[SG] Modesto's (Vivo City)

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Stepping into the dimly lit place, it was quite a cosy space that was surprisingly a warm welcome to many young families. This was perhaps one of the few restaurants at Vivo City that enjoys quite a peaceful view of the harbour and the vibrant lights of the Sentosa Boardwalk opposite. I was expecting quite abit of couples hanging out with the rather romantic setting especially during the Halloween celebrations season but was interrupted by the squeals of young children and dropping of plates and cutlery as the kids played with their own special plastic sets. It was quite an interesting sight, seeing how the restaurant was so family-friendly. 

We decided to visit Modesto's as I've heard quite a far bit about their wood-fired pizza. But honestly, this was quite a far cry from what I'd expected. An Italian restaurant, I'd presume that their specialty lies in the pastas and pizzas. What we were anticipating turned out to be quite a disappointing dinner though. 

Spicy Deep Fried Chicken Wings and Drumlets ($16.50)

Served piping hot, this helped set pretty high expectations about what was going to come our way. With an evenly spread slight crisp that accompanies every bite, this was quite a satisfying treat. I like the marinade used, that was slightly spiced but not throat-burning spicy. I'm usually a pretty lazy person when it comes to eating wings outside, but this was good enough to make me 'fight' to get the small shreds of flesh out. I'm not too sure if it's worth the price though, as it tasted quite a tad like prawn paste chicken, except this had a tinge of spices added in its marinade. After trying the rest of what we'd ordered though, this became the highlight of my meal at Modesto's. 

Nom Factor: 8.0/10

Quattro Stagioni Regular ($26.50)
4 main ingredients of seafood, pork ham, mushroom and black kalamata olives in 4 separate quadrants

This was quite a disappointment indeed. Ingredients aside, the crust wasn't crisp enough and it was just a dull crack that came out of it. The top layer turned slightly soggy by the time it was served and it didn't have the inherent fragrance that usually came from wood-fired pizzas. It tasted pretty normal, a slightly thicker version of the crust by timbre. 

I'm a pretty picky eater when it comes to seafood and I didn't like the type of prawns used. Though the servings were rather generous, the processed prawns that gave the fake crunch just didn't have that natural seafood sweetness to lift the flavour of the combination. The rest were just average tasting, and well, I'd say that this didn't live up to the standards of wood-fired pizzas. A pretty decent one that I've tried in Sydney was able to beat this easily, with the added fragrance in its after-taste, and nonetheless, the short-lived crunch to its crust that made it stand out. This just didn't make the cut. 

Nom Factor: 6.0/10

Lasagna ($25)

Honestly, this wasn't fit to be called a lasagna, much less the audacity to be charged at $25+. It was the first time that I was able to separate out the layers very distinctly and cut it up nicely into cubes. The layers were all too thick and chewy, tasting a little like kueh layers. There was also a severe lack of cheese  in it, and insufficient sauce to go with it. It's probably worse than a pre-packaged microwaved version I can get off the shelves of supermarkets. 

Nom Factor: 5.0/10

This is a place where I'd probably never head back to for quite a long while. Mediocre food that's very much overpriced, I felt that it was really not worth the stomach space. Probably a place to consider if you're looking for a place with good ambience and scenery, but certainly not worth a special trip down for its food. 

Overall Nom Factor: 6.0/10
Vivo City #01-166/167
Singapore 098585

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