Video
Read full review
2011-04-26
162 views
Living in the vicinity I've always wanted to try Pane Vino but...dinners are too expensive, my family doesn't fancy Italian for dinner, and lunch sets seem to be overpriced, compared with SoHo lunchset prices, which start from as low as $80. Today, thanks to H who bought 2 coupons (lunch for two at $116 each), I finally set foot in this homey Italian eatery. Environment:Lovely. Serene and quiet at lunch, plenty sunlight slanting in through the large glass panes; good thing there was a strip of s
Environment:
Lovely.
Serene and quiet at lunch, plenty sunlight slanting in through the large glass panes; good thing there was a strip of sanded glass at eye level, or else passers by would be peeping, intrusively. I do not enjoy being looked at when I'm eating. Service:
Excellent, all of us agreed. Attentive service, cordial attitude; family-style. I don't feel particularly confined or restricted in that environment. Very homey. Very Italian.
Food:
Bread, EVOO, aged balsamic
Average rolls, but the evoo and aged balsamic added another dimension to the plain old roll. the balsamic, in particular, is exceptional. Thick, sweet and strong, it left a pleasant tartness in my mouth afterwards. I loved it. Yes I must repeat myself. Vegetable soup (tomato based)
A rather thick soup for something that isn't cream-based. I liked it. It had body, lots of ingredients, very rich, substantial. I'm not a fan of tomato-based soups but I finished every last drop of this one. Perhaps I was hungry. Perhaps I'd just made it to the end of a stressful event. Perhaps it was just yummy. Oh, it's got a bit of everything a Russian Borscht has - with the addition of extra spices (quite exotic, like bay leaf).House salad
Not the conventional type of salad you'd see. There's salami, red and yellow capsicums, beans, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke, and some greens. A very generous lug of evoo - everything was practically swimming in oil. Is that how italians do it? A little over, for my taste. I'd prefer a little less vinegar and evoo. As long as the greens are tossed well, it is fine. Too much a good thing..Pan-seared (forgot) fish with rocket and butter something dressing
Pretty good. The fish was fresh and flaky, a quality of fish which I appreciate. Cooked fish it not good if it's meat can only be separated with a lot of assistance from the fork. This one - just press the back of your fork against the flesh and it neatly breaks apart. It's been quite a while since the meal and now (time of writing). Didn't take notes so I've forgotten what it exactly tastes like. Squid ink pasta with shrimp and cherry tomatoes
There's actually nothing special about black pasta. Looks like thick hair. Squid ink has no distinctive taste - it just adds another layer of texture to the pasta strands. Slightly grainy. I don't eat shrimp - J made no specific comment. It wasn't too al dente, sadly. a bit on the chewy side. And i realized that I don't like thick spaghetti that much. It's just too much pasta all at once in your mouth. Prefer slimmer pastas Wonder if you would too. Pumpkin risotto with saffron, sliced almonds and baby broccoli
Again, there isn't much to be said about this risotto. The texture was average, (not as good as On Lot 10) and I couldn't taste saffron at all. Being an extremely expensive spice I suppose they weren't too generous with the portions. I liked the broccolini though! Very cheesy and thick - and only cheesy too, which makes the whole dish rather drab. Could've thrown in ingredients like oxtail or mushrooms to make things more interesting. On that note - I don't recall pumpkin fragrance up my nostrils. Coffee (with biscotti)
Like this picture for the colors. An average coffee, said H. Conclusion:
With H's discount coupons, $116 pax. for lunch sets. Originally, $175 service charge included. A bit on the expensive side for a casual lunch with friends. Therefore I might not come back for lunches so often, unless there's a special occasion. I would want to try dinner here though, at some point. And I would come back again for the homey feeling Italians manage to create. It is very warm.
Post
