iO Italian Osteria at HillV2, revisited 2015

iO Italian Osteria was one of the first restaurants that we visited when the new HillV2 mall opened in 2014. Our impressions were mostly favourable. You can see more pictures of the restaurant at our review here. Time has flown by and it has been nine months since our visit. The Hillier condominium units on top of the shopping mall look like they are nearing completion. The protective netting around the building was in the process of being peeled of and you can now see the naked building.  We recently returned to the restaurant for a quick meal.

The iO Italian Osteria remained largely unchanged except that we can sense that there is more vibrancy at the place and the number of staff has increased. The menu looks the same, but on closer scrutiny we noticed some changes have been made. Here is a section of the new menu.

We ordered the baked eggplant parmigiana ($13) and a garganelli pasta with lamb ragout ($18).

The baked eggplant parmigiana was very good.  It was only a starter but because of its dense and compact quality, it can be a main course for someone with a smallish appetite. Made of layers of eggplant and smothered with tomato paste and a layer of cheese, it reminded us of Greek moussaka without the minced lamb.  At $13 it was good value for money.

The garganelli was less intense in flavour by comparison. The lamb ragout was quite mild in taste. The pasta had a pleasant springy texture. A good pasta dish, but not exceptional.  In line with their country-style restaurant decor, the dishes were served in chunky crockery and eaten with heavy metal utensils.  An enjoyable rustic meal in an attractive restaurant in Hillview.

It appears that iO Italian Osteria is one of the more popular and successful restaurants at HiilV2. Judging from their consistency in quality since our last visit, we can see why. There are not many good Italian restaurants with a beautiful ambience like iO Italian Osteria in the Upper Bukit Timah area. You can read our summary of the restaurants at the HillV2 mall here.

Ratings:
Food : 3
Service : 3
Value : 3
Atmosphere : 4
Overall Rating : 3 TOPs   

iO Italian Osteria
#02-01 HillV2
4 Hillview Rise
Singapore 667979

Tel: 6710 7150