La Casetta: A homely Italian hidden gem with handmade pasta and pizza under S$30 in Kampong Bahru
When it comes to international flavours, Singaporeans have a few we are absolutely obsessed with.
That new Japanese izakaya? Full. The new Korean samgyetang shop? Full. A chic new Italian pizzeria? Also full.
Nowadays, it’s really hard to find a good new spot that’s not already splashed all across social media and thronged by foodies — that’s why we were surprised to chance upon La Casetta on Instagram.
Nestled in a quaint shophouse in a quieter part of the Outram Park vicinity, La Casetta is casual and homely, but with a nice touch of modern aesthetics.
The restaurant opened in early July, but hasn’t gotten much attention yet. However, when we visited on a Thursday afternoon, it actually had a pretty decent crowd!
Here, a vivacious Solero green paint job adorns most of the walls, with warm oranges and bright reds as the accenting colours.
It’s a bold choice that calls back to old-school Italian trattorias, bucking the trend of placid creams and millennial-burnt orange.
Voguish prints may hang from La Casetta’s walls, but it still feels homely!
It also has a cosy, pet-friendly corner outside for those idyllic afternoons spent people-watching, and sometimes dog-watching, while sipping on a cup of robust Italian coffee!
Pasta and pizza under S$30
These days, Italian food is a lot more accessible than it used to be in the early 2000s, but a fine meal can still set you back a hefty sum.
As far as Italian cuisine is concerned, we think La Casetta serves up pretty solid quality for the price, since its handmade pasta and pizzas are available for less than S$30!
The menu also doesn’t just cycle through the tried-and-true permutations — it offers some unconventional ideas, such as the zucca guanciale e burrata pizza (S$24).
Instead of the ubiquitous Neapolitan pizzas, which are puffy and chewy, La Casetta’s pizza dough leans towards the Roman-style, where the crust is thin and crunchy.
The dough is solid, but the ingredients — roasted pumpkin, fior di latte, guanciale, burrata, and sage — are what make this pizza shine.
The combination of fior di latte and burrata, accentuated by bursts of juicy and almost-pasty roasted pumpkin, results in each slice coming out delectably creamy.
Just as how four-cheese pizzas usually use honey as a contrast against the heavy cheeses, the roasted pumpkin basically plays the same role here — perhaps does so even better!
If this sounds a bit too rich and sweet for you, you can also opt for more classic pie options including the margherita classica (S$20) and quattro formaggi e tartufo (truffle four-cheese pizza, S$25).
As for the housemade fresh pasta, La Casetta’s menu offers quite a diverse range of sauces and pasta shapes.
These range from ravioli di ricotta alla vodka (spinach ravioli in vodka-tomato cream sauce, S$25) to cappelletti di vitello (with veal and foie gras, S$28).
Our choice of tagliolini neri al granchio (S$26) was pretty satisfying, too, with a bold but controlled briny profile and generous portions of fresh crab meat clinging to slender squid-ink tagliolini.
The tagliolini was cooked just a bit past al dente — the texture generally preferred by Singaporeans.
Weekday set lunch at La Casetta
Workers in the area can also consider swinging by La Casetta for its weekday lunch menu, with offerings starting at S$18 — including the healthy bowl (mixed greens with burrata, pesto, and roasted pistachio, S$18).
Or you can snag a panini (from S$18) if you need a filling lunch to get through the day. Our prosciutto (S$20) was a big boy that filled us up quite quickly!
Then there’s the pranzo combo, essentially a set lunch with three protein options: pollo (cajun chicken leg, S$24), salmone (pesto salmon steak, S$26) and manzo (beef tenderloin cubes, S$27).
Each combo comes with a homemade cold brew of the day, and a choice of aglio olio or pomodoro spaghetti for carbs.
Sweet-toothed folks should also dive into the dessert menu — no one does desserts quite like the Italians.
The good ol’ tiramisu (S$14) here is an indulgent end, with its great texture and rich coffee notes harmonising wonderfully with the Valrhona chocolate!
With decent value, well-executed cooking, and a quaint, homely vibe — could this actually be a *gasp* hidden gem?
One thing is for sure, you should definitely bookmark La Casetta — especially if you want good Italian food without the huge crowds!
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the intriguing new izakaya fusing Japanese and Thai flavours and the hawker stall with long lines for its Sri Lankan biryani!
Wed 11am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm
Thu 11am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm
Fri 11am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm
Sat 8am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm
Sun 8am - 3pm, 5.30pm - 10pm
- Outram Park
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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