Enoteca L'Operetta, Boat Quay

This place (78 Boat Quay, tel : +65 6438 2482) fell in my radar because I had learnt that it was the first and only place locally that had achieved the Vera Pizza Napoletana certification from the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. In plain speak, it meant that L'Operetta had gotten themselves a stamp of approval for making what's defined as proper wood fired pizza through the traditional and accepted method that Naples considers authentic.

What provoked thought was that in spite of the numerous Italian restaurants that have set up shop in this country, it was the Japanese (I'm still referring to L'Operetta here in case you got lost) that got this certification. Perhaps it might have been because the other Italian chefs think that the trouble was not worth the the results and that the locals probably will not know the difference in any case. Perhaps, perhaps....

Going against the usual grain (pun unintended) I've decided to start with what I felt to be the most enjoyable item which we had instead of the usual starter to end. The Mantecato al Minuto nella Forma di Parmigiano was a parmigiano reggiano risotto made a la minute. The grains of rice were coated with the rich flavours of the creamy and salty cheese and this was probably the first of risottos which I've had that left me pondering on seconds. That I did not have.

The pizzas were not mind blowing in any way. In fact, it was all was quite ordinary if nicely done. The tomatoes tasted fresh but their mozzarella didn't taste like it was different from the ordinary. The crust was a little more chewy than I had expected. Maybe I'm not missing that much out from Naples after all. Their Gorgonzola e miele turned out to be another bummer. The aroma was surprisingly good when the pizza was served. The toppings - a mixture of Gorgonzola and mozzarella and wasn't even half as satisfying as the one in Benten Cafe. The spread of the cheeses were poor and the stingy drizzles of honey were just sweet without the associated aromas.

L'Operetta's signature starter is apparently an oven baked Hokkaido scallop which was described to be flavoured by aromatized butter. Not that I could taste anything that I could have even remotely associate with butter. The cheese blanketed shellfish was cooked medium rare and was pretty juicy. Still I didn't feel I was impressed. The accompanying mushrooms stood out more.