Pasta tasting and set menus at Assaggi by Michelin-starred Buona Terra, opening in Neil Road

Not as fancy as Buona Terra, not as high-traffic as Locanda: Chef Denis Lucchi will debut his third concept, a fuss-free, tasting-only restaurant with an Italian soul, on Aug 10.

If all you’ve ever yearned for is to eat four or five different pastas for lunch, chef Denis Lucchi has anticipated your deepest desire.

With one-Michelin-starred Buona Terra and casual trattoria Locanda already under his belt, he’s expanding his Italian empire with a third concept that occupies a middle ground.

Assaggi, opening on Aug 10 in Neil Road, is a tasting menu-only restaurant that does away with all the frills like caviar and truffles, but still delivers an experience driven by technique and seasonality. “Fine dining lite”, if you will.

The idea came about when they decided to take the second-storey restaurant space previously occupied by restaurant Chaleur, Lucchi shared.

While he could have opened a second Locanda, the space “naturally lent itself to a more intimate experience” instead of “another busy trattoria serving large numbers of guests”.

“We decided to do a restaurant where you can enjoy a multi-course menu without totally killing your pocket,” he said. Assaggi is Italian for “tasting” and here, “a small team can focus on carefully crafted tasting menus, and create a genuine connection with every table.”

Menus start at S$58 for a three-course lunch, while the two other, larger menus are both S$88. There’s the “Signature Journey”, where starters include veal eye round with artichoke and quail egg in tuna sauce, and octopus with potato, tomato and green beans; and mains include duck with peach and fennel, coral trout with zucchini scapece and mugnaia sauce, and short ribs with parsnips and green pepper.

Then there’s the “Pasta Journey”, where you’ll get four different pastas, all in tasting portions, with the option to add one more on. Currently on this menu are tubetti with anchovies, nettle and black lemon; linguine aglio olio with mussels and tomato; and fusilli with capsicum, red prawns and lime.

Both menus open with canapes and bread glazed with honey, balsamic vinegar and duck fat, accompanied by whipped Beppino Occelli butter; and end with a fruity pre-dessert and a dessert.

“Rather than relying on luxury ingredients simply because they’re expensive, we focus on ingredients that deliver flavour, seasonality and balance,” Lucchi explained. “One of our tasting menus is dedicated entirely to pasta because we believe it’s one of the purest expressions of Italian cuisine.”

Meanwhile, the beverage programme features cocktails and mocktails by Bar Kakure, known for its use of seasonal ingredients like premium fruits; and a sizeable wine cellar with over 170 labels including a significant number of natural wines. Sip your wine from handmade clay vessels like the ancient Romans did, and notice the difference in mouthfeel.

If you’ve dined at Buona Terra before, you will notice continuity at Assaggi.

“Much of the team at Assaggi has grown within Buona Terra, bringing with them the same respect for ingredients, technique and hospitality. Those values remain exactly the same. What changes is how they’re expressed,” Lucchi said.

“Although our three restaurants offer very different experiences, they all share the same foundations. Buona Terra remains the highest expression of our vision of Italian fine dining, and we’re incredibly proud of what it represents. Locanda offers a more traditional trattoria experience, where guests can drop in, order a la carte and enjoy familiar Italian classics," he said.

"Assaggi completes the journey. It sits naturally between the two, offering a chef-guided multi-course experience that remains approachable and delivers exceptional value. It allows guests to enjoy the creativity and progression of a tasting menu in a more relaxed, contemporary setting.

“Rather than creating three versions of the same restaurant, we wanted to create three different ways of experiencing Italian cuisine. Each has its own personality, but all are built on the same commitment to quality, hospitality and respect for great ingredients.”

*Assaggi opens Aug 10 at 77A Neil Road. *