Before you step into the buzzy modern space of Braci, you’re first greeted by five glaring one-Michelin star awards and not the maître d' – pretty much a prelude to the tasty slew that’s to come. The best seats in the house face the Singapore River and across the charming stretch that is home to iconic art houses. Lovely rays of natural light illuminate the quaint 30-seater juxtaposed against a bustling open kitchen where the embers breathe in the Josper and Japanese shichirin grill.
Designing the course around spring’s exceptional produce, Chef De Cuisine Matteo Ponti dreams up a progressive menu that pays tribute to his classic Italian roots peppered with personal stories from the young chef. By the end of the meal, you’ll know enough to decide whether you’d like to take him out on a date. All jokes aside, expect a string of elegant yet understated flavours that honours each ingredient and its provenance.
The culinary ballad typically starts with bite-sized trios. Small but mighty, the green asparagus brown butter sabayon tart is both airy and creamy while the superior oscietra caviar adds a touch of salinity and luxe. Our favourite, however, was the first baby corn of Spring from Japan with Nduja mayo and Turkish sumac dusted sakura ebi. After a light session in the Josper, the corn-on-the-cob resulted in an explosion of sweet, mild spice, smoke and earthy flavours.
With the arrival of the first cold starter, Chef Matteo jubilantly shares how his mom would prepare a stew with cuttlefish, tomatoes and green peas in the family’s backyard when he was a child. He reimagines that into the Cuttlefish Tagliatelle where tender sweet sous-vide cuttlefish ribbons sit in a moat of chilled tomato consomme infused with basil oil and shiso. Paired with neon green peas from Piedmonte and smoked ikura, each mouthful is a subtle expression of the otherwise robust recipe.
Paying tribute to his northern Italian roots, Chef Matteo then shares about his reinterpretation of the Osso Buco. Instead of using cross-cut shanks, he stuffs a hand-chopped grass-fed beef tartare mixed with Josper-roasted, applewood-smoked marrow into a hollow shank made from 36-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano Vacche Rosse. The finishing touches of lemon gel, sumac, toasted saffron, and an all-vegetable Osso Buco jus round off the hefty starter with traces of welcomed acidity.
Next up, an artful take on a surf and turf is the Mare, Monti, Land and more. Milk-blanched Loire Valley white asparagus is paired with Kinkawooka mussels and crowned on a bed of buffalo mozzarella espuma with purée of caramelised fennel and shallots. Think nuttiness from asparagus, herbaceous perfume of pine, smoky vanilla notes from tonka, the fat and body of buffalo mozzarella, the briny and savoury flavours of the mussels, and the sweetness of the fennel purée. A cleverly orchestrated dish that is reflected in each spoonful.
But if you’re anything like us, you're probably still having lingering desires about the divine starters even with the arrival of the delectable mains. From a twisted classic of a Cacio E Pepe that came with gently seared slices of Hokkaido live scallop to a grilled Hamachi collar with beautiful seasonal Sardinian artichoke, dishes here truly reflect the masterful treatment and application of wood-fired cooking and charcoal grilling that keeps true to the Braci namesake – translates to embers in Italian.
The final act cues in the star dessert of the Fragola Oabika. A textural treat highlighting the sorbet of French Mara Des Bois strawberries and juicy Chitose strawberries intricately layered on a base of puffed rice, feuillantine, almond, white chocolate and green pepper. But the real shindig is the blonde chocolate mousse that is centred within where the Oabika – cocoa fruit juice made from white pulp protecting the beans within a cocoa pod– oozes out fruity and tangy honey that will have you licking up your plates.
As the course comes to a resounding end and our bellies filled, we part ways with the chirpy Chef Matteo and the rest of his diligent crew. There's quite a bit to digest about the entire experience but one thing's for sure, it will not be five but six one-Michelin star awards that greet us on our next visit.
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