Da Paolo Pizza Bar

When dining in, there is service, ambiance or value for money, but good food is always another thing. Da Paolo Pizza Bar (Singapore) corroborates the fact that the bottomline of every great restaurant is what's on the menu, not outside of it. Reason being, service may be sucky, atmosphere pretentious and items expensive- just like in Da Paolo- but if the food is great, bar none, there's a reason to go back.

I have had several visits to Da Paolo if only for their desserts. They only have five, but each one of them is divine. If you want someting rich, the tiramisu and Valrhona chocolate cake are must-haves. However, for me, everything pales in comparison to Da Paolo's heavenly lemon meringue pie.

It contains a variety of tastes and textures: sweet, smooth and light meringue, sour and rich lemon fill and a sweet-salty, coarse crust that all work to the definition of good dessert. It's a hearty end to a good meal.

Speaking of which, Da Paolo's pizza selection is probably the most novel and authentic-Italian in the island. I do have high standards for pizza- from home-made, commercial to high-class, and, mind you, Da Paolo takes its pizza seriously. The selection is very comprehensive; it will take you ages to decide which one to pick but it really does not matter because every one of them is as delightful as the other. One tip, though, it's better to come in a group so you can try different flavors; one huge pizza of eight slices may get boring towards the end.

There are other items on the menu as well, but based on experience, they are not as exceptional as the pizza and desserts. The cocktails may prove me wrong, though, but be sure to ask the waiter what each one is concocted from- there was one that tasted like chewing gum! If you have more money to spare, their wine selection is very wide too.