Assaggi: Denis Lucchi's Neil Road set menus are worth planning weeks ahead for

Set menus only, no à la carte, and a house philosophy of "imperfect by choice". The planning, at least, should be perfect.

Worth the wait, if what you want is Denis Lucchi's cooking without Buona Terra prices and you can think several weeks ahead about dinner. Lucchi's Buona Terra has held a Michelin star since 2019; Assaggi, which opened on Neil Road on 10 August, is the third restaurant in his stable and the more relaxed one: set menus only, no à la carte, and a philosophy the team calls "imperfect by choice". Book dinner, and book early.

Lucchi's route ran from Lombardy through kitchens in London and Rome to Singapore, where he cooked at Gattopardo and Garibaldi before taking over Buona Terra in 2012; he also runs the casual trattoria Locanda. FACT Magazine reports that much of Buona Terra's former staff has followed him here, which is the best reason to expect the standard to travel with him.

Lunch is three courses and the cheaper way in. Dinner has two routes at the same price, the Signature Journey and the Pasta Journey, and both include a tableside paccheri amatriciana, a peach course and a rum baba. So choose by appetite: the Pasta Journey if pasta is what you came for, the Signature if someone at the table wants variety. Either way it opens with a soft bread roll with balsamic glaze, duck fat and acacia honey, served with whipped salted butter.

Drinks get the same attention. Cocktails come from the team at Bar Kakure, and the natural and biodynamic wines are poured from handcrafted clay vessels made by a local ceramicist, a nod to Roman-era winemaking. A premium non-alcoholic list means the non-drinker at the table gets more than a lime juice (an injustice most of us have sat through).

It suits a date that doesn't need to be a production. Maxwell MRT is a short walk away; book the moment you know the date.

Good to know Assaggi is at 77A Neil Road, open Tuesday to Saturday, noon–3pm and 6pm–10.30pm. Book well ahead. Maxwell MRT is a short walk away. Prices are subject to service charge and GST.

Want more of what’s new? Here’s everything else on the list.

Assaggi | 77A Neil Road, Singapore 088903