Simply Bellissimo!

The occassion - To celebrate the birthday of a close family friend. The venue - Pontini, a reputable Italian restaurant located in the Grand Copthorne Waterfront hotel in Singapore. The result - a great evening filled with laughter, great wine and simple yet delicious Italian food.

We started with Pontini's freshly made wood fire oven pizzas (roasted vegetables, italian sausage and prawns with rocket being the three different toppings). The pizzas were all well made and had a deliciously thin, crispy base. Simple toppings using quality ingredients are the best in my book when pizzas are concerned - and Pontini delivered just that.

What followed was an entree sized pasta dish - spaghetti with pancetta, chilli and mixed mushrooms. Perfectly al dente freshly made pasta with yet again clean flavours. The salty pancetta was perfectly balanced against the earthy mixture of porcini and portabello mushrooms.For mains, I decided on a medium rare tenderloin steak which was served on a bed of spinach in a veal jus and balsamic reduction. Whilst not a particularly large serving - the meat was perfectly cooked and the uncomplicated accompanying sauce made this a more than satisfying dish.

We of course had room for the birthday cake - a stunning dark chocolate grenache cake to round off the meal with freshly brewed Italian coffee.

The service at Pontini's was spot on - waiters were readily available without being overly intrusive. The clean presentation of the dishes and the elegant private dining room also reflected the restaurant's approach to its food to a tee.

I thorougly enjoyed this meal - and what defined it for me is the fundamental appeal of Italian food - using the best ingredients available and cooking it simply but well.

Good Italian food should be unadorned, rich in flavour and beautiful in its simplicity... and Pontini's food is exactly that - simply beautiful.