Tucked away between pubs, bars and other restaurants is Cipolla, a treasure trove of Italian delights. Managed by the man who brought us Ciao Ristorante and Ciccio, Cipolla maintains the same quality in both food and service.

    o      The Vibe

The interior of Cipolla is absolutely stunning. It is a blend of rustic and classic without compromising elegance and style. Raw brick walls are complemented with earthy shades of brown. The dim and warn lighting is accented by candles which gives the restaurant an overall cool and calm feel. Perfect for a romantic night out as well.

    o      The Food

Everything on the menu will make your mouth water. Just flipping through it will increase your appetite tenfold. A myriad of appetizers, pastas, seafood and steaks are up for grabs. So how will you choose?

The Antipasti Platter is an excellent choice to start with. The menu casually states that it is a platter for two but the sheer size of this platter suggests that it takes more than two (unless you want to be full before you get to the real deal). The platter consists of home marinated salmon, bresaola, mozzarella caprese, prawn cocktail and mixed grilled vegetables. All of them are pretty light so you won’t be overwhelmed before the mains. The salmon is complemented with grapefruit which is an ingenious idea as the grapefruit quietly masks the fishy taste of the salmon and compliments it well.

SD highly recommends the Penne alla Boscaiola as your pasta selection. This delightful dish is topped with mushrooms, peas, turkey ham, cream and tomato sauce. Once again, another absolutely stunning dish from the chef. A perfect balance of pasta, cream and tomato sauce is found here. Each spoonful gets better and better (unlike those served at mediocre Italian joints where you feel more queasy after every spoonful).

Moving on to the mains, the Gamberoni and the Stinco di agnello were the picks of the day. The Gamberoni is grilled king prawns with spicy lemon dressing. This juicy and fresh dish is lightly spiced which makes it suitable for any palate. The chef makes it really easy to eat by grilling it butterflied style so there is no need to tediously de-shell the prawns. Generous portions are served so do expect huge king prawns and not those tiny prince-like ones. The Stinco di agnello is the braised lamb shank in red wine sauce with caponate. It is juicy, tender and full of flavour. This massive hunk of meat is a definite must try at Cipolla.

For dessert, you can opt to go traditional and order the Tiramisu or the Panna Cotta (which by the way are delicious) but we suggest that you be a bit adventurous and go for the Crème Brulee. This orange and vanilla infused custard topped with thin caramelized sugar crust is divine. It is sweet, smooth, creamy and has a prominent orange flavour. Yummy!

    o      The Service

Bonus points are given to the excellent and well trained staff. Not only do they attend to your every need, they have the menu studied and memorized. Its not often that you get a staff team that is able to explain to you in detail what you’ll be putting in your mouth. They are friendly bunch that is sure to make you feel at home.

SD Food Advisor’s take on Cipolla

It’s hard not to fall in love with Cipolla. It’s got the right ingredients for a successful restaurants; the delicious food that is beautifully presented, the friendly and well trained staff, the elegant and stylish interior as well as the perfect location. Prices might be slightly higher than say a standard pizzeria with mediocre food. At Cipolla, it is worth it.