Petra at Dempsey: A gorgeous Mediterranean restaurant by La Bottega chef-owner
If you’ve dined at La Bottega Enoteca, you’d understand that chef-owner Antonio Miscellaneo is a man who possesses some kind of culinary wizardry — his pizzeria is ranked No. 85 globally in The Best Pizza Awards 2026, and casual joint Casa Vostra continues to see long queues, two years after it first opened.
But besides Italian food, he has also shown breadth in his culinary exploits, like when he partnered with chef Carlos Montobbio of Esquina for the quaint tapas bar Carlitos at Joo Chiat.
Just last week, he also opened Petra at Dempsey, an homage to his time in London, where he was obsessed with its myriad intimate eastern Mediterranean restaurants.
His newest restaurant is about a team-up with Mission Group (formerly Ebb & Flow) executive chef Anas Shami, who had headed up Aniba, a luxe Mediterranean restaurant.
It is snuggled deeper within Dempsey Hill at Harding Road, a ways from its main restaurant enclave — nearer to modern French outfit Claudine.
The space Petra occupies used to house the now-defunct Curly’s, and the ghost of the upscale grocer can still be observed throughout the premises.
But we have to say: Petra is visually stunning. From the sleek earthen hues and dried flower arrangements, to the floor-to-ceiling window panes that let in a deluge of soft daylight, it’s all very elegant.
Those who don’t mind the humidity can also stake a claim on one of its pet-friendly outdoor terrace seats.
Mezze-merising dips & bread
Within Mediterranean cuisine, one of the most recognisable sub-categories is mezze, which revolves around a spread of small dishes, including dips and morsels of cheese and meat.
Dips such as hummus are mainstays, making bread a crucial component — which ties in rather aptly with Antonio’s finesse with dough.
All our focus during the mezze course was on the house-baked bread. Petra’s sangak-style bread with za’atar (S$11) was dreamily airy and light, and complemented by wafts of intoxicating za’atar spice notes.
That’s not diminishing the accompanying dips in the mezze dip trio (S$32). We adored Petra’s umami and silky taramasalata (shaved bottarga and olive tapenade, S$16) and clean, earthy hummus (S$12)!
One dish we recommend ordering alongside the mezze — though it’s technically a cold starter — is the hamachi tartare (S$24).
It isn’t a novel dish, but Petra puts an ingenious spin on it, mixing horseradish with beetroot to give it a sharp earthy acidity, reminiscent of wasabi!
It’s also paired with a thick green gazpacho, which introduces lashings of delicate vegetable sweetness. And it actually goes spectacularly with the bread, too.
Anyone who enjoys eating clean will also appreciate the fresh salads with a weekly selection of seasonal salads (S$20) at Petra’s salad bar.
The beetroot salad we got was as fresh as it comes, and the beetroot was nice and juicy — even regular beetroot haters could enjoy this.
Petra’s big flavours
Moving on to the bigger plates, the Portuguese octopus and orzo (S$32) is a must-order dish.
Besides the chunky, succulent octopus, it was the orzo (rice-shaped pasta) that bewitched us with its plush and silky texture — it’s similar to risotto, where each grain is enrobed in a creamy sauce.
Grilled meats is another speciality at Petra. We tried three of them: chicken shawarma skewer (S$32), lamb leg kofte (S$32), MBS6/7 wagyu striploin skewer (S$56).
Each skewer comes with a choice of side and is paired with a sauce: capsicum sauce for the chicken, chimichurri for the lamb, and demi-glace for the beef.
All of the meats are expertly grilled, but the lamb and beef were the stars.
The extra luscious and smoky wagyu, in particular, was great with the sweeter demi-glace that comes with it, but also works with the herbaceous chimichurri meant for the lamb.
While we aren’t particularly fond of desserts in general, Petra’s baklava (S$18) and kunafah (S$24) proved us wrong.
The latter had the toastiest, crunchiest kunafah strands, which covered a glut of lightly briny stretchy akkawi cheese. Meanwhile, the former might contain the airiest, flakiest filo pastry we’ve tasted in a while.
With everything taken into account, Petra could very well be one of our favourite openings in Singapore for 2026 — it seems chef Antonio just keeps churning out gold!
This was a hosted tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on iconic Japanese brand Matsuya’s Singapore opening and Chinese baijiu brand Kweichow Moutai’s ambitious three-storey concept.
Wed 11.30am - 3pm, 5.30pm - 10.30pm
Thu 11.30am - 3pm, 5.30pm - 10.30pm
Fri 11.30am - 3pm, 5.30pm - 11pm
Sat 11.30am - 1.30pm, 5.30pm - 7pm
Sun 11.30am - 3pm, 5.30pm - 10.30pm
- Napier
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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