Upper Bukit Timah Italian Restaurant – iO Italian Osteria

Today’s story is about our lunch at Upper Bukit Timah Italian restaurant iO Osteria. It is an attractive restaurant in the small suburban mall known as HillV2. This Hillview mall has been in operation for about four years. Some of the early retail outlets have come and gone. A handful of restaurants have been there since the beginning and continue to enjoy a strong following. iO Osteria is one of them. There are not many good restaurants in this area to cater to the residents in Hillview and this Upper Bukit Timah Italian restaurant certainly makes dining out more interesting.

iO Italian wines list

Those who like Italian wines will be happy with the range of prices to fit all budgets. For the more economical diner, there are generic house wines sold by the glass or by the litre as well as wines in the less than $80 per bottle region. Those with fatter wallets can select one of the super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Ornellaia to wash down their pasta. Here are pictures of the iO Italian wines list.

iO Italian Osteria Menu

The iO Italian Osteria Menu is wide enough to make the nearby residents want to make multiple visits to this Upper Bukit Timah Italian restaurant.  The menu is printed on paper placemats, which is a good idea as everyone gets a menu the moment we sat down. Here are pictures of some portions of the menu.

We tried the baked pork belly ($18) from the Small Bites of Authentic Italian Street Food section of the menu. The thick slice of meat was thoughtfully cut down to bite sized portions. The taste of this was good. The crackling was crisp and there was no porky taste. Yes it was fatty, as can be expected, but not overly so.

The garganelli with slow braised lamb ragout ($19) was quite ordinary. Garganelli, we discovered, is “… a type of egg-based pasta formed by rolling a flat, square noodle into a tubular shape” (Wikipedia).

The baked lasagna (“Grandma style”) ($18) on the other hand was very good. It was flavourful and delicious. It was oily and probably contains too many calories, but it was worth it.

The grilled pork chop ($22) had a nice flavour but was too dry for our liking.

Overall, iO Osteria is pleasant, laid back place to have an Italian meal. It is likely to be on our mind when we think of an Upper Bukit Timah Italian restaurant.

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

io Osteria Singapore
4 Hillview Rise, 02-01
Singapore 667979

Tel:  +65 6710 7150

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday 11:30am – 10pm
Saturday & Sunday 10am – 10pm

Nearby MRT Station: Hillview

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The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog