But it’s an intriguing combination that works.

Also good is Porchetta (S$28), studded with crispy roast pork belly slices, mushrooms and provolone cheese – so you get savoury, meaty crunch and the gooey pull of melted cheese.

Linguine Alla Pescatora (S$38) is your basic seafood pasta in tomato sauce – hard to get just right and it doesn’t impress here either, even though the linguini is said to be homemade. It’s a little too firm and bland, and doesn’t have a supple, chewy bite whether intentional or not. An ordinary tomato sauce is padded up with similarly ho-hum prawns, squid and clams.

A main of grilled Berkshire pork chop (S$48) is a valiant effort at retaining moisture in the thick cut of meat. The best bits are what you can salvage from the bone, and the meat nearest to it. Go further out to the edges and bets are off as dryness is unavoidable. But that’s easily addressed by a very – maybe too – sweet fig sauce that matches the pork well.

Desserts aren’t the most exciting. The Millefoglie (S$16) appears as lemon custard, strawberries and puff pastry – which will please some, but otherwise it’s a sour-on-sour-on-flaky combination that goes against our usual guiding principle of sweet-sweet-yummy. 

The restaurant works for what it is – palatable, reliable cooking in comfortable surroundings that doesn’t challenge or excite. And there will always be days when that’s all you want, so Thirty9 can rest assured that its number won’t be up anytime soon.

Rating: 6.5