Craig Road welcomes the arrival of Trattoria Nonna Lina –an Italian restaurant named after owner/chef Simone Vespasiani’s beloved grandmother Lina. The menu pays homage to Italian classics, highlighting their family’s best-kept recipes.

The rustic setting and relaxing atmosphere is conducive for long conversations. Here you can loosen that tie and dine in casual comfort amidst the warmth and hospitality of a typical Italian family.

Complimentary Bruschetta

After settling down, complimentary bruschetta is served. The crushed cherry tomato (soaked in extra virgin olive oil for a day) and aromatic herb topping on crusty foccacia bread is mind-blowing. One of the best bruschettas I’ve ever had.

Starters

Soup of the day ($10)

I love soups! It is mandatory for me to have it in a meal.

The soup of that day was made from vegetable puree; it is thick (almost a gummy state) without the addition of cream. I’m quite intrigued by what went into the soup because I’ve tried making soups from fresh vegetable purees but never quite managed to achieve this consistency.

Polpetti e Porcini ($21)

Baby octopus and porcini mushrooms in prosecco reduction

For starters, I decided to go a little adventurous, so I went for the baby octopus. I tend to avoid cephalopods from the molluscs family such as squid and cuttlefish because they have a tendency to be overly chewy if not skilfully cooked.

It was an overwhelming relief, which came with happiness, when I took the first bite.

Doused in an intense prosecco reduction, the baby octopus is cooked till tender, while still offering slight resistance to the bite. The porcini mushrooms that compliment the dish bring a pleasurable earthy accent to the palate.

Tagliata al gorgonzola ($35) –Christmas Menu

Fine slices of premium beef tenderloin grilled in Nonna Lina’s gorgonzola sauce

Available from now till the end of the month, Trattoria Nonna Lina is offering a 4-course Christmas menu where you can pick your own starter, main, pasta and dessert.

Slices of premium beef tenderloin… those are real thick slices. I’d say bite-sized chunks. They are sliced not too thinly so as to retain the juiciness of the perfect medium rare beef. The creamy gorgonzola sauce entices your senses without overpowering your palate.

Cozze alla bottarga ($28) –Christmas Menu

Sautéed live blue mussels in white wine sauce enhanced with mullet roe

Mullet roe is shaved atop the sautéed live blue mussels upon serving; the sauce is endowed with briny flavours of the sea.

Pasta

Lasagna Maremmana ($19)

Classic Tuscan lasagna with beef in homemade besciamella sauce

We ordered four pasta dishes – two from the regular menu and two from the Christmas menu – and I’ve got to say I loved all four. They were all hits and no misses! I wished we had more space in our stomachs; all the pasta dishes look promising.

The lagsana is pure comfort food. I was so reluctant to share this! :P

Risotto Contadino ($25)

Italian rice with eggplant and button mushroom in parmesan-truffle cream

As you bring a spoonful of risotto closer to your mouth, the scent of truffle hits you. The ristotto is incredibly flavourful and full of vim. All the ingredients mingle harmoniously together.

Gnocchi al ragu d’anatra ($35) –Christmas Menu

Homemade potato dumplings in traditional duck ragu

This gnocchi dish from the Christmas Menu doesn’t exactly scream Christmassy to me, but I love it so much I wish they’d put it on the regular menu so we can have it all year round.

The homemade potato dumplings have achieved a light, fluffy, soft, doughy texture; the duck ragu is delicious. Put them together, you have the perfect dish.

Tortelli Aragosta ($40) –Christmas Menu

Homemade tortelli stuffed with lobster in a delicious langoustine sauce

If you put a gun to my head and force me to pick a favourite, I would say the Tortelli Aragosta prevails just slightly above the rest. The langoustine sauce – which was the tiebreaker – packs creamy goodness with crustacean notes.

Mains

Filetto alla Griglia ($38)

Grilled tenderloin, served with potato croquette and sautéed button mushrooms

I hate to say this but my favourite component on the plate was the potato croquette! Not that the meat is bad, but I’m probably just overwhelmed by the fact that the potato croquette is extremely light and fluffy on the inside, encased in a very thin layer of breaded crust fried to golden perfection.

Filetto alla Livornese ($28)

Seasonal fish fillet in Livornese style with olives, capers and cherry tomatoes, served with grilled vegetables

For mains, I highly recommend the Filetto alla Livornese. The fish is tender and succulent as I would expect from any restaurant that offers fish, embraced by a fresh tomato sauce that caresses rather than smothers.

Pesce della Nonna ($36)

Fresh catch of the day (Whole fish) baked in oven, Nonna Lina style

I think I must be affiliated to cats in some way; I love fish so much! I could finish the whole fish by myself.

Fresh catch of that day was sea bass. It is baked in the oven, and by Nonna Lina style I reckon this is a dish that reminds Simone fondly of his beloved grandmother.

This healthy dish with very clean flavours reminds me of the Chinese way of steaming fish.

Polpettone ai porcini ($40) –Christmas Menu

Traditional Christmas Italian beef meatloaf baked with porcini mushrooms, served with truffle baked potatoes

Finally an item from the Christmas Menu that corresponds to Christmas! I could totally relate this dish to the festive season when I took the first bite. It reminds me of the meat with stuffing dishes you eat during Christmas, but here the ingredients are all tightly packed and you get a bit of all the ingredients in one bite.

Desserts

Homemade Tiramisu (contains alcohol) ($12) -decaf option available

I wouldn’t recommend the Tiramisu unless you are severely underweight or starving or in love with cream. When I dug into the Tiramisu, the first spoonful was all cream. It was only when I dug further to the bottom that I got the other coffee and cake elements. The ratio of cream was just too much. On a side note, I like the fact that there’s a decaffeinated option available.

Bonet Astigiano ($15)

Traditional homemade Italian chocolate and rum pudding with homemade caramel sauce (contains alcohol)

The Bonet Astigiano is an unforgettable highlight. I’m so impressed –I never knew I’d be so with a chocolate and rum pudding, but it’s one of the best desserts I’ve had in any Italian restaurant. Highly recommended.

Salame al cioccolato ($10) –Christmas Menu

Italian sweet-chocolate salami

We usually relate salami to a savoury sausage that originated in Italy. Now, we finally come across the sweet version of salami. This traditional Italian chocolate salami is sliced thinly to reveal the various contrasting constituents within the chocolate cake.

This Tuscan dessert is also available for purchase as a Christmas gift at $28 for 500g.

Italian soft nougat ($10) –Christmas Menu

Choose from three flavours: strawberry, country berries and lemon

I’m usually not a fan of nougats but I’ve finally found one that I like –and that’s the Italian soft nougat. The lemon-flavoured nougat teases the palate with its refreshing zesty flavour.

You can also purchase this at $19 for 165g this festive season. They make the perfect nibbles at Christmas parties.

Trattoria Nonna Lina

Tanjong Pagar

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Opening hours:
Daily: 12pm – 2.30pm (lunch), 6pm – 11pm (dinner)