Casa Cicheti: Quaint Tiong Bahru restaurant by Cicheti Group serving handmade pastas and fried pizza

Those living in Tiong Bahru, you’re in luck. Especially if you’re an Italian food lover (who isn’t, nowadays?), then you’d have to check out Casa Cicheti, one of the new kids on the block.

Casa Cicheti is the newest concept from the esteemed Cicheti Group, mastermind behind some of Singapore’s best Italian restaurants such as Joo Chiat’s Forma and Keong Saik’s Bar Cicheti.

As the name suggests, the restaurant is an intimate affair where diners would feel comfortably at home, while feasting on an assortment of comforting Italian dishes — and all at reasonable prices, to boot.

The vibe is more “neighbourhood trattoria” and less “opulent dinner spot”, with Singapore’s dining space being so saturated with the latter that we see many new Italian restaurants going the opposite direction.

Following that line of thought, the space is flush with rustic wooden fixtures and spruced up with tasteful little touches of personality — a perfect spot to host chill group hangouts, for sure.

And well, with the Cicheti Group’s abundance of experience in slinging out pizzas and twirling up artisan pasta, there’s probably no one better to entrust your tastebuds to.

Casa Cicheti es su casa

Food-wise, Casa Cicheti doesn’t do anything outlandish. Most of it is kept simple and sound execution is the secret sauce behind everything tasting yummy.

For example, the scampi (market price) turned out to be a hit with simple, but fresh and luscious prawns as the base, beautifully bolstered by the intoxicating fragrance and sweetness of black garlic.

In the same vein, Casa Cicheti’s pasta combinations are not overly engineered — they keep it simple with timeless icons such as the rigatoni alla vodka (S$29).

Yes, it’s just the most humble medley of pink sauce, ‘nduja, basil, and chilli vodka, but it’s a damn bodacious combination, brimming with umami and enlivened with a feisty dose of spice that will satisfy spice lovers.

That simplicity extends to the capellini (S$31), as well. 

Thin, slender ribbons of linguine, slicked in a plush coat of emulsified sauce, complemented with a delectable touch of seafood richness? Casa Cicheti’s version is everything you’d want in the dish.

However, if there’s one thing that would benefit from this preference for homeliness — more so than pasta — it has to be Italian desserts.

And it’s very apparent: We reckon the decadent and fudgy hazelnut chocolate custard of the budino (S$15) and the creamy and Kahlua-forward tiramisu (S$16) are every sweet-toothed person’s dream.

Pizza pizzazz

To fill your tummy up though, the pizzas are highly recommended — especially the “Nea-Romana” pizzas, an in-house invention that marries Neapolitan pizza dough richness with the crunchy bite of Roman pizza dough. 

Most of the best pizza restaurants in Singapore prefer a style of dough closer to the airy and pillowy Neapolitan pizza, but Casa Cicheti’s pizza boasts a texture that’s light, thin and crunchy, but with a bit of chewiness to it. 

Related Articles:

Cavern Restaurant by Tunglok Group, to open on March 12 at Rainforest Wild Asia

1030 Breakfast Shop: New hawker stall with Taiwanese breakfast-style creature comforts from S$2

Tina’s Cafe celebrates the simplicity of our Singaporean classics

It’s an interesting alternative, especially if you grew up on the crunchier pizzas!

There are nine different options on Casa Cicheti’s menu, ranging from the most basic classic marinara (S$23) to spicy and indulgent diavola (spicy salami pizza, S$29).

Those who’ve been to Wild Child Pizzette (another sibling concept) would also have their eyes widened with glee, when they see the tenth item in the pizza section: The Mortazza Fritta (S$35).

The fritta is basically a traditional style of fried pizza, where the dough texture is lightly crispy on the outside and delightfully chewy on the inside — almost like a mix between bomboloni and youtiao (fried dough fritters).

It used to be available at Wild Child, but has been removed, so luckily you can now have it at Casa Cicheti!

This version comes with mortadella, stracciatella and pistachio, so you get a nice mix of creaminess, crunch and nutty fragrance. 

As far as we can tell, Casa Cicheti’s execution is terrifically sound across the board, while the prices are kept reasonable — at least considering how expensive Italian cuisine has become in recent years.

There’s probably nothing here that would blow your mind, but it delivers what it promises: A soiree full of hearty pastas, pizza and desserts.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the swanky new Cavern Restaurant that opened at Mandai and the places to hit up for a food adventure in Penang. 

Casa Cicheti’s sister concepts are available on the GrabFood delivery service and offer free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited. 

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Casa Cicheti at Tiong Bahru.