With the arrival of new Executive Chef Antonio Massagli, Buttero (or Tuscan Cowboy) returns to its classic Italian roots and presents a hearty slice of Tuscan fare and other well-loved Italian dishes in an inspired new menu. Hailing from Lucca, a small town in Tuscany (I want to go!), Chef Antonio, a born-and-raised Buttero, serves up the clean, simple flavours of authentic Italian cuisine that he grew up enjoying and preparing in his countryside home.
His parmigiana is honestly one of the best versions I’ve tried in Singapore! Thin eggplant slices are grilled instead of fried, then layered with a combination of freshly made tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan. The cast iron pan which landed on our table had a generous portion of baked eggplant with more tomato sauce and pesto oil. Delicious and surprisingly light!
Parmigiana di Melanzane ($18++)
baked eggplant, tomato, parmesan, basil flan
At Buttero, all the thin crust pizzas are proudly made with imported Italian mozzarella. The pizza dough is hand tossed, apparently the gentlest way to shape and form a crust. Prego is K’s first love when it comes to pizzas and this came in a close second! He almost single-handedly finished the whole pizza!
Parma e Rucola ($24++)
mozzarella, tomato, prosciutto, rocket salad
An Italian menu cannot do without any pastas, of course. Made in-house, the hearty squid ink pasta was decent but other than the umami-packed prawns bisque, it was rather forgettable and not something I’d order again.
Tagliolini Neri ($25++)
prawns bisque, prawns, herbs, cherry tomatoes, capsicum
A first for us was the Crespelle Fiorentina, a classic Florentine dish. I’m sure you’ve had crepes before but an Italian style one? Imagine thin pasta sheets filled with spinach and ricotta, and crowned with béchamel and pesto oil. Naturally sweetened with finely chopped raisins, the dish also had a subtle hint of nutmeg, very interesting!
Crespelle Fiorentina ($20++)
gratinated ricotta & spinach crepe, béchamel, tomato, basil sauce
Next was a sausage and bread dish – a typical Tuscan dish that was enjoyed by Chef Antonio as a child where the cannellini beans were left to braise slowly in a wine bottle by an open fire while his family worked out in the fields. Sausage is made with minced pork and a selection of mixed herbs while the amazingly soft yet firm beans are cooked with fresh cherry tomatoes and sage.
Salsiccia e Fagioli ($30++)
pork sausage, white cannellini bean, homemade truffle focaccia
We tried more than half the dessert menu (3 out of 5 ha) and our unanimous vote went to the affogato! Not the usual affogato, Buttero’s rendition had double scoops of vanilla ice cream topped with a polenta cookie crumble, accompanied by an espresso shot and a shot of Frangelico, a hazelnut liquor. Pour them in (messily) and we had ourselves a wonderful post-dinner treat! The other two desserts of tiramisu and molten chocolate cake were adequate for a sugar fix but definitely not as impressive as the affogato!
Affogato ($12++)
latte ice-cream, frangelico, esspresso, crushed cookies
Special thanks to Samantha for such an entertaining evening!
Buttero
54 Tras Street
6438 7737