With its gingham table cloths, pristine tiling and specials blackboard Caruso, on the Bukit Timah Road, is the very archetype of a trattoria. Add in the mezzanine level, and you almost expect Enrico to appear belting out an aria from the Marriage of Figaro.
But even if the atmosphere is not at full throttle, this neighbourhood favourite will wrap you in home comforts with classic Italian dishes imbued with warmth and bonomia. Expect all the classics from burrata and bruschetta to prosciutto and calamari, but top marks are reserved by locals for their seafood soup. Don’t miss their thyme inflected lamb chop, grilled with artichokes and little roast potatoes or the first rate saltimbocca alla Romana. Pizzas are rightly popular with families and don’t leave without at least sharing their walnut and almond tart served with Limoncello cream.