Sapori D’ Italia’s stall.
Sapori D’ Italia (when roughly translated, stands for “Taste of Italy”) is an Italian cuisine stall of a coffee shop in Block 112 of Bishan Street 12. The place was originally known as “Vintage Chef” before a rebrand & relocation. What makes Sapori D’ Italia so unique is that it’s situated in a totally ordinary coffee shop, unlike Salut at Bukit Merah. (Which is a coffee shop entirely devoted to Western cuisine.)
A sample of their menu.
You can have a look at their entire menu on their Facebook page.
Food
Sapori D’ Italia, as it’s name suggests, offers up extremely affordable Italian cuisine in a coffee shop setting. The place was founded by Chef Lim, who fell in love & found joy in preparing authentic Italian cuisine. The place is one of the few in the latest trend of quality, fine cuisine in an ordinary coffee shop setting, another such place being Salut at Bukit Merah. You can read my review for their stalls here & here.
What you get is highly affordable Italian food that is fresh and has a restaurant-like quality, which is quite hard to find. Along with the typical Italian pasta, Sapori D’ Italia also offers salads, mains and even Truffle Fries! The place even puts in an effort into the presentation of its dishes, making you feel like you’re in a cafe/bistro instead of a coffee shop. Sapori D’ Italia also doesn’t skimp in ingredients used, so you know you are getting your money’s worth.
Almost all their mains & pastas are below the 10 dollar mark, one of the most affordable yet.
Mushroom Soup ($3.90)
With Truffle Oil
Taste-wise, this was not bad. It was a little bit too watery though, but Chef Lim assured that it wasn’t supposed to be like that and perhaps that day’s batch had too much water.
It was also topped with Truffle oil! For that price, it’s worth a try.
Smoked Duck Salad ($7.90)
Garden Greens, Smoked Duck, Orange Slices, Orange Dressing, Chopped Walnuts
This was lovely. The smoked duck was soft & flavourful. (Unlike most places which tastes store-bought)
Salad tasted great with the oranges & dressing. Fantastic presentation as well!
Truffle Fries with Parmesan ($4)
You can have just ordinary Fries ($1) or Truffle fries ($3) or Truffle with Parmesan ($4)
Trust me, they taste just as good as those overpriced cafe counterparts. Finally a place with extremely affordable Truffle Fries! Highly recommended!
Aglio Olio with Prawns (Around $8)
Spaghetti, Garlic, Olive Oil, Prawns
Their Aglio is only $3.90, but I always like to have prawns with it and so specially requested to add them for an additional charge.
This tasted fantastic. The sauce had a slight buttery taste to it, which I really liked. The amount of prawns was great as well. Not to mention, they were fresh. It’s one of my favourite dishes from Sapori D’ Italia.
Vongole ($7.90)
Spaghetti, Live Clams, Garlic, White Wine, Butter
Both my companion & I were extremely impressed with this dish. Just look at the amount of clams!
My companion spoke to Chef Lim who mentioned that “Since live clams are usually very cheap, we want to give our customers their money’s worth.” Very impressive, definitely puts a certain well-known pasta franchise to shame.
Pan Fried Italian Chicken Breast ($6.90)
Quantity for the price? Fantastic. Taste? Great. Presentation? Lovely.
Seriously, where else can you get a main that looks & taste that good for under 10 bucks?
Pork Piccata ($7.90)
Tender Pork Loin, Parmesan & Egg Batter, Black Pepper Sauce
This is my personal favourite dish from Sapori D’ Italia. Delicious. The pork was nice & tender. I’ve actually had this on multiple occasions since.
Pan Fry Dory ($6.90)
Sauteed Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Wine Sauce
Along with their range of pastas & mains that include chicken, pork & beef, they even have fish!
This was pretty good. The dory was fresh and perfectly fried. Potatoes were a nice complement.
Traditional Artisan Italian Chocolate Gelato ($3.90)
A nice way to end off the meal. They also have Hazelnut gelato. My companion really loved this. The chocolate gelato was really rich. I’m not sure if this was made in-house or from a supplier, but it was good nonetheless.
Worth A Visit/Revisit?
I highly recommend a visit to Sapori D’ Italia. Even though the prices of Salut are considered “affordable”, Sapori brings it to a whole new level. The food is fantastic & it’s so affordable you may wonder if it’s too good to be true. It’s a place that really stands out in the neighbourhood of Bishan. I’ve even bought & brought back their food for my dinner on multiple occasions and it’s becoming one of my favourite places for affordable yet quality Italian food.
RATING
Food
8/10
Aesthetic
–
Price
9/10
Service
7.5/10
SAPORI D’ ITALIA [TASTE OF ITALY]
Block 112 Bishan Street 12, Singapore 570112
(Nearest train station: Bishan)
Contact: 8101 3134
Opening Hours:
Tue – Sun: 11:45 am – 3:00 pm, 5:45 pm – 9:00 pm
https://www.facebook.com/saporiditaliasg
