Da Paolo Gastronomia should be a familiar name to Italian food lovers in Singapore, with its first outlet at Chip Bee Gardens Holland Village in 2000.
That is more than 20 years ago – considered very long in Singapore’s F&B context.
The Da Paolo family has many other concepts in Singapore, include Da Paolo Dempsey Restaurant & Bar, Da Paolo Pizza Bar, and three virtual brands of Panini Italiani, Pizza Bar, and Pasta Bar, within the group.
Its latest outlet at Great World is one of its biggest, with an expanded all-day dining and a full retail selection set against the backdrop of Tuscany.
First impressions? This place is huge.
While you may get 100% Tuscany vibes, there are various elements to emulate that.
Walking in you would find a retail section modelled after a European marketplace, with retail section featuring handmade pastas, fresh pasta sauces, meal prep essentials, gelato, and ready meals. They understand the River Valley crowd well.
Next to it is an expanded bakery section, which focuses on Italian-inspired breads including sourdough variations and wood-fired options.
With a courtyard concept, you get a different charm depending if you dine in the day or night, sitting down under an olive tree just like in Tuscany. Almost.
The European mood is also recreated with terrazzo-topped tables and rattan chairs, overhung by rattan lampshades.
Food wise, you can start with breakfast available from 8am to 11am daily, featuring items of Avocado Toast, Egg Florentine, Overnight Oats, and House Granola & Greek Yogurt.
The Scrambled or Fried Eggs & Toast ($11) sees cage-free eggs served on a homemade sourdough toast with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and chives.
In terms of sides, there are the Pumpkin Soup ($10), Tomato Soup ($10), Homemade Meatballs ($14), House Salad ($16), Italian Truffle Fries ($16), Hummus Dip ($18) and Burrata & San Daniele ($29).
I found the prices of the starters on the higher side – some comparable to the mains. Would you rather order a pizza then?
While the Calamari Fritti ($22) delighted with its squid ink mayo, the batter wasn’t as crispy and portion as much as I would have like it to be.
The Pizza Bar features a live pizza station where hand-stretched and stone-baked Roman thin
crust pizzas topped with Italian tomatoes are freshly made.
Choice include Americana ($25), Margherita ($21), Quattro Formaggi ($26), Carbonara ($27), Diavola ($27), Tricolore ($29), to the Meat Lover ($29). A gluten-free option is available at $5 extra.
The Pasta Bar highlights Da Paolo’s specialty fresh egg pasta range in dishes such as the Linguine Aglio Olio Calabrese ($22), Spaghetti alle Vongole ($24), Spaghettone Carbonara Calabrese ($25) and Tagliatelle alla Paolo ($26).
I had the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese ($23) comprised of lean beef ragu, Italian tomatoes, with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano on housemade fresh tagliatelle.
A classic rendition, the rich-meaty ragu sauce here is more robust than the usual, and nothing beats having fresh pasta with the al dente (sorry for the over-used word) bite.
Da Paolo Gastronomia – Great World
1 Kim Seng Promenade, #01-163 Great World, Singapore 237994
Tel: +65 6735 8382
Opening Hours: 8am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
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