Written By Ernest Tan (19-E6) and Wong Sean Yew (19-U4)
Designed by: Athena Lim (19-A4)
The Star Vista is a popular haunt for Eunoians, considering its relative proximity to the Mount Sinai campus (it’s located adjacent to Buona Vista MRT Station). The overwhelmingly optimistic comments and effusive praise led two Press members to Saizeriya’s outlet at The Star Vista.
A Japanese-owned Italian casual dining restaurant chain, Saizeriya seems to be a popular choice amongst patrons at The Star Vista, with snaking queues of students and working adults alike at dinnertime. Featuring over fifty dishes, Saizeriya’s menu is diverse, with options ranging from pizzas, desserts, pasta to grilled hotplate dishes. It is also relatively affordable as many dishes are under $10.
Salmon Cream Pasta
A relatively new addition to the menu, Salmon Cream Pasta ($7.90) consisted of al dente pasta slathered in a seasoned cream sauce and accompanied with a generous serving of smoked salmon. The salmon, in our opinion, was perfectly cooked, with a taste that is slightly reminiscent of sashimi. While we felt that the smoked salmon would be pretty plain on its own, this was negated when paired with the saltiness of the grated cheese and the rich cream sauce. However, we felt that the cream sauce could have been thicker to suit taste buds with an affinity for stronger flavours.
Rating: 4/5
Spinach Chicken Gratin
At $5.90, we felt that Spinach Chicken Gratin was value-for-money, considering its relatively copious servings of penne, well-complemented with grilled chicken, cheese, spinach and white sauce. The cheese and white sauce made the dish extremely creamy, which might be favourable for some. However, we found this to be quite surfeiting.
Rating: 3/5
Seafood Pasta
Seafood Pasta ($7.90) featured a tomato sauce with a diverse and hearty portion of seafood – including squid, shrimp, mussels and clams. With a hint of saltiness, the clams were palatable but the mussels were grossly overcooked. The spaghetti was also slightly overcooked as evident by the soft texture of the noodles.
Rating: 2.5/5
Curry Chicken Creamy Baked Rice
The Curry Chicken Creamy Baked Rice ($5.90) seems to be a good attempt on Saizeriya’s part to ingratiate itself with local tastes but falls short in some aspects. This dish struck us as aromatic and spicy, owing to its combination of turmeric-infused rice and curry. However, due to it being served on a hot plate, some grains of rice were overcooked. The melted cheese used was also quite little, resulting in it being somewhat underwhelming.
Rating: 3/5
Pepper Chicken Grill
Served with a portion of black pepper sauce and a side of corn and potato wedges, Pepper Chicken Grill ($6.90) was a dish that certainly defied our expectations of a conventional hot plate dish. We initially thought that the chicken would be too salty and dry – hence we ordered a side of steamed rice ($1.00). However, our concerns were unfounded as the chicken was well-seasoned and moist throughout. The black pepper flavour was evident, but without covering the taste of the natural juices of the chicken.
Rating: 4/5
Bacon and Pineapple Pizza
To share, we had the Bacon and Pineapple Pizza ($6.90; Original Price: $7.90), a modified version of the classic Hawaiian pizza. Despite being avid fans of Hawaiian pizza (yes, we like pineapples on pizza), this iteration fell squarely short of our expectations. The crust was chewy instead of the crispy expected of a thin crust pizza, and only had a small amount of melted cheese. There was also a poor bacon-to-pineapple ratio, with a disproportionate amount of pineapple compared to the meagre slices of bacon. Also note that with the thin crust, this pizza is not exactly as filling as it looks. Not a ‘Must Try’.
Rating: 2/5
Iced Tiramisu
For our final entry, we tried the Iced Tiramisu ($4.90), which tasted pleasant, but had a poor presentation – it was still wrapped with baking paper and had several cosmetic blemishes. The tiramisu, however, turned out to be like good ice cream, with a silky and melt-in-your-mouth texture. It produced a beautiful medley of chocolate, coffee and cream. It also featured a subtle taste of alcohol and a strong but not overpowering coffee fragrance – characteristic of a good tiramisu.
Rating: 4/5
In conclusion, Saizeriya is a place that offers value-for-money Italian-Japanese dishes under $10 – if you know where to look. Use this review to be better informed about your choices when dining there!
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Opening Hours
Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
(except Wednesdays, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
Location
1 Vista Exchange Green, #01-44/45, Singapore 138617
The reviewers paid for all dishes reviewed at this food establishment. Views expressed belong only to the authors, and may not represent the views of College or The Origin*.
The Origin* 