Michelin-starred Nae:um's team opens Italian restaurant Osteria Da Su, with pastas from S$22
Korean chef Park Su-ji, who lived and worked in Italy for a decade, makes Italian classics feel new again, from cacio e pepe with sesame seeds to handmade tortelli filled with galbi jjim.
Farfalle all'Amatriciana: Tomato, pepper, pecorino cream, yangnyeom-glazed guanciale chips. (Photo: Osteria Da Su)
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It’s not often that a concept that really counts as refreshing enters the casual dining scene. This is one: Osteria Da Su, best described simply as an Italian restaurant helmed by a Korean chef.
It’s named for chef Park Su-ji, who’s been cooking Italian food for nearly 20 years, 10 of which were spent living in Italy and working at establishments including three-Michelin-starred Da Vittorio in Bergamo.
Osteria Da Su is the latest opening by the folks behind Michelin-starred Nae:um and modern Korean steakhouse Gu:um. Fun fact: Park and Nae:um’s chef Louis Han were school mates at Seoul’s Korea Tourism College 16 years ago.
Located right next door to Nae:um, Osteria Da Su, with its menu of Italian starters, pastas, mains and desserts, was conceived of as a casual gathering place to let your hair down and have fun – and, most importantly, at an affordable price, Han said.
With pastas from S$22 and aperitivi from S$12, Osteria Da Su offers rather incredible value for cooking of this quality.
Don’t think of it as Korean-Italian food (no kimchi cheeseburger pastas or bolognese ramyun, thank you very much).
Instead, think of it as classic Italian favourites with a Korean kiss that, in some dishes, is more pronounced, and in others, subtle but highly impactful aperitivi all brought together with a fine dining chef’s restrained finesse and unmistakable flair.
For example, a Spaghetti alla Vongole uses minari or Korean water parsley in place of Italian parsley to complement the flavour of the clams; an Insalata Condiglione substitutes a soya sauce-marinated egg for the Ligurian salad’s traditional boiled egg; and a Farfalle all’Amatriciana is topped with yangyeom-glazed guanciale chips.
The biggest wow comes in the form of a Cacio e Pepe rigatoni (S$22), which comes with a sprinkling of black and white sesame seeds. This tiny but brilliant touch enhances the flavours of the pecorino cheese in ways you wouldn’t have thought possible.
Another winner is the elegantly executed Tortelli di Galbi Jjim (S$30): Handmade parcels of perfectly shaped egg pasta filled with Korean braised pork, spooned over with a classic Italian butter sage sauce and topped with fried, shredded leek.
The short and sweet menu also includes items like Dakgalbi Lasagna (S$26), Abalone Risotto (S$36), Black Angus Bistecca with perilla salsa verde (S$58), and Ossobucco alla Milanese with saffron doenjang risotto (S$48).
Desserts include a tiramisu with the addition of a light dalgona crunch (S$14) that, in spite of being alcohol-free, is very solid; a pistachio creme brulee (S$12); and a dark chocolate Salame di Cioccolato (S$12) that follows the recipe of one of Park’s former Italian neighbours.
Osteria Da Su is at 163 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068616.
