Most of us will remember fondly the delicious, comforting dishes of childhood cooked by our mothers, grandmothers, or other relatives. Today, it’s hard to find those soothing dishes we grew up with unless we have learned to cook ourselves.

Thanks to the kind invitation by OpenRice & Trattoria Gallo D’Oro to their 23rd OpenRice Tasty Union (ORTU #23), I had the chance to experience authentic home cooked Italian cuisine in a cosy restaurant setting.

Trattoria ‘Gallo D’Oro’ also known as ‘The Golden Rooster’ Restaurant in English is located at Central Mall, a rather quiet spot of Clark Quay.

Yellow interiors soothed diners after a long day at work. The presence of traditional red brick walls with wooden furnishing gives the place a warm homely feel.

To get the ball rolling, a quick ‘ice-breaker’ game was conducted by the OpenRice folks for everyone to get to know one another better.

Our first dish sparked immediately excitement and curiosity among the diners. What on earth were these 2 balls?

That’s Burratina di Bufala con Pomodorini ($18) – Fresh buffalo Burratina cheese with sliced tomato, basil and ‘first pressed’ organic extra virgin olive oil. It was accompanied by freshly-baked bread &

Tagliere de affettati misti Emiliani ($22) – a delicious selection of thinly sliced authentic Emilia Romagna cold cuts.

The Buffalo Burratina Cheese looked so cute that we were initially reluctant to break up its ball structure. The thin external layer was a little tough probably to retain its shape but the interior was soft, flavourful and really easy to spread onto the bread.

Just top everything up with one of the cold cuts and you have yourself a yummy appetiser.

Next came the Sardine Fritte ($22) – Deep fried sardines with onions and lemon. The size of the sardines were slightly bigger than our familiar ikan bilis. They were crunchy but still command a meaty texture and strong taste of sardine. It’s addictive if you are a sardine lover.

With our appetite whetted, It’s time to serve our first pasta for the evening. Casonsei alla Bergamasca ($20) – Stuffed veal ravioli served with golden butter, crispy bacon and sage was indisputably my favourite dish!

Smooth melted butter, titillating crispy bacon …. this is a dieter’s worst nightmare but it tasted so good…..

Our second pasta was Foiade del Gallo D’Oro ($20) – Homemade pappardelle pasta, with sausage and spinach. The sausages looked more like meat balls. They offered a rather bouncy bite which complimented the creamy pasta really well.

By the time we were done with our appetisers and pastas, I am already 3/4 full. Thankfully, the first main course Involtini di manzo ripieni ($28) – Rolled beef with mozzarella and capers was a tomato based dish which made it less filling.

The succulent beef roll hides a cheesy secret – mozzarella stuffing.

Strangely, the Branzino intero al forno ($29) – Oven baked whole Sea Bass with leeks and Italian herbs had a fishy river taste. Nevertheless, the fish was really fresh. Perhaps I am not used to the Italian treatment of their fishes.

Our last main dish Pollo al forno rustico ($26) – Roasted chicken with potatoes, olives and shallots was a delightful piece of art. Bloated from too much good food, most of us skipped the potatoes but the olives were a hit!

Before the desserts were served, these wonderful man behind all these fabulous food, Master Chef Carlo Marengoni came round to say hi. He passionately explained his vision of promoting and upholding the noble notion of sharing homestyle northern Italian cuisine in a classic Italian way.

He only has one sacred rule:  “In Gallo D’Oro, have food must SHARE.” Gallo D’Oro is a reflection of his Italian roots, particularly that from his hometown, Bergamo. True to his rule, the restaurant will have a daily ‘sharing menu’, featuring up to a range of appetizers, pastas, meat options and desserts.  All orders, including those from the ala carte menu, are prepared for sharing and placed in the middle of the table.

To end off the delightful session, Torta della Nonna con gelato ($10) – home-made custard cake with vanilla gelato handed down to Chef Marengoni’s grandmother was presented as the parting treat for all attending OpenRicers. It has a tangy lemony taste which offered a good contrast with the sweet gelato ice cream.

Trattoria Gallo D’Oro is one of the rare restaurants around Clark Quay that offers quiet and relaxing ambience for its diners and the menu prices are reasonable for quality Italian cuisine. Here are the full details of the restaurant:

Trattoria Gallo D’Oro

7 Magazine Road, #01-03 Central Mall, S(059572)