Nuvo – Italian favourites with Modern Asian Flavours

Opened by the people behind the Lady M confectionery, NUVO offers some pretty decent food at decent prices.

A fresh and innovative dining and bar concept, Nuvo draws inspiration from the Italian word “Nuovo” for “new”. Its menu features a series of traditional Italian favourites combined with exceptional signature flavours of modern Asian cuisine.

Nuvo has recently changed it chef and is now helmed by Chef Mark Richards, who is previously from Keystone restaurant. He is very well known for his sous vide dishes and has put an innovative spin on dishes, while showcasing the best of Italian and Japanese ingredients.

Our first appetizer – Crispy Calamari ($18), hits us with a blast. The Togarashi-scented calamari is deep fried perfectly to a nice crunchy texture, with a mild spicy taste from togarashi. Sous-vide watermelon with syrup balances the salad nicely with its sweetness. Toss it with some wild rocket and white balsamic, this is a good start to our lunch.

Curry Bread, or Kare Pan, is the King of the Japanese bakery. Nuvo’s Focaccia Curry Pan ($22) brings the traditional curry pan to the next level as chef uses wagyu beef in the Japanese curry sauce, and served with Japanese pickled cucumber and sour cream.

It is a pity though because I can’t taste much of the wagyu with the curry sauce overpowering it. The first shot is how the curry pan is usually served; while the second shot is how chef tried to portion it like a tapas style specially for us. Frankly, I prefer it to be served like tapas style because I don’t think I can finish the entire curry pan myself.

Pasta lover will like Angel hair Wakame ($18), flavoured with tamago furikake, lobster essence and rayu oil.

My favourite for that day is the Lobster Risotto ($28). Rich and intensely full-flavoured, the rice is cooked with bisque, edamame, ito togarashi, scented with truffle oil, fully evocative of the culinary pleasures of southern Italy.

Baked Olive Black Cod ($35) is served on a bed of hon shimeiji and baby potatoes, drizzled with nespresso sauce. I have no problem with the smooth and fresh fish that is baked till golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside. Neither do I have problem with the flavourful cream. However, the brown nespresso sauce on the cod was way too salty that day which unfortunately spoils the dish.

Grilled Pork Rack ($32) is sous vide till a perfect tenderness and served with chorizo, yuzukosho and fregola sarda. It would have been perfect if the grill marks were not that harsh which gave off a slight bitterness.

Even though we were already pretty full, there’s always room for dessert, and the folks at Nuvo know how to satisfy a sweet tooth. I dived readily into their Green Tea Pan Di Spagna ($12) served with banana jam, matcha sponge, hello panda crumble, and found myself wanting more with every bite. Usually, I find matcha sponge too bitter and cloying but I was pleasantly surprised by how light the sponge was, without compromising on the flavour. A must-try.

Nuvo has a lot going for it if it can iron out the minor kinks. It has a good 3 course lunch menu of very affordable price at $13.

You can also chill out and enjoy the view with special cocktails by the maestro Ethan Leslie Leong from Maison Ikkoku. I think the yuzu one will be a hot favourite among ladies!

NUVO
Address: 6 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square #02-100
Tel: 6822 2098
Opening hours: 11am-11pm daily