Located at Club Street, Mazzo Restaurant and Bar is an Italian restaurant that specialises in chargrilled meats and pizzas. Fun fact: Executive Chef Gino, who helms the kitchen at Mazzo and has over 20 years of experience under his belt, used to cook for former Sri Lankan President Maithripala.

The antipasti platter ($39++, good for 2 pax) is a meal by itself; it is sufficient to be shared among four. The platter offers cold cuts, bruschetta, risotto balls, mozzarella, fried calamari & har cheong kai wings (also known as prawn paste chicken). The cold cuts (mix of mortadella, prosciutto, salami) go well with the creamy and mild mozzarella. The combination of chopped tomatoes drizzled with olive oil on bread makes the bruschetta a comforting appetizer. The har cheong kai seems out of place but it is a welcomed addition as the meat is tender and savoury.

The grilled octopus leg ($34++) is a disappointment. There is a smokey char but the texture is mushy. The accompanying grilled seasonal vegetables steal the thunder; perfectly cooked, crunchy and sweet.

The crab meat pasta ($28++) is a showstopper. The freshly made tagliolini is coated evenly with the creamy tomato-and-basil sauce and coupled with generous chunks of sweet crab meat. Although this dish looks and sounds heavy, it is not jelak (overwhelmingly rich) at all – we almost wanted to lick the plate clean!

Mazzo’s speciality thin-crust pizzas are made with dough that has been fermented for over 48 hours. Allowing the pizza dough to undergo long fermentation gives rise to the pillowy cornicione that frames the pizza crust. The hallmarks of a classic Neapolitan pizza are a chewy base; soft, moist center; and “leopard prints.”

I am happy to report that the pizzas here checked all of the points mentioned above. For cheese lovers, the four-cheese pizza (mozzarella, taleggio, cheddar & gorgonzola, $27++) is highly recommended. The ratio of toppings to dough on the mazzO pizza (ricotta cheese, pepperoni, truffle paste & spinach, $28++) is perfect for me as I prefer not to have the toppings steal the limelight away from the pizza dough.

For desserts, the portion for the tiramisu ($12++) is huge and it isn’t too sweet. However, it could have been better by adding more coffee liqueur and by balancing the proportion of cream to ladyfingers.

The only thing that I enjoyed about the frozen Nutella cheesecake ($12++) was the vanilla ice cream that accompanied it – I could not make out the Nutella nor cream cheese.

All in all, there are some hits and misses but I would return for their crab meat pasta.

Mazzo Restaurant & Bar
56 Club Street Singapore 069432
Tel: +65 6222 0089
M – Sat: 3pm – 10.30pm, Closed Sun
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Food: 6/10
Decor/ambience: 6.25/10
Price/value: 6/10

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–Dopo Teatro, Esplanade: Itameshi Cuisine (Italian Classics with Japanese Ingredients) and Pizzas Made from 36-hour Fermented Dough
–Buko Nero, Tanjong Pagar: A Perfect Italian Meal From Bread to Dessert

This is an invited tasting.

Written by Vanessa Khong. Vanessa is someone who enjoys checking out the local food scene. She believes the way to her heart is through her stomach.