One free pasta weekend was all it took for Scarpetta to become the hottest new dining ticket in town. This Italian restaurant which took over Tambi’s spot along Amoy Street has consistently attracted long queues since opening in February, with crowds prepared to stand in line for up to two hours (reservations are not allowed here). The main draw? Handmade pasta at reasonable prices.
The snug 30-seater is designed for a casual, in-and-out experience, with the main attraction being a lively chef’s table that seats up to 16 guests. Still, those who prefer a more intimate setting can opt for the booth seats. Once settled, a snappy one-page menu tells you everything you need to know. Here’s a lowdown of everything we tried and what you should too.
At launch, Scarpetta offers six pasta dishes, including rarer finds like the All’Assassina ($18), which quickly became our favourite. This deceptively simple dish – charred spaghetti in a Pomodoro tomato and chilli sauce – is surprisingly tricky to perfect. Achieving the ideal level of char requires precise technique, from knowing exactly when to pull the pan off the heat to timing each ladle of sauce just right to prevent the pasta from burning.
If you’ve been wanting to try the classic Roman cacio e pepe ($20), this is a great place to do so. The usual tonnarelli or spaghetti is swapped out for pici (a thicker version of spaghetti) for better texture. But the ingredients otherwise remain the same – smoked black pepper, Pecorino Romano (a sharp sheep’s milk cheese), and crunchy bits of Guanciale to tie it together. While we love the chewy bite that the pici provides, some might find it slightly under al dente. We recommend checking with the counter to make sure your preferred doneness gets served.
Other items include the crab taglioni ($26) which is lighter on the palate, if just a tad thinner in terms of noodle texture and less generous with the blue swimmer crab. But for the price, we’re not complaining. The spicy alla vodka with baked rigatoni ($21) is another popular pick. True to its name (scarpetta refers to the tradition of sopping up leftover pasta sauce with bread), the restaurant provides bread slices at the end of the meal for you to do just that. Our only gripe is that less saucy dishes like the All’Assassina and cacio e pepe don’t leave much for you to dip into.
Apart from pasta, Scarpetta also serves a rotation of Tuscan Schiacciata toasts. The uni toast (market price) – fresh, oceanic and luscious as it is – is a bit of an outlier on the all-Italian menu. We suggest going for the charred bone marrow toast ($14) instead. Topped with parsley salad and Maldon sea salt, the unctuous one-biter coats the mouth nicely without being cloying.
You’ll also find a tight list of five starters on the menu. Skip the shoestring zucchini frites with ($12) – it’s on the oiler side – and go for the radicchio salad (red Belgian endive, $14) instead. Tossed with truffle vinaigrette, hazelnuts, and Parmigiano, it’s just the right amount of crunch and zest to have in between carb-laden bites.
And check with your local police department, but walking away without ordering Scarpetta’s gelato con olio might actually be criminal. The fior di latte-inspired creation sees a scoop of velvety, elastic milk gelato, drizzled with Umbrian extra virgin olive oil and topped with crunchy salt flakes. Or you could go for the tiramisu ($11), which is a boozy, coffee-heavy rendition that’s sure to jolt you awake.
We hear Scarpetta shakes up excellent cocktails as well, including a solid espresso martini which we’ll be back to try – once the queues die down, that is.
Scarpetta is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 11.30am to 2.30pm and 6pm to 10.30pm at 47 Amoy Street, Singapore 069873.
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