Cenzo is the new restaurant from chef Drew Nocente, formerly of the awesome nose-to-tail dining outfit, Salted & Hung which shuttered its doors a few months ago.
Mixing his Aussie-Italian heritage into the dishes, expect the modern inflections of Aussie cooking with the classic and produce-driven focus of Italian food.
My school friends and I decided on lunch at Cenzo for our year-end gathering, most of them work in the CBD area so the Club St location was perfect for them.
The Set Lunch at Cenzo.
The set lunch ($35 for 2-courses, add $5++ for dessert) is of great value. These days it seems a challenge to find one under $40/pax and the selection was fair – not like some places where the set lunch is peppered with “supplement” priced items.
Our Starters.
We shared the Whipped Ricotta, the Grilled Squid, and the Beef Tartare.
The ricotta came with pears and tomatoes and made for a refreshing start. Balancing the freshness was the unctuousness of the beef tartare. It’s good we decided on sharing each item on our set, because one portion on one’s own might be a bit much.
However, the squid was lacking in the grill department, needed a lot more fire power and flavour I would say, despite the usage of garam and aioli.
The Mains at Cenzo.
The mains we shared were the Bucatini with clams, the Chicken Milanese and Porchetta Sandwich.
If you like your pasta super al dente, the handmade version here will please you. The clams were plump and tasty, with the morsels of bacon adding needed flavour.
The classic Chicken Milanese is executed well here at Cenzo. It came topped with lots of refreshing tomatoes and parmesan to add that little touch of indulgence. The portion was just right to prevent any post-lunch coma.
The porchetta sandwich has a lovely dressing, but I do wish that the porchetta itself had a crispier crackling. Also, not the easiest dish to eat. The sandwich begs to be eaten with hands, which is brilliant but I couldn’t quite bite through each piece of meat without the whole thing wanting to fall out unglamorously onto my plate.
The Parting Shot:
We ended off with another classic – the perfect Cannoli. Not an option from the set lunch menu, we ordered a la carte. It was just right, four big pieces for the four of us.
Well, this is certainly a change from the more experimental Salted and Hung days, a much more simplistic (seemingly) affair which isn’t a bad thing, just different.
Cenzo:
Address: 81 Club St, Singapore 069449
Contact: +65 9155 8374, reservation@cenzo.com.sg
Website: https://www.cenzo.com.sg/
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 12:00 – 14:30
Dinner: 17:30 – 22:30
Sunday – closed