The Place What is not to love about pizzas and pastas? Another new dining addition to the buzzing Tanjong Pagar enclave along Criag Road is Fortuna (meaning good luck), Singapore’s first Sicilian-Neapolitan restaurant. Fortuna is an Italian restaurant by a trio of Italian friends – master pizzaiola Giorgio Sorce, Michelin-starred restaurant trained head chef Omar Tutino and the power couple Egon Marzaioli and Alessandra Gulino who are F&B operator and marketer extraordinaires respectively. The team is not new to F&B, as the Fortuna brand was founded in Sydney and is already an established restaurant in the city of Australia.  

The restaurant occupies a shophouse space along the buzzing Criag Road, and the interior is cosy and homely, with a mix of tables ideal for small and big groups, or couples looking for a casual date night.  

The Food The menu blends the best flavors of Sicily and Napoli, underlined by produce imported from the Italian regions. The maestro behind the pizza magic, Giorgio Sorce is nominated as the top pizza chef worldwide at Number 87th, and Number 41st in Italy, as ranked by Top 100 Pizza 2023 powered by The Best Chef Awards. 

For a start, the Pane Di Casa (S$22) is a must have. The wood fired bread with Salmoriglio sauce is so good that my table polished it off in seconds.  

You also can’t go wrong with the addictive Cuoppo Di Pesce (S$25) where the fried calamari comes with a garlic lemon dressing and a mayo sauce.   

For pasta, it is made in-house ala minute with flour from Naples that is a balanced mix of semola and 00 flour, local free-range eggs and Sicilian olive oil. I had the ‘1000’ Layers Lasagna (S$36) that is prepared the exact way of Egon’s mother in Sicily with layers of Provolone del Monaco and a Bronte Pistacchio pesto.  

There is also the Spaghetti ($38) al Gambero di Mazzara, sweetened from the juices of Mazzara king prawn and bisque, zested up with lemon and spiced with Fortuna chili and garlic, and finished off with fresh parsley and breadcrumbs just as it is done in Sicily. 

The pizzas at Fortuna comes in three styles (from S$22 per pizza) – Napoletana Pizza, Fried & Baked Pizza and Pizza Al Ruoto. 

The Napoletana Pizza (options of 22cm / 30cm) is made from dough that is left to rise for 50 hours through a two-process fermentation, shaped four hours later and baked in a woodfire Valoriani oven. I had their Not Just A 4 Cheeses (S$29/S$40) flavour and it is a delicious combination of Gorgonzola Dolce cheese with ricotta, parmesan chips and lemon.  

There is also the Fried & Baked Pizza (22cm) that is double-cooked first by frying, then baking for extra crispiness. I had the Gambero & Stracciata (S$38) flavour and even though it is fried, it does not taste too oily. This flavour is a combination of cured egg yolk, pistachio pesto, sundried tomatoes, red prawn and Stracciata cheese. You get that extra crunchy dough texture as compared to the Napoletana Pizza. Other flavours done this style include the likes of classic flavours Marinara, Margherita, Capricciosa or Diavola. 

The Contemporary Pizza Al Ruoto is cooked in an aluminum pan, an unconventional way as far as Napoli traditions go, following a unique three-way pre-fermented dough process that takes 18 hours for a 80% hydration. I had the Truffle & Anchovies (S$42) flavour which comes with walnut whipped butter, anchovies, truffle and lemon zest.  

For mains, there are options like Pollo Marinara (S$34), a serving of roasted chicken with olive tapenade, capers and San Marzano tomato.  

Last but not least, I had the namesake Fortunamisu (S$18) for dessert. I am usually not a tiramisu person, but this house tiramisu is not too bad. It is not too sweet, and it is made with Savoiardi ladyfingers, Illy Caffe coffee and chocolate crumble.  

In terms of the lunch menu, there is the 4-course Italian set lunch at S$39++ which include the woodfired bread with your choice of dip, a selection of antipasti, a choice of main course, and dessert with coffee. 

Rants The pizzas fared better for me as compared to the pastas in general.

Will I Return Again? Good vibes, service and pizzas. I will come back to try more of the pizzas at Fortuna for sure.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

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

Fortuna  
7 Craig Road  
Singapore 089667 
Tel: +65 9115 1597 

Opening Hours 
Sunday to Thursday: 12pm to 2.30pm; 5.30pm to 9.30pm 
Friday & Saturday: 12pm to 2.30pm; 5.30pm to 10pm 

Ranted by The Ranter