Christmas Lunch : Madrina at Bukit Timah

Merry Christmas everyone!

This year I celebrate Christmas with lunch at Madrina, an Italian restaurant at Bukit Timah area that is totally a hidden gem in Singapore. You can learnmore about the restaurant here.

I chanced upon this restaurant back in 2009, I was just visiting a friend's house in the area and wanted to have dinner before going home. This place didn't look promising at first but after we sampled the food there was no doubt that we would definitely go back.

We haven't visited the restaurant as much as we'd like to especially because it was quite a chore to get to, it used to only be able to be reached by bus and before we know it, 3 years has passed. Now that we have the Circle Line, we just have to alight at Farrer Road MRT station and walk a few minutes over.

Madrina is located at a deck of an HDB complex. My roommate and I looove the place because it is so unassuming and mellow. Every time we went there, there were never that much people around.

Here are some shots of the interior:

So let's cut to the chase: the food here is top notch, as authentic as can be without all the pretentiousness. The chef and the owner (I assume) is Indian (I assume) =D He is very friendly and he'll remember you. When we went there a month after our 1st visit, he remembered us. He didn't remember us when we went for the pre-Christmas lunch, though...but it's been 3 years so understandable.

The place is not for people who like to see and be seen, just people who'd like to enjoy good food and have a low-profile outing.

There are two caveats though: it takes them longer to serve the food than you'd like to so make sure to bring good company, and the price is on the steeper side especially if you have a predisposition on how much a restaurant at such unglamorous location should charge.

Here's what we ordered:

- Calamari
- Insalata di Salmone (Salad with smoked salmon)
- Broccoli soup (not pictured)
- 24" pizza, half Ischia (prosciutto with arugula) and half Brindisi (Beef pepperoni and anchovies)
- Affogatto (vanilla ice cream in coffee)
- Cappuccino
- Tiramisu

Calamari

Insalata di Salmone

24" pizza

Affogatto

Capuccino

Tiramisu

Everything was perfection except perhaps the broccoli soup (not as creamy as I'd like but perhaps it's healthier but overall was quite meh) and the capuccino (I don't know what constitutes good coffee but it was too frothy for my liking).

Pizza was top notch, thin and crispy with tasty toppings. A warning though, Brindisi toppings can taste too salty due to the anchovies. The calamari retained the springy texture without being hard to bite/chew on, and the Insalata di Salmone was fresh and tangy. You should definitely get the Tiramisu to complete your meal, it's so rich and bursting with flavors!

All in all we spent about SGD86 (tax included), I know, I know, it's expensive...but really for food of this quality I think it's relatively a steal. Plus, the super mellow location is a plus plus for us who dislike crowds. Give it a try, everyone!

**MERRY CHRISTMAS**