Burlamacco Ristorante: Italian Restaurant Review

(Note: From 1 January 2021 onwards, Burlamacco Ristorante is no longer a participant in the Love Dining programme).

To celebrate a dear friend’s completion of her Masters degree, we decided to celebrate with Italian food at Burlamacco Ristorante.

Thanks to the American Express Platinum Charge card, which came with Love Dining benefits, the both of us were able to dine at 50% off. 

Ambience

From the outside, it looked like a quiet, almost-hidden restaurant in Stanley Street. However, patrons fully occupied the inside during lunch hour. 

To capture the restaurant’s interior, we actually had to wait until lunch hour was almost over. 

Nicely decorated for the Christmas season, the ambience was soft and romantic – dim lights with warm colours of red and wood tones. 

A wine cellar/storage area sits at the corner of the restaurant – patrons can pay a visit and select a drink from an extensive wine collection. 

Bread Basket and Starters

While waiting for our food to arrive, the waiter brought a bread basket. Filled with toasted herbed bread (foccacia, I think?), the fragrant pieces went well with generous dippings of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Our starter dish, the ‘Battuta’, is a serving of hand chopped raw red tuna tartar served with avocado.

Underneath the evenly-sliced avocado, laid a smooth, creamy layer of tuna. The fishy taste of raw fish went well with both the raw salad and dressing.

In my humble opinion – EVERY salad should be like this: fresh, with well-seasoned raw fish. 

Bonus: while we ordered this dish to share, the restaurant divided up the portion into two separate plates. Happily, my friend and I could both eat from our own dish.

As promised by the serving staff – a generous portion of lobster tail graced the dish. So juicy, so succulent – one bite of the crustacean and juices just gushed out. Combined with the ever-so-slightly-spicy arrabbiata sauce, this dish is just idiot-proof – seafood allergies aside, you just can’t go wrong with ordering this.

I had the ‘Tortellini’, a duck-filled pasta served with foie gras sauce and pomegranate pieces.

Fois gras lovers listen up: the thick sauce, gamey and savory – when consumed with pasta stuffed with soft chewy duck – is a rich, rich mouthful of succulent duck wonder. Yet it is not overwhelming; the pomegranate pieces lightens the palette a little, and subtly balances out the heavy flavours.

Dessert

After a wonderfully satisfying main, we certainly had high expectations for dessert.

My friend selected the Tiramisu. Creamy and smooth, it was the perfect blend of coffee and soft sponge cakes and mascarpone cheese.

Myself, I had the Crostata – a chocolate tart served with vanilla ice cream.

The combination of soft warm chocolate against a crunchy base, and slightly bitter dark molten chocolate with a cold sweet sweet vanilla gelato – we couldn’t ask for a better juxtaposition of flavours. Everything came together beautifully. I was literally scraping the plate for the last bits of crumbs, wishing that I could have more.

Amex Voucher: Complimentary Wine

As an American Express Platinum Reserve card holder, every year I am gifted a set of hotel, dining, and spa vouchers as part of the credit card benefits.

At Burlamacco Ristorante, I had this voucher to redeem a complimentary bottle of wine. Upon presenting the voucher to staff, I was then asked if i I would like to have red or white wine.

Bonus: I also had the option of either (i) drinking the wine together with my meal, or (ii) taking the entire bottle home. 

We were both really stuffed, so we opted to take it home. I chose a white wine, and was presented with a bottle from Italiy – SCAIA: Garganega / Chardonnay. 

Final words – 50% Discount

Overall, it was a wonderful meal. Filling, tasty, and teasing all the senses in the best way possible – it just left me secretly vowing to come back again another day to try more things on the menu.

For a similar Italian restaurant in Singapore that also gives American Express love dining benefits, check out my reviews of La Nonna!

Want some Love Dining?

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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 credit card applications may be subject to change by American Express. Readers are recommended to check with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

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