So-cal so-so at California Republic

NEW RESTAURANT

California Republic 88 Amoy Street Singapore 069907 Tel: 9784-9487 Open for lunch and dinner Wed to Sun: 12pm to 3pm; 5.30pm to 12am

IF DECOR maketh a restaurant, California Republic can’t be beat. It looks like a fairy godmother or producer of Best Home Makeovers Ever walked into a thrift shop and turned it into a repository of 60s/70s cool, slickly repackaged for the Insta-generation. Think retro furniture, vintage Hollywood posters, a rotary dial telephone and lived-in glam, designed to emulate the lifestyle of one who’s rich and nostalgic.

It’s a loving tribute to a memory we have no attachment to, since it is not ours and we did not grow up dreaming of cruising down the Californian freeway, eating Italian meatballs - although watching Planet of the Apes did give us nightmares as kids. So - stylish restaurant yes. So-Cal state of mind, not so much.

But that doesn’t stop the indoctrination at this self-described Southern Californian Italian eatery where meatballs reign and menu recommendations become dissertations on the concept of free will. Pasta or clams? Let us expound on the ramifications of your choice.

We don’t fault them at all for their enthusiasm. They do try. It’s not easy to have to repeat a monologue about the variety of garnishes they prepare each day just so you can add cucumber, orange slices or whatever to your glass of free sparkling water. We don’t know how long those garnishes have been sitting in the fridge. Why not save on the slicing and hand out snacks instead?

At least the menu doesn’t wander all over the world and sticks relatively closely to its Italian agenda with a smallish menu of small and large plates that neither stretch the imagination nor stay in the memory bank.

There are some easy-pleasers in the form of 3 baked stuffed clams (S$24) - chopped leeks, bacon and herbed breadcrumbs mingling with minced clams and served bracingly hot, crunchy and buttery. 

There’s more stuffing than clams, unlike the grilled oysters (S$22) which are whole, fleshy and dressed in a sweet-spicy chipotle hot sauce that’s slurpable with a buttery finish.

SEE ALSO

California dream needs a shot of reality at Rosemead

Unlike the shellfish that are pretty confident in their ambitions, the sweetcorn arancini (S$24) are two aimless balls of risotto rice pockmarked with corn kernels and deep fried into crunchy ambivalence. It livens up a little when smothered in a black olive aioli but shrinks back into its bland comfort zone with a solitary shaving of parmesan for company and seasoning.

Pastas are likely to be the strongest part of the menu, judging by the smoked bucatini (S$34) which could be a little more al dente but is otherwise a good match for the hearty pork ragu. Instead of an over-compensating macho pulled pork tomato stew that usually goes by the name of ragu, this is a white version that’s still rich but not overpowering. It glides over the pasta instead of drowning it, and bone marrow takes it almost to the point of cloying but pulls back in time.

Lazy man’s cioppino (S$48) is a tomato bath for seafood, an acceptable smoky paprika-spiked broth packed with pan-fried sea bass, mussels and clams, mealy prawns and squid. It’s supposed to go well with the West Coast garlic mops (S$18) - super-inflated bulbs of dough perhaps inspired by silicone-enhanced beach babes - promisingly pillowy on the outside but a strange dampness within curbs the urge to devour it. Perhaps the heat of the cast iron pan it sits in couldn’t work all the way into its doughy depths.

That same almost-but-not-quite-there effect is evident in the Zeppole (S$16) - airy fried puffs that are a cross between churros and doughnuts. We’re warned that they are addictive but a promising crisp airy bite that ends on a slightly squishy note doesn’t quite cut it. Although you can mask it somewhat with a dunk in chocolate sauce. The homemade pistachio gelato (S$12) won’t ring a bell later.

California Republic spends a lot of effort creating a story that it expects others to buy wholesale, a mood it thinks it can draw people into, by being too cool to not want to be a part of. But it’s also an arbitrary concept that’s not convincing, with a menu too mundane to take seriously, and well-meaning but not the most polished service. If anything, maybe it could stop California dreaming and come down to earth, Singapore-style.

Rating: 6

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN 10: The ultimate dining experience 9-9.5: Sublime 8-8.5: Excellent 7-7.5: Good to very good 6-6.5: Promising 5-5.5: Average

Our review policy: The Business Times pays for all meals at restaurants reviewed on this page. Unless specified, the writer does not accept hosted meals prior to the review’s publication.