Oso good

I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I lurrrve working in the CBD! So many great eating places to choose from. If you want cheap and good, there's the myriad hawker centres and food courts, if you want a little more chi-chi, there's a slew of good restaurants to choose from along Tanjong Pagar Road. This is definitely a far cry from canteen food and the occasional visit to Jurong Point!

Today my dad was in town, so he came by my office and we went out for lunch. We had originally planned on eating at Ember, but me being the last minute person, forgot to book a table, so by the time I called, there weren't any tables available. I tried Buko Nero next, and that was of course full as well. So that's how we found ourselves at Oso. My dad popped in and luckily for us, there was a table available. The waiter, not without a touch of pride, said we were "very lucky to get a table".

I've heard lots about Oso, and some people will argue that it is the best Italian restaurant in town, while others will gun for Garibaldi. For me, I'm yet to decide, since I haven't eaten at Garibaldi yet. That will have to be for another time. We decided to go with the set lunch, and I found it to be quite comprehensive. I had the beef carpaccio for a starter, the sea-bream for mains, and a coffee espresso cake with banana ice-cream as dessert; while my dad had lentil soup, pasta with duck breast and profiteroles. We had the house wine to go along with our meal (drinking in the afternoon, how decadent!), and finished off with a tea and coffee. My beef carpaccio was seasoned quite delicately, and balanced off nicely with the sea-bream, which came with a heavyish-cream sauce. I wasn't too enthused about the cake though, and felt it was a little dry. Thank goodness for the banana ice-cream.

The portions were quite decent, and everything was tasty. And the best part of it is, it wasn't outrageously expensive. The entire set lunch costs $28++, and if you were to consider the fact that you could spend $20 on a pasta at Pasta Brava, this is really quite value for money.

I was really impressed by the service too. Our waiter was very friendly and professional without being too familiar and servile, and treated me like a true lay-dee, despite the fact that I was wearing jeans. When we left, he opened the door for us and told my dad, "I really hope to see you again sir!" with perfect sincerity. It's so nice to get good service.

It's past 4 now and I'm still full from lunch. Mmmm...