ITALIAN FOOD TO SAVOUR

Saveur is successful probably because of the combination of tasty French food at cheap prices. The daily queues at the Purvis Street restaurant attest to its popularity.

The brains behind Saveur decided to expand, and so now there is Concetto by Saveur, serving Italian food at The Cathay.

Personally, I find the robustness of Italian food more appealing than French cuisine and I love a good deal, so Concetto is right up my cheap alley.

The decor is clean and linear, and obviously ready to be photographed and splashed over social media.

The diners were mostly young as are the servers. It's here that there is a dint.

While the young servers are energetic and friendly, they have little knowledge beyond the name of the dishes.

Still, that didn't spoil my dining experience.

The food and the friendly prices were more than adequate in making up for that service shortfall.

I ordered 10 dishes and paid less than $100. That, for me, is reason enough to return.

GORGEOUS DISH

The crab risotto ($12.90) is a 
stunning-looking bowl of food 
- and it tastes even better.

The rice is the right texture, with the added crunch from rice crackers. There is also some added oomph from the ground seaweed.

SAVED BY THE SAUCE

The grilled octopus ($10.90) didn't have enough chew. I found mine slightly mushy.

But the fennel salad and especially the anchovy dressing were tasty and saved the dish.

SWEET AND BUTTERY

It looks and smells like a dessert but the pumpkin fagottini ($7.90) is from the main menu.

I am not a fan of sweet dishes, but I was drawn to this. I think it has to do with the butter. One should never ever reject butter.

BROTH'S BETTER

THAN RAVIOLI

The idea of a pork ravioli ($10.90) wasn't appealing to me - as much as I love the meat. As expected, there was a strong pork-y smell. But the delicious broth is not to be missed. It's hearty and earthy with enough gusto to stand up against the ravioli.

WITHOUT PERSONALITY

The one dish I outright dislike is the seafood soup ($8.90).

It's a tiny portion with lots of seafood, but it didn't hit the mark for me.

It has no personality or appeal, and I've had better in too many places.

WHAT Concetto

by Saveur

WHERE The Cathay,

2 Handy Road, #01-11,

OPENS Noon to 9.30pm (last order 9.15pm on

Monday and Sunday)

No reservations allowed

but if you need to contact them, it's 6735-1141