Basilico: Italian dining at Regent Hotel (à la carte review)

This review of Basilico features the à la carte lunch menu. The husband and I made two searpate visits here – and the review here is a combination of the two.

For a review of the set menu, please check out this other post instead.

Update Feb 2020: I’ve re-visited Basilico several times since this post, so check out my most recent and latest review of Basilico right here!

Basilico: new Love Dining partner

Early in 2021, I wrote an exciting blog post about new dining establishments that joined the Love Dining programme, and Basilico at Regent hotel is one of them.

Holders of qualifying American Express credit cards get benefits from the  Love Dining Programme benefits –  eligible Amex credit card holders to dine at up to 50% off at several hotels and fine dinish establishments. 

Myself, I possess the American Express Platinum Charge card, and I love it for the unrivalled lifestyle benefits it provides.

Unable to resist such a good deal, the husband and myself decided to have lunch at Basilico at Regent hotel, and yup, we did dine in at 50% off.

Twice.

Image source: American Express

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 140,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 62,500 Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 35, 000 Krisflyer miles when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

Basilico: Regent Hotel

Located at the second floor of Regent Hotel, the outdoor boasts a sophisticated modern entrance.

Inside, the grand central area of the restaurant is a round island structure – i supposed this was where buffets used to be, pre COVID-19, but now it is an impressive piece of decoration.

The friendly staff ushered us to our seats.

our seat

There are generally at least two menu options – the set lunch (available 12:00pm to 2:30pm) or the a la carte. Both set and a la carte menus qualify for Love Dining. However, as a precaution, it’s always recommended to confirm with the staff what the qualifying items are – there might be exceptions.

For the Menu, do check out the website for the latest menu and pricing; I’ve been here a few times and have noticed that the items might change up a bit over time. 

Antipasti: Starters

The bread basket here was normal – nothing super special to shout out, but nevertheless these were served nice and warm. The servers do give olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and butter can be given upon request.

Bread Basket

We’ve been to Basilico a few times – and one of the nicer touches is the condiments for bread dipping. In my previous visit where I had the set lunch, they gave an artichoke dip. However, today a lovely olive dip accompanied the breads instead.

Olive oil and balsamic vinegar (left), mashed olive dip (right)

We do love a good starter – and nothing speaks fine dining like having some well-prepared seafood to start a meal. 

Crudo di Tonno e Quinoa

The ‘Crudo di Tonno e Quinoa’ arrives as an instagrammable worthy dish on its own. Black pepper-crusted, Yellow-fin tuna is seared and served with organic quinoa, green asparagus, and sundried tomatoes.

So beautifully seared

Light and oh so flavourful – the plain quinoa blended in taste with the slight fishiness. A great compliment is the tomato – just the bit of juicy qualify this dish needs. 

Fresh Tuna. Mmmm.

Pasta and Mains

Somehow, in Italian restaurants, when the main dishes arrive, they literally all arrive. At the same time. Lol.

The pasta dishes here are generally highly recommended. Pick a pasta item – ANY item, and you really can’t go wrong.

Generally, an idiot-proof pasta dish in a standard Italian restaurant would be the ‘Carbonara’ (standard white cream pasta). At Basilico, the ‘Carbonara’ is top notch: spaghettoni pasta is served with crispy pork pancetta, black pepper, parmesan, black truffle, and egg yolk sauce. So creamy, so good.

Spaghettoni alla Carbonara e Tatufo

For an even creamier and richer pasta that beats the  Carbonara, the Wagyu Beef Lasagna will exceed your expectations.

Wagyu Beef Lasagna

This is Basilico’s Signature Lasagna dish. A 12-hour slow-cooked Wagyu Beef Ragout literally drowns in a Fontina Cheese Fondue. 

And, served with more sauce

While not super visually pleasing – this dish is truly one of a kind. The beef, so soft and tender, rests in layers of pasta and cream. It’s the best kind of pasta for a rainy cold weather. Be warned – it is VERY rich, and post-consumption sleep will be easily induced. Haha. 

100% sinful. 100% worth the calories.

For something more exotic (and less carbohydrate-intensive), the grilled octopus is a good choice. 

Tentacolo di Polipo

The grilled Mediterranean octopus tentacle, cooked to perfection, is served with haricot beans, potatoes, and ligurian basil pesto. 

That’s one huge tentacle

This was beautifully done – the fresh juicy octopus wasn’t overly chewy. The dish was generally elegant – with the vegetables complimenting the seafood goodness and the pesto adding a herb-like taste to it.

Pizza at Basilico

Hand tossed and oven-baked, the pizzas here are phenomenal. The crusts not overly thick or chewy – just a nice baked texture with a bit of crunch. 

Pizza Diavola

We’ve tried the ‘Pizza Diavola’ – topped with San Marzano Tomato sauce, Mozzarella cheese, spicy pork salami, calabrian chilli and oregao – it’s as if the traditional pepperoni pizza received a really good upgrade.

Tip – ask the server for Parmesan cheese!

Another hugely popular option is the ‘Pizza con Prosciutto Crudo, Rucola e Parmigiano’ – basically, Pizza with Parma Ham, Arugula and Parmesan Cheese. The base is also with San Marzano Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese.

Pizza con Prosciutto Crudo, Rucola e Parmigiano

This one is a tad salty – mostly because of the Parma Ham, but the Parma Ham + Parmesan cheese flavouring does take the whole ham-and-cheese bread combination to a whole new level. 

Dolci: Dessers

If there was a MUST-EAT item – the desserts at Basilico would be it. For each visit – the husband and I opted for desserts to share, and it proved to be the best decision ever.

Tiramigu

Try the ‘Tiramigu’. Consider it a modern take on the traditional Tiramisu – marsala and mascarpone sabayon is mixed with savolardi biscuit crumble, expresso coffee jellies, bitter varlhona chocolate and coffee ice cream.

It’s the epitome of bittersweet. Strong coffee aroma, smooth cream laced with textured biscuit crumbs – the dessert is beautiful as it is satisfying.

Spot the Espresso Coffee Jelly

Another highly recommended dessert here would be the Nut Tart. Or in Italian, ‘Tartelletta di Frutta Secca e Gelato alla Vaniglia.’

Tartelletta di Frutta Secca e Gelato alla Vaniglia

Crispy filo pastry, a nut base coated in caramelised fudge and topped with vanilla gelato – this was my favourite dessert of the day. I’m not usually a caramel and nut lover, but this dish completely blew me away. Crunchy yet smooth, the sweet nuts pushed all my happy buttons. I vowed that day, to come back in the future, just to have this dessert again.

For a lighter and more fruity dessert, a close rival of the nut tart would be the poached pear pudding. – Budino alle Pere con Gelato alla Vaniglla.

Budino alle Pere con Gelato alla Vaniglla.

The poached pear – while described as a pudding, it felt more like a very soft fruit. It cuts easily like a cake. Soft, sweet, and bursting with juice, having it with soft gelato and caramelised walnuts just made it even better. 

General Basilico Review

Generally, we have LOVED everything on the menu. Every item we’ve had was delivered at a high standards – by amazing and patient servers – I highly recommend this place to anyone who loves Italian food, even if there were no Love Dining benefits.

I’ve been to MANY Italian restaurants, including visiting Prego (at Fairmont), and Burlamacco Ristorante or La Nonna. Basilico however, beats these places hands down. The pizza here feels more carefully prepared than that at Prego, the mains here more carefully presented than Burlamacco Ristorante, and the flavours easily rivals that of La Nonna. The ambience at Basilico is also more high-end and elegant compared to these places.

The closest equivalent would likely be LaBrezza at St. Regis Singapore – and that place is just at St.Regis hotel, right accoss the road from Regent hotel.

A note on drinks – the beverages such as coffee or tea do not qualify for love dining benefits. A workaround trick would be to get the Affogato (Gelato + Espresso) from the dessert menu instead, so you would still get a coffe fix AND an ice cream to boot – at a discounted rate with Love Dining. Definitely beats having coffee at the full-price.

I’ve also included more pictures and details of the Affogato in another review of Basilico – click here to check it out!

And we still got coffee anyway, just because

Want some Love Dining?

Apply for an American Express credit card and get bonus points!

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 140,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 62,500 Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 35, 000 Krisflyer miles when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

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