Da Mario Pizzeria

Pizzeria Da Mario at 60 Robertson Quay #01-10 The Quayside.  I first came to know about Da Mario Pizzeria more than a year ago. A jewish friend from NYC who came to work in Singapore introduced this place to me. He told me that Da Mario reminds him of Little Italy in Manhattan.  As a single working in Singapore, Da Mario was home away from home for him. He ordered all his favorite dishes that evening, but Mario's parma ham sandwich was the most unforgettable. Delectable slices of parma ham, mingled with fresh rocket leaves, sharp cheddar cheese, and generous drops of extra virgin olive oil, sandwiched between two pizza-shaped thin and crispy bread.  A great delight for the taste buds.

We have been back to this restaurant many times since.  And each time we returned, Mario's patronage seemed to get larger and larger.  This evening (being a Friday night), Da Mario was full and we had to take the tall table outside the restaurant.  Yan ordered Mario's pizza (wanting to compare that to his home made pizza).  I went for Linguine Alle Vongole, my usual choice. We topped off our order with seafood soup.

Here's an honest review of the food this evening.  First, the pizza - it was average.  There was a distinct lack of taste, and the cheese was sub-quality. I think Yan's pizza tasted better.

Second, the pasta alle vongole - it didn't taste as good as it looked. The taste of white wine and fresh clam, being the key flavors, was just too light for my liking. I like a sharp tangy wine taste which was not present in the dish.

Finally, the soup - it was again average.  It would seem Mario's quality has dwindled in the last few times we visited this restaurant. Either that it has become increasingly commercial due to the ever growing patronage, or that Mario has lost his soul for cooking, somehow.  The owner-cum-chef now employs two mainland Chinese helpers, who seemed to be taking on more and more responsibilities in the kitchen. In fact pizza-making is now the domain of one of the chinese helper.  No longer a true Italian eatery.