The Place A slice of Europe in Keong Saik, that’s exciting enough for me to check out Bar Milano, a less than one month old causal Italian Bistro and Cocktail Bar. The Italian restaurant is managed by the SJS Group, which runs restaurants like Pasta Bar, Papi’s Tacos and Employees Only. Located as part of KēSa House right beside The Guild and Olivia Restaurant & Lounge, the two small tables at the entrance of the restaurant facing Keong Saik Road reminds me much of Europe.

The interior exudes an old European vibe with the dark brown leather seats, a small bar and marble table top contrasted against a dark yellow wall. Welcome to Italy.

The Food The restaurant is opened all day and serves a breakfast and evening menu. The dinner menu is quite concise, made up of a good variety of starters, a couple of pizza and mains options, and a small dessert selection. I am personally fond of concise menus as it tend to showcase the best dishes a restaurant is able to dish out, instead of trying to be a jack of all trades and master of none.

If you are a drinker, the Spritz culture is one of the highlight on the drinks menu here, using a variety of Italian spirits, wines, and vermouths.

I skipped drinks and my meal started with the Steak Tartare (S$18). Spread on sourdough bread along with anchovy cream, you get a well-balanced and creamy spread which I swear I can have it for breakfast everyday. The sourdough spots a crispy texture and the subtle notes of the anchovy cream makes it perfect.

Unlike the usual pizzas, Bar Milano specialises in fried pizza, also known as Pizza Fritta. This is a Napoli style pizza, and a brief history of Pizza Fritta is that it used to be the staple during the World War Two period in Napoli and is apparently difficult to find this dish outside Napoli. Any Italians who want to verify?

It is a must to order at least one of the Pizza Fritta, and the menu consists of options such as truffle smoked ricotta & wild mushrooms, mortadella & stracciatella, broccolini & anchovy and, the classic tomato mozzarella & basil.

I had my eyes on the Pizza Fritta Truffle Mushroom (S$24), a combination of wild mushrooms, ricotta, shaved truffle and topped with fried egg. How does fried pizza tastes like? My pizza fritta wasn’t oily at all, and the texture of the dough is fluffy and crispy. This is probably my favourite pizza combination, as the tinge of truffle aroma and the creamy melted ricotta is delicious.

For mains, I went for the Whole Baked Baby Snapper (S$26), stuffed with olive, fennel, kale, orange, cherry tomato and herbs. The portion is hardly baby size, as it is a relatively large snapper decorated in beautiful colours of ingredients.

I like the citrusy sauce here, and the snapper meat is fresh and the texture is just right. Good dish to share between 2 to 3 persons.

Rants Service is somewhat shaky. Not that it is bad per se, but I feel that the service staff can show a little more warmth in their tone. To add, the dining table size is quite small.

Will I Return Again? There are a couple of dishes which are not available during my visit and I do have a positive take on the dishes I had above. The price point of Bar Milano is relatively competitive in the Keong Saik enclave and I will be back again.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Bar Milano
55 Keong Saik Road
#01-02
Singapore 089158

Opening Hours
Monday to Sunday: 10am to 12am

Ranted by The Ranter