Dario Pizza & More, a new pizza place along Clementi Road

We noticed this quaint looking Italian restaurant named Dario Pizza & More that had set up along the row of shops at the junction of Clementi Road and Pasir Panjang Road and decided to check it out.

Dario Pizza looks quite large from the outside because of its wide frontage. But once you enter you realise that the interior is quite cramped. It basically just occupies a narrow strip at the end of the building named “JK Village”.  On one side of the aisle is the kitchen and service area. A row of small tables line the other side, along the large windows. There are also tables outside.

We had initially tried the indoor seating to avoid the usual Singapore outdoor sauna. But the choice was either sit right inside facing the restrooms or near the entrance where the air-conditioning was not very effective. So in the end it was outdoor seating for us. We discovered that the problem with outdoor seating here was not so much the heat but the noise. The tables are well shaded but there is a high frequency of large trucks heading to the PSA port further up the road. It should be nicer here in the off-peak hours.

The menu is a simple one, with the pizzas taking the pride of place. Here is a page from the Dario Pizza menu.  We were told that you can order the pizza in halves. So we settled for a Margherita and Diavola combination.  We had assumed that an average price of the two selections would be charged. But we later found out that the higher price of the two pizzas applies – in this case $19.

The pizza arrived after around fifteen minutes. The Margherita section was just simple cheese on a tomato base. Slices of salami were added on the Diavola half, lending a meaty taste to this part. The pizza was of the very thin crust type. We thought that the crust was very well made. The taste of the pizza was on the whole not bad.  We had an expresso ($3) and a cappuccino ($5) with our pizza.

Overall, we like to see restaurants setting up near residential neighbourhoods so that we can have more non-CBD options. Dario provides an additional choice for people living in the Pasir Panjang area. However we suspect we  will be more likely to order takeaway in the future rather than eat here, in view of the seating arrangements.

Those who are driving here do note that there are a few roadside parking lots just before Dario but these are usually taken (and don’t be tempted to park beyond the allocated spaces as parking attendants are frequently spotted here). There is a surface car-park along Pasir Panjang Road close to the junction. In other words if you travelling southwards on Clementi Road, turn left into Pasir Panjang and almost immediately thereafter, turn right into the car park.

Ratings:
Food: 3
Service: 3
Value: 2
Atmosphere: 2
Overall Rating: 3 TOPs

Dario Pizza & More
6 Clementi Road
Singapore 129741

Tel: 9446 0253

www.facebook.com/dario6clementi