Etna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, Duxton Road

We came by Etna (49/50 Duxton Road, tel : +65 6220 5513) previously for dessert when we visited Inaho's Kitchen Bar and decided that we would come back for the food another time. The place looked sharp and fuss free - much like the old Al Forno Trattoria or Da Luca with a focus on Sicilian styled cooking and pistachios on the menu.

Their focaccia with sun dried tomatoes were pretty good. The bread was glazed with light layer of oil and was warm and moist. Was definitely better than the dried out husks that are commonly seen elsewhere.

Starter was their frittura mista. The seafood tasted better than it looked. For the prawns, most of the fried ends were so crispy that they could be eaten. Nothing was over fried or excessively greasy. Their accompanying tartar sauce also didn't taste cheap.

Margherite al Pistacchio di Bronte

We ordered their home made ravioli stuffed with four cheeses and walnut stuffings because it sounded interesting with pistachio pesto sauce. For the lack of a better description at this point, it tasted creamy and walnut-ty. I know the latter is not a word but it conveys quite accurately how the taste was. The stuffings in the pasta were pretty robust in flavour. To the point that I didn't quite remember how the sauce tasted like beyond the walnut and a generic creamy salted cheese. Like.

Risotto Siciliano

This was a very nicely timed risotto. I could smell the Parmigiano Reggiano wafting from the rice as they brought it to the table. The flavour was an interesting and also refreshing blend of orange and the cheese which were balanced in a manner that neither overwhelmed the other. The rice was beady, well cooked and coated in the the stock that made the dish. Enjoyed the slices of oranges and the generous amounts of fresh tasting and crunchy prawns. Like.

Dessert was a caramel cream. Disappointing because it was sweet and boring. The drizzles of the chocolate sauce didn't rescue anything at all.

I don't think I'll be deterred by the dessert. I like this place enough to consider coming back again for sure.