Food picks: Expanded a la carte menu at Altro Zafferano

Straits Times

10-07-2025

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Altro Zafferano has introduced an a la carte menu with pastas, salads and meats.
SINGAPORE – Italian restaurant Altro Zafferano – known for its spectacular view – has dropped its dinner set menus, priced from $148++ a person, in favour of an expanded range of a la carte options.
The new menu, rolled out at the end of March, takes inspiration from Southern Italy's robust flavours and hearty conviviality, with many dishes large enough to share.
Eating Italian means embracing carbs in their many and various forms. In that spirit, start the meal with a housemade sourdough focaccina, the most classically Neapolitan of which is the Pomodoro e Basilico ($15++), with sundried tomatoes and basil. Pillowy and perfectly crisp, it tastes achingly of summer on the Mediterranean.
Equally sun-kissed is the Insalata di Polpo e Patate ($28++), a posy of blanched octopus, olives, boiled potatoes, aromatics and Amalfi lemon zest, tied together by a piquant gremolata of citrus, parsley and extra virgin olive oil.
Pastas, too, are a must. Especially the Fusilloni con Ragu alla Genovese ($36++) – a dolled-up version of one of Naples-raised executive chef Andrea De Paola's childhood favourites. The fusilloni's chewy spirals trap bits of silky ragu – wagyu cheek, meaty and melty, happily married to the natural sweetness of white onion.
Fusilloni con Ragu alla Genovese from Altro Zafferano.
PHOTO: ALTRO ZAFFERANO
The endlessly Instagrammable Rigatoni alla Gricia ($36++), tossed tableside in a Pecorino cheese wheel, is flashier to the eye but subtler on the tongue. The creamy cheese sauce only lightly kisses the fat tubes of pasta, which is animated instead by strips of crispy, salty guanciale.
Mains traverse both land and sea – from the Branzino all'Acqua Pazza, or baked seabass ($58++), to the Tagliata di Manzo, Rucola e Balsamico ($68++), a grilled black Angus perfumed with rosemary oil, thyme and fennel and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
Both dishes are substantial enough to share, but if you desire even greater heft, the restaurant has an additional line-up of large dishes too, including the Pollo al Mattone ($78++), a whole yellow chicken roasted with chilli oil and Amalfi lemon, and Bistecca Fiorentina alla Griglia ($168++), which feeds around three.