A first look at Casa Vostra at Tampines Mall and its six new, exclusive dishes

If you’re an eastie who’s always wanted to try the popular Casa Vostra at Raffles City Shopping Centre, but has been deterred by its long queues, news of its newest Tampines outlet is probably music to your ears.

Opening today (May 15), at the entrance of Tampines Mall where sports store Decathlon once stood, Casa Vostra’s latest outlet serves not just the same affordable Italian classics that made it first go viral, but also six new outlet-exclusive dishes.

Helmed by chef Antonio Miscellaneo of La Bottega Enoteca fame, Casa Vostra opened its first restaurant in the heart of town in mid-2024, with its second following just a year later.

While its Tampines outlet is not Casa Vostra’s biggest — that honour goes to the one at Jem — the 58-seater offers a good mix of seating options, from high counter seats to plush booth ones.

You might also notice that while Casa Vostra at Tampines has a similar warm aesthetic and vibe as its predecessors, one noticeable difference is that there’s a lot more wriggle room between tables and around the restaurant in general. 

Casa Vostra’s general manager, Raoul Shah Supoano, 38, says that this spaciousness is deliberate, as they noticed that there wasn’t much space for strollers in the earlier outlets. He is also a father of three. 

There are more seating permutations for bigger groups, too, with a middle table that can seat up to 11. 

Aesthetics aside, Casa Vostra at Tampines Mall remains equally committed, as its earlier outlets, to dishing up quality Italian fare, with most ingredients made from scratch while keeping prices affordable. 

Shah says the team wants Casa Vostra to be a space where “people can come and not burn a hole in their pocket”. 

Nothing at Casa Vostra Tampines is above S$30, and the cheapest main is a roasted tomato Doublecrunch pizza (S$14), featuring roasted tomatoes, burrata, balsamic vinegar and basil between two layers of fermented dough, which is then slow-cooked to crunchy perfection. 

New, outlet-exclusive items at Casa Vostra Tampines

Even if you’ve visited Casa Vostra’s other outlets, the introduction of six new menu items might be reason enough to head down to the east.

To start, there’s the frittatina alla scamorza (S$11), a deep-fried snack of scamorza, a type of Italian smoked cheese, and potato, drizzled with honey, and served with lemon, thyme and extra virgin olive oil.

You get two sizable discs with a lightly crisp exterior that stays crunchy, even though we left it on the plate for a bit. The savouriness from the smoked cheese and potato can get a little cloying after a while, but the touch of honey helps balance things out. 

There are two new pizza flavours at Tampines — the margherita affumicata (S$19) and the prosciutto e Nduja (S$24). 

Think of the former as a jazzed-up version of the classic margherita (S$17).

The margherita affumicata comes with the same ingredients of San Marzano tomato DOP,  fresh basil, and fiordilatte di Agerola and parmigiano reggiano cheeses, but is spruced up with smoked provola (a soft, stretched curd cheese) and a housemade smoked mayo.

The additions might be subtle, but this is one to get, especially if you already love the margherita, but want something with just a bit more depth of flavour. 

The prosciutto e ndjua is a medley of flavours and colours with prosciutto cotto, smoked provola, Calabrian chilli sausage, pickled onions, housemade mayo, and fried sage.

As someone who loves a smattering of ingredients and textures on my pizza, the sweet and tangy pickled onions and the crisp, fried sage leaves are wonderful complements to the prosciutto. There are small dollops of ‘nduja (spicy, spreadable pork sausage) that add extra flavour without noticeable heat.

My favourite among the new dishes, however, has to be the agnolotti al branzino e gamberi (S$27), which features seabass-stuffed pasta with bouncy Argentinian prawns in a light butter sauce with capers, San Marzano tomato DOP, and parsley.  

This seafood spin takes inspiration from the south of Italy. Meanwhile, Casa Vostra has a prior agnolotti (stuffed pasta) dish on the menu already — the agnolotti del plin (S$28), a pork stew-filled rendition in a chicken jus and butter sauce.

The dish is flavourful and generously packed with protein — two qualities I always appreciate in a meal, especially when time-starved — though I’d personally opt to have the pasta cooked less al dente next time (an option available when ordering, and what many Singaporeans seem to prefer).

The last new main is one for the vegetarians: The raviolone con ricotta, spinaci e tuorlo morbido (S$23) is a single ravioli, stuffed with ricotta, spinach, and a runny egg yolk, with a burnt butter and sage sauce. 

It may be the only ravioli dish on the menu, but considering how many housemade pasta varieties Casa Vostra already serves — from spaghetti to orecchiette — we think that’s more than enough. (And yes, this outlet carries the brand’s well-loved crab tagliatelle at S$26!)

We’re sure you’d be full by now, but save space for the last exclusive, the coppa alla stracciatella (S$14), a creamy, sweet-cream based gelato streaked with dark chocolate sauce and shards.  

I’m not usually a gelato person, but the contrast between the soft, creamy gelato and the hardened, slightly bittersweet chocolate shards had me going back for spoonful after spoonful.

If these six didn’t excite you that much, there’s more on the horizon, with two upcoming collaboration dishes by chef Antonio and Rome-based chef Luciano Monosilio, widely known as Italy’s “King of Carbonara”, launching on May 26.

Before we leave, I ask Shah if he worries that expanding Casa Vostra across Singapore might dilute some of the brand’s exclusivity.

But beyond preserving exclusivity, Shah says he, chef Antonio, and their business partners simply want to make Casa Vostra’s food more accessible to a wider audience, without people having to endure punishing queue times. The team already has another outlet slated to open later this year, too. 

Taken altogether, Casa Vostra’s Tampines outlet feels less like a copy-and-paste expansion and more like a thoughtful evolution of the original, whether through its new menu additions or subtle spatial tweaks. 

Speaking as an eastie myself, there’s admittedly something comforting about finally having a Casa Vostra closer to home — especially one where the queues might feel just a little less intimidating than the ones in town.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more eats in the east, check out Cold Cut Trio, a new sandwich shop in Joo Chiat by three besties, and the newly reopened Lady M at Jewel Changi Airport.