Entrance of Concetto.
Concetto is a casual Italian restaurant situated at The Cathay. The place is opened by Joshua Khoo and Dylan Ong, the same two people who established Saveur. With Saveur, the key was to bring affordable French cuisine to the masses and now they are doing the same with Italian cuisine by opening Concetto.
Interior of Concetto.
Concetto’s indoor garden.
Aesthetic
Concetto took over the space of Billy Bombers at The Cathay. The place is very industrial-like and simple. The place faces out towards the street, with a long glass facade that allows a lot of Sunlight in, along with a good view outside. Not much can be said about the decor, with exposed ceilings and concrete walls & floors as the basic elements to the aesthetic. Some people may find it interesting, perhaps a good way for the focus to remain on the food. Others may find it boring & uninspired. All in all, it’s definitely a “look” that works.
With all the simplicity of the interior, a long stetch of indoor garden is situated in the middle of the place. It is filled with different sorts of vegetables and spices, from Parsley to Rosemary to Basil and even some Tomatoes can be seen. It’s very interesting and refreshing to see something like that in the whole grey scale interior. The place is separated by two levels, with additional seating on the lower level that can only be accessed from the top level.
Sidenote
I visited Concetto at around 4pm on a weekday, and at that point, there was hardly a soul in sight. (Which I actually liked.) When I walked by the place again at around 6pm on the same day, the place was packed like a can of sardines, with a queue forming outside. If you got the time, I would recommend you visit Concetto at an odd timing like the mid-day afternoon. The place is getting really popular like Saveur.
Menu of Concetto by Saveur.
Food
The goal of Concetto was to bring affordable Italian cuisine that still retained its quality. As you can see, the menu is grouped by elements of Earth, Land & Sea. (No Air?) Like Saveur, the prices for Concetto are all extremely affordable, with most dishes priced around the 10 dollar mark. No need to worry about burning your wallet. What I like about Concetto is that though the prices are kept low, the quality for their food is still quite high, and their presentations are simply fantastic. (Some places don’t think twice about presentation when it comes to low prices.)
Lingering Thoughts
I do find that Concetto’s food is somewhat of a fusion between other cuisines. It works, but aside from a few dishes, I would consider that Concetto’s food is not solely pertaining to Italian cuisine but more of a modern mix between others. Their food is still great anyhow.
Grilled Octopus ($10.90)
Fennel salad, Anchovy dressing
One of the Chef’s recommendation. This was a great starter. As the dish is more of a salad, it was served somewhat chilled, which worked. Great amount of octopus as well. (I was quite surprised it was white like squid, I’ve ever only eaten the red type in Japanese restaurants.)
Duck Tortellini ($12.90)
Poached egg, New Potato, Parmesan Emulsion
To give my friend a basic understanding of this dish, I joked that it was “Atas Wantons”.
Of course, jokes aside, the dish tasted really good. It’s best to eat each Tortellini whole, to get all the flavors in your mouth. I would consider this more of a Starter, rather than a Main though. The parmesan emulsion makes the dish look very fancy as well. (What’s with fine dining and foam though? Hmm…)
Crab Risotto ($12.90)
Crab Meat & Crispy Rice Cracker
This was really delicious and addictive. Another Chef’s recommendation. Great taste, great presentation. Definitely a must to order.
Creamy Pork ($9.90)
Fettuccine, Sous Vide Egg, Confit Pork, Flavoured Cream Sauce
Initially, my friend & I ordered those first three dishes above only, however they all felt like starters, so we decided to order more. What’s great is that the prices are pretty affordable, hence we could order more without feeling the pinch.
It was a no-brainer to order pasta at a restaurant that revolves around Italian cuisine. This was pretty good as well. It’s quite rich and can get much after eating too much. (Which says a lot for someone who loves cream sauce pasta like me.)
Prawn Aglio ($10.90)
Tagliatelle, Tiger Prawn, Sakura Ebi
This was not bad as well. The Tagliatelle reminded my friend and I of “Mee Pok”. (Think the dish would have been better with Spaghetti)
The Sakura Ebi were a nice nod to Saveur’s popular pasta dish.
Tiramisu ($10.90)
“In Concetto Way”
Another dish I feel that is a MUST to order at Concetto.
It’s basically a deconstructed Tiramisu. The presentation was awesome, turning heads as people walked by the place. Tasted really delicious as well. I really like the new take on the classic Tiramisu.
A shot of the two pastas together.
Worth A Visit/Revisit?
If you have not visited Saveur or Concetto by now, I highly recommend that you do so immediately. Concetto has been getting as popular as its sister, Saveur. It’s a formula that works for the restaurants, which is affordable yet quality cuisine. Fantastic food, fantastic prices, what more could you want? I’m definitely making a revisit to both Saveur & Concetto soon.
Rating
Food
8.5/10
Aesthetic
7/10
Price
8/10
Service
7/10
Concetto by Saveur
The Cathay, #01-11/12, 2 Handy Road, Singapore 229233
(Nearest train station: Dhoby Ghaut)
Contact: 6735 1141
Opening Hours:
Mon – Sun: 12:00 pm – 9:30 pm
http://www.concetto.sg/
https://www.facebook.com/concettosingapore
