We Visited Casa Vostra Again To See If The Italian Restaurant Fared Better

Casa Vostra is a popular Italian restaurant at Raffles City

Casa Vostra at Raffles City is headed by Chef Antonio, who is also behind La Bottega Enoteca. In case you didn’t know, La Bottega Enoteca is known as Singapore’s top pizzeria in 2024! This is Casa Vostra’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant, with their previous concept being a pop-up at Ann Siang Hill. Here, you can expect the same well-loved menu featuring their slow-fermented Newpolitan pizzas and handmade pasta made from scratch.

When we last visited them in 2024, we weren’t impressed with their offerings, so we gave them another visit recently to see if we felt differently about their new menu items. 

Food at Casa Vostra

Before we dive into their offerings, let’s talk about what makes Casa Vostra’s pizzas so special. We were told that their scioglievole mouthfeel, which means melt-in-your-mouth in Italian, is something else. The pizzas here are grouped into three flavour categories: Newpolitan Red, Newpolitan White, and Doublecrunch. The pizzas in the Newpolitan Red series use a tomato-based sauce, which is made from high-quality Italian San Marzano tomatoes that are known to have a balance of sweet and tangy flavours. 

If you are not a fan of tomato base, they have the Newpolitan White, which swaps the tomato sauce for cheese. On the more innovative side of things, they also have the Doublecrunch, consisting of a variety of fillings sandwiched between two pieces of pizza dough. Just think of it as a hybrid between a pizza and a sandwich.

Back to the review. Though not new on the menu, we were given the crowd-favourite Peposo ($22++) to see why so many diners ordered this dish. Our plate came with braised beef cheek with rosemary roasted potatoes, and finished with lots of black pepper.

This appetiser was one of our top picks of the lot we tried; the soft, tender beef that soaked in the fresh, aromatic scent of the rosemary was oh-so delicious, and the roasted potatoes were cooked to just the right texture that hit the spot between a crisp exterior and a slightly yielding interior.

Then we tried the newly launched Flan di Zucca ($12++), which tasted mostly novel to everyone at the dining table. At first blush, we were pretty impressed with the appearance: a mini roasted pumpkin dome packed with Parmigiano Reggiano fondue, AKA a warm, melted cheese made using cream and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and finished with crispy pork cheek and extra virgin olive oil.

Flavour-wise, it wasn’t sweet, but perhaps the soft, rich, and creamy textures resembling a flan got us thinking that it tasted like a dessert instead of an appetiser. We only recommend this if you appreciate milky slash cheesy dishes that almost melt upon the first bite. Otherwise, the Peposo is a happier alternative to share with your dining companion(s).

Moving on to pasta, my favourite part of any Italian restaurant, we gave the newly added Mamma’s Aglio e Olio ($15++) a try. This dish is as simple as it looks—it’s primarily made using sundried tomatoes, garlic, red chilli, fresh parsley, and the key to every aglio olio, extra virgin olive oil. 

My colleagues weren’t the biggest fans of Mamma’s Aglio e Olio, but I found myself going for seconds and thirds. The al dente pasta—slightly firm with a bit of bite—paired with the punchy, umami-rich sundried tomatoes was surprisingly moreish. I also liked that it tasted different from all the aglio olio I’ve had before, which is usually typified by lots of garlic instead of sundried tomatoes. 

We also tried Casa Vostra’s signature Crab Tagliatelle ($26++), which came with a generous amount of tender crab flesh, tomato confit, and a sauce made using olive oil, garlic, and butter. The sauce was simple, but it really tied the dish together while allowing the star of the dish, the crab, to shine through. 

The choice of tagliatelle for our pasta was spot on. It was thick and flat, giving it a nice bite. Plus, it absorbed all of the sauce well. It was also cooked to a perfect al dente, which gave it a delightfully springy texture. Overall, the dish was neither complicated nor boasted tons of layers in terms of flavour, but its simplicity made it a deliciously comforting dish.

We had to see if the pizzas were the real deal, so we settled for the restaurant’s signatures: the Gamberi ($28++) and Tartufo e Funghi ($28++). The former is part of Casa Vostra’s Newpolitan Red, while the latter is part of the Newpolitan White series.

The Gamberi was topped with fresh Argentinian prawns, which were both juicy and sweet, and genuinely one of the best prawns I’ve tasted. Unfortunately, I had a bone to pick with the sauce. Considering how high in quality the tomatoes are, I was expecting a rich flavour, but it was instead on the bland side.

The saving grace was definitely the restaurant’s signature pizza crust, which gave it an amazing smoky flavour and impeccable texture. It was exactly how I expected it to be—soft, chewy, easy to tear apart, and crispy in the crust.

The Tartufo e Funghi was topped with fresh black truffle, mushrooms, and drizzled with a copious amount of truffle oil. Unlike the Gamberi, this had me in a chokehold with the rich and earthy flavours. The base is made up of a combination of two Italian cheeses: Fior di latte, a milder cheese, and Taleggio, a tangier cheese.

Being a fan of truffles, I enjoyed this quite a lot. My colleague, who was not such a huge fan of truffles, had found it a tad too pungent. I would advise you to go for this only if you can appreciate the aromatic, strong truffle flavour.

We also tried a pizza we’d never thought of trying—the Acciughe ($20++). I say this as anchovy pizza was a first for me! This pizza was topped with slivers of anchovies, which might strike the average Singaporean as unconventional. But in Italy, it is commonly enjoyed by many locals for its piquant, umami flavour. 

The anchovies had a melt-in-your-mouth texture, which I appreciated. In terms of flavour, it leaned briny, which became a tad too much when paired with the cheese. 

Although the refreshing tang of the olives and roasted yellow tomatoes did a decent job at cutting through the briny flavours, the anchovies would have fared better with, say, a tomato sauce instead.

Finally, we ended our meal on a high with the new Prosciutto e Figura ($27++). This freshly baked pizza is a winning combination of Parma ham, fig puree, rocket, Fiordilatte—a mozzarella of sorts—Parmigiano Reggiano, and baked walnuts. 

This pizza is made for those who love a good sweet-savoury combination. The thin layer of fig puree may not seem like much, but it plays an important role in elevating the otherwise familiar Parma ham pizza. If you don’t mind a bit of honeyed element to your dough, I recommend giving this a try. 

Ambience at Casa Vostra

Casa Vostra has a semi-open kitchen concept, giving us the privilege of seeing how some of the food is prepared. We were especially amazed to see the pizzas tossed into the large wood-fired oven. It was also nice that the space was well-lit with lots of vibrant colours, making for a pretty space to dine and wine with loved ones.

Casa Vostra has a large indoor seating capacity, but they see quite a busy crowd during lunch hour, so be sure to arrive in advance if you want to avoid the queue. Additionally, they do have a small outdoor seating area. For easy access, the restaurant is located at Raffles City Shopping Centre, which is connected to City Hall MRT Station.

Casa Vostra – Eatbook review

It looks like the long queues at Casa Vostra are not dying down anytime soon, as diners formed a line outside the restaurant even during our latest visit. The Italian restaurant isn’t my go-to when I’m craving pizza and pasta, but I encourage you to try their offerings at least once to see if the new items are to your liking, as we enjoyed our second visit more than the first. 

For more good eats in the area, read our City Hall food guide. We also have a guide to the best Italian restaurants in Singapore.

Address: 252 North Bridge Road, #01-49/50/51, Raffles City Shopping Centre, Singapore 179103
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 10pm
Website
Casa Vostra is not a halal-certified eatery. 

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Photos taken by Paula Formantes and Marcus Neo.
This was a media tasting at Casa Vostra.