(Closed) Buttero – Affordable Italian Grub at Tras Street

Housed in a beautiful shop house along Tras Street, Buttero serves up easy-eating and affordable Italian grub prepared by Executive Chef Logan Campbell.

Upon entering, you will be greeted with a mural by Caratoes, a street artist from Belgium, featuring a masked girl in an open field of gold. The restaurant evokes the same cool, edgy vibe of a New York style eating house with strong street art leanings and a raw, gritty interior.

We started our lunch with the restaurant’s Pulled Pork and Waffle Fries ($15). Doused in a sinfully gooey three cheese sauce, it provides the ideal pairing with a glass of beer, wine or Buttero’s Jesus Juice, a granita of pinot noir and Coke.

I like the Raw black kingfish soldiers ($20) which is a fusion dish with thinly sliced kingfish sashimi atop chickpea panackes & fixings. Just eat it with your hands.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the Zucchini Fritters ($20) because I don’t particularly like zucchini by itself. But this is still acceptable for me, lightly battered and served with chopped pork, charred lime, ricotta and torn basil.

Off the main menu, items from the eatery’s rotisserie and coal pit take centre stage. Rotisserie highlights include the restaurant’s Porchetta with Braised Beans ($32). Porchetta is a savoury, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition.

Usually, the restaurant using pork belly which yields a crisp crackling exterior. However, they ran out of pork belly that day, so we had pork neck which was slightly tough. But the consolation is, the beans that are slapped directly onto the meat are braised in tangy tomato and extra virgin oil.

Well-known and loved for his pasta dishes, Chef Logan’s vegetarian-friendly Paccheri and Eggplant Ragu ($22) finished off with fresh oregano, toasted pine nuts and ricotta is a winner. This decent portion of round tube paccheri pasta is filled with eggplant ragu, the meaty texture of eggplant makes it an ideal ingredient in vegetarian dishes. You can also try their seared sprouts with Handmade Gnocchi, Honey, Lemon and Sage.

Cannoli ($12) is one of my favorite Italian desserts and the perfect ending to any Italian dinner. The crispy shells are filled with sweet and creamy whipped ricotta, served with chocolate sauce.

Another interesting dessert is the Milk Chocolate Pots ($12) infused with rosemary. Perfect indulgence!

From lighter bites to heartier dishes, there is something for everyone at Buttero. The prices here are really affordable. Daily lunch specials are on offer and serve as the restaurant’s proving ground for future menus to come.

Buttero
Address: 54 Tras Street
Tel: 6438 7737
Opening hours: Mon to Sat Lunch 12pm till 3pm; Mon to Sat Dinner 6pm till late. Closed Sundays