Bonta Italian Restaurant and Bar

Monthly dinner was decided to be had at Bonta after much discussion with the group. Apparently, we were getting pretty tired of Chinese cuisine after our failed attempts with Golden Peony and Hua Ting and so Italian was on the cards this time. Opened in April this year, the restaurant has gotten many rave reviews for its food and service and is helmed by chef Luca Pezzera, formerly of Hotel Intercontinental fame.

Address: #01-61 UE Square, 207 River Valley Road

Contact: 63338875

Bonta


Entrance


Interior


Pseudo Artistic shot


More interior

The exterior housed a nice chill out space in an alfresco setting while the interior was small and cosy complete with soft lighting which they dimmed as time passed and a small wine chamber for those so inclined. Seating capacity was small however, and the maximum the restaurant could hold inside was probably around 40 people.

Menu


Complimentary Bread

The complimentary bread was served after much fanfare and bantering with the overly friendly waiter who took our order. Still, this is another one of those great-complimentary-breads-in -posh-places item. Its also one of the best i've had thus far. The bread was served warm in a longish cup and is crispy on the outside while soft and fluffy on the inside. Pockets of cheese and walnuts were also interspersed to enhance the experience. These are available for take away at a whooping $8 a loaf if you are interested.

Foie Gras (Pan fried goose liver $24)

I got to try one small piece of this and i must say it is surprisingly pleasing. I'm not a big fan of foie gras but this was done well. Slightly crispy on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside. The aftertaste lingers long after you have swallowed it but is overpowering in bigger doses.

Oven Baked Scallops ($22)

I shared this item with a friend to minimize the damage. At $22 for 4 scallops, this came across as being overly expensive. The scallop was sweet and went well with the accompanying sauce to create a pretty good appetizer.

Trout Roll ($24)

Unfortunately, i did not get the chance to try this dish but it still looks very nice doesn't it?

Home Made Angel Hair ($42)

Spaghettini ($30)

Roasted Mediterranean Seabass Fillet ($38)

Atlantic Cod Fillet ($38)

Ravioli with Goose Liver ($28)

Of the above dishes, i didn't get to try many of them but did have the lion's share of the angel hair. The angel hair was springy, soft and sweet making it a decent though not excellent dish. The baby lobster was overly cooked and lacked the fresh sweetness i hoped it would exhibit. I also had a piece of Ravioli and found the taste overpowered by the cream sauce instead of the goose liver present in it.

Black Angus Beef Sirloin ($42)

This dish i did get to try....twice because the first was ordered by my friend, while the other was a wrong order the waiter served to me....twice as well. The first wrong order being Angel Hair and the second being this dish. My main order was actually a Wagyu Beef steak. The beef was served medium rare but lacked the strong beef taste i would love to have. It also came with wierd, greenish tasting porcini mushrooms and foie gras which didn't really cut it for me since my mood was already spoiled by waiting without a main for 20 minutes while my friends finished their own mains before my main arrived with a wrong order again.

Bill

The bill came up to $451.96 for 7 people for an unsatisfying dinner and huge service blunders.

Score:

Ambiance: 6/10
It was too dark and if i didn't know better, i'd say it was done on purpose because they knew we were taking pictures.

Food : 6/10
Apart from great bread and appetizers, i can't find it in me to praise anything else.

Value for Money: 5/10
Check the bill for Panna. It actually means still, plain water. You'll find that it costs a whooping $32 for plain water. Coupled with unsatisfying food and you get a rip off.

Service : 6/10
I'd say the service was generally good but the waiting staff simply did not bother to correct his mistakes even after one blunder and he couldn't be bothered to ask if they got my second order correct. Add the fact that we were charged for bottled water we did not order and thats a huge service problem.

Portion Size: 6/10
Portions were nominal for an italian restaurant.

Overall: 5.8/10

Last Word:
Commercial reviews are either overrated or over showcased in my opinion. I don't suppose a restaurant will make bad food for food critics and newspaper reviewers but if they could do it for the writers, at least have the capacity to do it during normal hours as well. The working staff here need retraining and learn to apologize when mistakes are made or at least have the presence of mind to offer a gesture of peace when an error is committed. Still, their snotty attitude and average food offerings brought down this experience very much where i am concerned. Even for my friends, nobody found it in them to order a dessert at the end and thats saying alot. Stay away, stay far far away.