S$38 set lunch and Italian comfort cooking at La D’Oro

RESTAURANT REVISIT

La D’Oro #01-16/17 Mandarin Gallery Singapore 238897 Tel: 8382-6200 Open daily for lunch and dinner: 11.30 am to 3 pm; 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm

TWO years ago, a chef dreamt about Michelin stars. He opened a restaurant and pulled out all the stops: Moody, dim-lit counter. Omakase-style menu, priced according to the market sentiment then – high. To hedge his bets, he added a semi-casual dining room. And he waited for customers to come.

On paper, it should have worked. It didn’t. To cut a long story short, he wasn’t alone. And eventually, he and most other fine-dining chefs stopped, and uttered a collective “uh-oh”. The “uh-oh” was quickly followed by a “what to do?”. And while many are still figuring it out, Yohhei Sasaki staged a dramatic turnaround – that actually turned things around.

That’s how, after giving the Japanese-Italian restaurant a miss for over a year, we ate there three times in the space of the past two weeks. Without getting bored, and without feeling the pinch.

What Sasaki has done is what a lot more restaurants should do: read the room. He sees the empty seats and lack of enthusiasm for pricey menus, and flips the script. He got rid of the servers’ suits and put them in smart aprons instead. He simplified the menu and got rid of the fancy omakase, so you can sit in his “inner sanctum”, no matter what you order. And while the food is casual, there is nothing cheap about the ingredients and preparation that go into it.

For example, a recent three-course set lunch, priced at just S$38, included a proper beef tartare, lightly smoky grilled swordfish that was plump and moist, and yuzu sorbet or panna cotta. The portions were just nice for a light lunch, with a pasta option if you want to fill up.

If you’re entertaining on a budget but don’t want to come across as cheap, this is hard to beat. You have an upscale restaurant setting, a location in Orchard Road with no parking woes, and a chef who cooks with pride, regardless of the price point.

To be sure, we have a soft spot for down-to-earth chefs like Sasaki, but even if he’s not always out in the dining room, there is fellow Japanese manager Ken Kuwako on the floor, seeing to it that things run smoothly. 

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Think of the food at La D’Oro as unpretentious cooking by someone who would rather be doing fine dining. Regulars might get complimentary shavings of raspadura cheese (S$6 if not), a milder version of parmesan piled high on a tall ceramic stand. And there’s bread in a basket kept warm by hot stones at the bottom, with butter and olive oil, even before you start.

Prices range from around the late teens to under S$40, unless you spring for wagyu as your main course. Even a simple rocket, pear and gorgonzola salad (S$18) gets a classy treatment with a shower of frozen cheese freshly grated at your table. Crisp candied walnuts mingle among the leaves, lightly dressed in olive oil and a hint of balsamic vinegar, so you get the flavour without the tartness. 

Our Bismarck panini (S$16 for two) is not the pressed sandwich we expect, but crisp baguette-like slices smeared with generous mushroom duxelles and garnished with mortadella ham slices and shaved raw mushrooms.

The pan-fried tomino cheese (S$22) covered in prosciutto slices is melty-gooey and a touch salty, but countered with sweet fresh Japanese tomatoes and a mini rocket salad. It feels like brunch, especially when you order creamy scrambled eggs (S$18) with Hokkaido uni and ikura in a small cup, to be scooped out and smeared on toasted brioche.

Freshly made pasta is the draw here, and the seasonal pasta (S$32) of the day is even pressed into long noodles through a hand-cranked machine just before you eat. The squid ink pasta is tossed in a creamy, blackened tomato based sauce topped with a handful of thinly sliced, barely grilled Japanese reef squid or aori ika.

As good as the al dente noodles are, drenched in the briny rich sauce, they still come in second to Sasaki’s all-time star, aglio olio pasta (S$30). A different type of fresh spaghetti is tossed in a garlicky sauce made with the reduced broth of three kinds of chicken, boiled for many hours. Spiced up with chilli flakes and garlic from Aomori, the slippery chewy noodles slicked with sauce is in a class of its own.

Same with the creme caramel (S$14), a smooth custard of Japanese eggs in a pond of glossy caramel sauce with a distinctive burnt-sugar depth that is hard to find, topped with a dollop of cream.

You can still get a tasting menu if you want, priced at S$138 and S$158, but keep that for a later visit as you explore the rest of the menu first. It’s not wow, but it’s as comforting as the place is comfortable and real. Sasaki may have had to give up his Michelin aspirations for now, but he’s making people happy with his food – which is, after all, the whole point.

Rating: 7