Disclaimer: This review was in collaboration with Weeloy.
Welcome to Giardino!
Giardino Pizza Bar & Grill is an Italian restaurant located at CHIJMES since 2004. The dining enclave is largely an alfresco dining experience, allowing you to enjoy the lively atmosphere during the night. Giardino only uses the highest quality, imported/domestic ingredients for their menu, including a fantastic wood-fired oven that are hand-crafted & cooked to order.
Alfresco dining!
Aesthetic
The locale of Giardino largely makes it ideal for white collar workers to blow off steam during the night. Along with the other restaurants in CHIJMES, Giardino seems to operate more like a perfect bar destination for drinks & quick bites. The inner part of Giardino is decked out in red bricks; a classical nod to Italian design that is paired with columns of the Tuscan Order. The majority of seats are alfresco, allowing you to enjoy the sunset & night life that follows soon after.
Drum roll.
Weeloy
Do remember to make your reservation using the Weeloy app! This time I managed to snag a free dessert of my choice! There’s many more rewards, ranging from “Free Bucket of Beer” to “20% off the bill”! Get the app now, available on Android & iOS!
The stunning wood-fired oven.
Get your freshly-baked pizzas here!
Menu of Giardino Pizza Bar & Grill.
Food
As mentioned earlier, Giardino Pizza Bar & Grill specializes in the wonder that is Italian cuisine. You’ll be able to find a wide range of pastas, risottos, wood-fired pizzas & even mains from the charcoal grill! I would say that the pizzas are a definite must-try; it’s a pizza bar for goodness sake! Apart from the food, you’ll be able to order a wide variety of drinks as well. Giardino also offers a Happy Hour promotion before the clock strikes 7pm.
Price
With its premium location at CHIJMES, it makes sense for the prices of Giardino to soar in the above average range. Mains hover around 20 bucks, while pizzas can go up to 30 dollars. Of course, there’s service fees & GST when it comes to a bar/restaurant like this.
Duck Fat Potato ($12)
Shredded Duck, Rucola
One of my friends actually spotted this on the menu, which made us really keen on trying it. “Duck Fat Potato, that sounds so good.”
It tasted pretty alright in our opinion, though we were definitely hoping for much more. Nonetheless, an interesting starter to give a shot.
Diavola ($26)
Pepperoni, Tomato, Mozzarella
My friends & I were extremely surprised when the pizzas were served first. They cook really fast in the wood-fired oven!
After taking a bite, one of my friends eyes widened before he exclaimed, “This is the best pepperoni pizza I have ever tasted!” I attested to that, it was really one of the best pepperoni pizzas that I myself have tasted. While the toppings were quite simple, the flavour of the pizza was really delicious! Highly recommended.
Bianco e Nero ($25)
Grilled Squid, Squid-Ink Sauce, Tomato, Mozzarella
Another one of my friends pointed this out & we decided to order it, as I was extremely keen on adding more pizzas to our meal. How could I pass up authentic wood-fired pizzas?!
The Bianco e Nero didn’t impress us like the Diavola did. My friends & I were actually expecting the squid ink sauce to be all OVER the pizza in a gorgeous blackness, however when it was served, it was more like a paste that was squeezed out from a tube. The taste of the pizza was pretty alright nonethless, so that was a plus.
Duck Leg ($28)
Caramelized Baby Carrot, Truffle Fries
The Duck Leg at Giardino was SO attractive on the menu, that three of my friends decided to order it for themselves. (Much to my chagrin. Three similar dishes don’t make for good food blogging!)
The leg definitely looked fantastic & eye-catching when it was served. My friends who had it commented that it tasted pretty good, though it was lacking in the “Wow” factor. Ironically, they did love the baby carrots. I tasted a little of the duck; the skin was slightly crispy with a sweet after-taste, which I found to be really interesting, but apart from that, I agreed with the comments from my friends.
Penne ($18)
Carbonara, Crispy Prosciutto, Mushrooms
I thought it was quaint how the pastas were listed by their pasta type.
Carbonara. A staple in my diet, which was why it was a no-brainer to try the one here.
The Carbonara tasted quite delicious. The cream was luscious & the dish was filled with bits of bacon. My friends commented that it didn’t taste like the normal Carbonaras they had, but in a good way. I replied that it was probably because this was more of the authentic Italian cuisine flavour. The crispy Prosciutto was pretty much the “Cherry on top”.
Gnocchi ($18)
Gorgonzola Cream, Aged Balsamic, Roasted Walnuts
“Potato pasta.”, was my description when some of my friends didn’t know what Gnocchi was. Cooked with Gorgonzola, which is an Italian blue cheese, the flavour of the dish was slightly stronger than the Carbonara. My friends & I really liked the Gnocchi, so it’s worth ordering!
Profiteroles ($12)
Coffee Cream, Orange Chocolate
I totally forgot that the signature dessert here was the Tiramisu & went for the Profiteroles instead. (Was getting bored of Tiramisu anyway.)
The keywords that caught my eye were “Orange Chocolate”, hence I decided to end off the meal with this dessert.
Mama mia!
Worth A Visit/Revisit?
The food over at Giardino was pretty good. The wood-fired pizzas are not to be missed; the stunning wood-fired oven was just spectacular! The ambiance & atmosphere during the night seems to be perfect for a Ladies Night Out or even a Guys’ Night Out. The place definitely seems to have more of a bar aesthetic & combined with the alfresco dining area, Giardino makes quite a fantastic place to chill under the Moonlight with a cold pint & bar grub.
RATING
Food
7/10
Aesthetic
7.5/10
Price
6/10
Service
8/10
GIARDINO PIZZA BAR & GRILL
30 Victoria Street, #01-32, CHIJMES, Singapore 187996
(Nearest train station: City Hall)
Contact: 6334 2515
Email: –
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun: 5:00 pm-11:00 pm
https://www.facebook.com/giardino.chijmes
Book now – Weeloy
