Restaurant Review: La Scala Ristorante Brings Summery Italian Cuisine at The Capitol Kempinski, Singapore

It’s been a banner year at The Capitol Kempinski’s Arcade in Singapore’s City Hall: German restaurant Frieda, and the Magnolia Snack Bar’s reincarnation, The Capitol Milk Bar, opened this year, as well as Chalerm Thai and El Teatro Tapas. But for now, we’ll delve into La Scala Ristorante. Named after Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, the Italian restaurant churns out light, aestival cuisine with bright flavours, crisp textures, and its very own brick-fire oven.

For antipasti, there’s something evergreen about a Burratina & Pomodorini (S$18++). There’s no better way to whet the appetite than with creamy burratina lightened up with a bitter kick of fresh rocket salad and Datterino tomatoes. For sharing portions, you could also go for the Antipasto Italiano Misto (S$28++) – it’s a mix of burrata, parma ham, salami and mushrooms with focaccia bread.

In terms of affordability, quality ingredients and fresh pasta make the mains well worth the 20-plus dollars they go for. There was a lingering saltiness that we weren’t too fond of in the Linguini Dero de Mare (S$26++), which was also present in the burratina, but we chalked that up to leftover brine. That aside, there’s still a broad range of tasty pastas available, from heavier options like Spaghetti Carbonara (S$22++) to sage and ricotta Ravioli Delicati (S$20++). And while there’s not much to write home about the Traditional Lasagna (S$22++), we appreciate the additional eggplant Parmigiana de Melazane (S$13++), as a less-common casserole option.

It’s the great pies here that’ll have your mouth truly watering. We love their thin crust Pizza Calabrese (S$26++) and house special Pizza Margherita (S$22++). Calabria ranks second of all Italian olive oil-producing regions in Italy, which is why you shouldn’t pass on a chance to try the roast olives with sun-dried tomatoes on the former. And if you’ve yet to experience the magical combination of pistachio and silky mortadella, the Pizza Siciliana (S$26++) is a way to go, with gorgonzola dolce adding to the layers of nutty creaminess. We could almost feel the sizzling Tuscan Sun on our skin.

For those with a sweet tooth, desserts available include the Mini Cannoli Siciliani (S$14++), and every Italian restaurant’s obligatory Tiramisu (S$14++). The latter wasn’t as structured as we expected, and seems to cater to the local preference of a more pudding-like consistency. The sweet fried cannoli shells are pumped full of ricotta, candied fruit, and chocolate, and do alright, though we’d much rather pop over to Hvala at Chjimes for a Goma cake.