Da Paolo family opens Tutto at Jewel Changi, serving authentic Italian with a view — and the unique assassina pasta
Nowadays, finding a good Italian restaurant in the CBD is probably one of the easiest tasks out there for any foodie — you can find a highly-rated pasta or pizza joint on every other street.
However, before the great Italian food boom of the last 10 to 15 years, good Italian fare was not that common. Gourmands from that era would have very fond memories of the Da Paolo brand.
It was the brand pushing Italian food, long before it became the voguish phenomenon it has flourished into today.
Started in 1989, the Da Paolo Group is one of our city’s most established brands, and boasts a portfolio of six Gastronomia outlets and an eponymous restaurant at Dempsey. Now, it adds Tutto at Jewel Changi to the fray.
The original couple behind Da Paolo — Paolo and Judie Scarpa — have long since stepped away and today, the group is run by their children, Andrea and Francesca.
With new blood, there are bold new ideas, and the siblings have decided to turn the page for the brand with Tutto. It brings a more vibrant, modern, and casual vibe to an already well recognised homegrown brand.
The Jewel Changi restaurant is done up with bright, warm splashes of yellow and orange, and accented with pops of verdant green — it also pampers guests with a splendid view of the rain vortex.
Besides serving up Italian food with a gorgeous backdrop, Tutto also serves it with heart.
Diners might be able to catch Andrea, who is the group executive chef, running the show with a custom-made pizza oven and even making fresh handmade pasta — ensuring that customers get the best quality.
And they ensure it’s affordable too, with nothing above S$30 — gone are the days of lavishly priced Italian food, and we approve.
The elusive Assassin’s pasta
Besides the view, one of the main highlights of Tutto is undoubtedly the assassina (S$18), a rare dish you hardly see even in Singapore’s best pasta restaurants.
It might look strange at first glance, but that’s because this speciality from the Italian city of Bari has an unorthodox preparation method — instead of boiling, the spaghetti is first cooked on a pan, before being topped with a spicy tomato sauce that earned it the “assassin” moniker.
That results in a very unique charred texture, where the strands of pasta are crunchy and lightly chewy, while the sauce is nicely caramelised and enrobed onto the pasta.
Tutto’s version of the pasta is satisfyingly crunchy and wonderfully caramelised, while also packing a good amount of heat, making it a dish with oodles of umami and oomph.
Even if you’re not quite keen on this special pasta dish, there are plenty of crowd-pleasing classic pasta dishes on Tutto’s menu, including the ever-popular carbonara (S$19) and cacio e pepe (S$18).
As far as cacio e pepe is concerned, the one at Tutto can be said to be a well-executed textbook example of the classic.
Cheese richness, check. Pepper floral sharpness, check. Creamy sauce, check.
The thicker spaghettoni also allows more of the emulsified pecorino and pepper sauce to cling on to its strands, giving more flavour with each slurp.
Besides handmade pasta, Tutto also offers a myriad of Neapolitan-style pizzas, which are made using 72-hour-fermented dough and are all priced under S$30.
For pizza, we tried the intriguing gamberi e limone (S$28), which combines San Marzano tomatoes, prawn bisque, garlic, lemon, and wild Argentinian prawns.
Fresh luscious prawns, rich sauce, moreish garlic fragrance, and a touch of sprightly citrus — what’s not to love?
In line with the other top pizza restaurants in Singapore, Tutto’s dough is also on the lighter side and carries a gentle chewy texture.
If you’re more focused on pasta, but still want to test out Tutto’s custom-made oven, the focaccia palloncino (S$6) is another solid option.
This sexily rotund focaccia is soft, chewy, and a great conduit for sopping up any leftover pasta sauce left on your plate.
At the end of the day, Tutto might not be life-changing, but it delivers on its promise of honest Italian food at affordable prices.
Everything under S$30, fresh handmade pasta, a nice ambience, a great view, and a chance to savour the rare assassina? Yeah, it’s definitely worth a visit to Jewel Changi.
This was a hosted tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on Chick-fil-A’s long-awaited Singapore opening and the cafe at Farrer Park specialising in handmade focaccia.
Tue 11.30am to 9.30pm
Wed 11.30am to 9.30pm
Thu 11.30am to 9.30pm
Fri 11.30am to 10pm
Sat 11am to 10pm
Sun 11am to 9.30pm
- Changi Airport
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.
Read more stories from this writer.
