The Place A new Korean-Italian restaurant which opened on Telok Ayer Street, Osteria Da Su is an osteria built around the concept of authentic “Italian with a Korean Soul” — rooted in real Italian technique and craft, with Korean flavours woven in as an accent rather than a fusion. It is the newest venture under the NAE:UM Group umbrella, and sister concept to the contemporary Korean fine dining restaurant NAE:UM and modern Korean steakhouse GU:UM. The concept of Da Su is meant to be casual and approachable without burning a big hole in the pocket.

The restaurant is helmed by Chef Suji Park, who brings close to two decades of culinary experience across Korea and Italy, including three years at three-Michelin-starred Da Vittorio in Bergamo and nearly five years on the opening team of Gucci Osteria in Seoul.

In terms of the layout, there are outdoor seats, tables with direct view of the open kitchen ideal for couples, and bigger tables at the back of the restaurant if you prefer a quieter space.

The Food The menu specialises in handmade artisanal pasta, alongside Italian mains, small plates and desserts, all served in a warm, osteria-style setting. Chef Suji defines her style at Osteria Da Su as authentic “Italian with a Korean Soul”. Her foundation and method are classically Italian, where Da Su blends the homeliness of a traditional Italian osteria with a clean, minimal, Korean-inspired sensibility to evoke a sense of relaxation and conviviality.

For a start, I had the Zucchini Bruschetta (S$12) where the grilled sourdough is topped with housemade ricotta and Neapolitan-style zucchini scapece, finished with garlic oil.

Next up I had their Suppli di Riso (S$14) which is crispy rice croquette with kimchi, guanciale and seaweed mayo.

A strong Korean element dish is the Korean Pepper Fritto (S$14), where Korean cucumber pepper is filled with prawn and housemade ricotta, seasoned with thyme and nutmeg, then fried. Served with doenjang mayo.

For pasta, the Tortelli di Galbi Jjim (S$30) features handmade tortelli made with egg dough and Italian flour, filled with braised pork and served with a butter sage sauce and fried leek. If you like a creamy pasta, go for this.

The Spaghetti alle Vongole (S$28) is a classic pasta where the artisanal dried spaghetti is tossed with deshelled Asari clams, minari, and fresh and confit cherry tomatoes. The taste of this pasta leans towards the lighter spectrum.

The Abalone Risotto (S$36) is probably the strongest Korean element pasta I had where Jeju abalone is simmered with a stock of katsuobushi, soy sauce, sake, soju and chilli padi until soft. The Carnaroli rice is cooked in the same abalone stock, and then mantecare with butter and grana padano. It is also topped with abalone liver sauce (abalone liver blended with garlic, white wine reduction), sliced abalone, Korean sesame oil and sesame seeds. This is my favourite of the three pastas I had, as the flavours have the strongest Korean element for me.

Moving on to proteins, I had their Black Angus Bistecca (S$58) where the Australian Black Angus striploin (not aged) is pan-fried in the Northern Italian style with butter and garlic and basted with butter. Served as a tagliata with oven-baked potatoes and rucola salad.

For desserts, expect the likes of Dalgona Tiramisu (S$14), a classic tiramisu of mascarpone and savoiardi, topped with dalgona and homemade honeycomb toffee.

There is also the Salame di Cioccolato (S$12) where Chocolate salame is made with Guanaja 70% dark chocolate and biscotti, served with housemade vanilla gelato. The biscotti used is a butter coconut biscuit from Korea.

For something light, the Insalata di Frutta (S$12) is seasonal fresh fruits dressed with an apricot mint dressing, served with a housemade kumquat and peach sorbet.

Rants I personally find “Italian with a Korean Soul” not that straightforward to understand for diners. If you are expecting full-blown Korean flavours in each dish here, it is not the case.

Will I Return Again? It is great to have another casual-ish Italian concept in the heart of CBD, especially after the success of Assaggi. Expectations are high when the NAE:UM Group branding is tagged to Osteria Da Su, and I think that it will be an even stronger positioning if we have more of the Korean elements coming through in the dishes.

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

Osteria Da Su
163 Telok Ayer Street

Singapore 068616

Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday: 11.30am to 2.30 pm; Dinner from 5.30pm
Closed on Sunday

Ranted by The Ranter