What's new and cooking at the revamped Michelangelo's

It caused a minor ruckus among the local Italian and foodie communities when Michelangelo’s restaurant owner Michael Hadley and chef Angelo Sanelli split up sometime in late 2008. Since then, Hadley gave the 14-year old restaurant a facelift and brought in a new head chef. If the numerous raves and comments on Michelangelo’s Facebook page are to be believed, the restaurant has gotten better with the revamp.

What’s the big difference?

If you had dined in Michelangelo’s back then, you might have remembered the dark, Sistine chapel interiors, and hearty Aussie-Italian dishes.

Salmon Carpaccio

No more dark cavernous interior

The chapel-ish interiors are gone. In fact, they removed the front wall to create open dining spaces and closed off the kitchen. While in the kitchen, Chef Victor Tan, a Michelangelo’s alumni, created a lighter flavored menu. Hadley said, "We’re following global food trends where you don’t get that many fans of heavy sauces. It’s moved towards better ingredients, lighter flavors, and more consistent tastes."

If you’re wondering if Tan’s up to the job, Hadley had us know that Tan’s credentials include ten years of traveling and working in the kitchens of Ristorante Sabatini in Tokyo and La Pace Montecatini in Italy.

Penne Sambuca

New taste sensations

While stalwarts like Penne Sambuca (S$26) remain on the menu, Tan has introduced several of his own dishes, such as Quarantaotto (S$40), a 48-hour braised boneless beef short ribs, Confit of Duck salad (S$17) portioned as an appetizer, and Harira (S$39), a Moroccan Lambshank that seems out of place in an Italian restaurant if it weren’t for Hadley’s declaration that “if we have the ingredients and we know how to make it, we’ll do whatever you request. And the lamb shank is a popular dish that customers wanted, so we put it on the menu.”

The new additions might seem palate heavy, but not so taste wise. The Quarantaotto is full-on Umami without being obnoxious, and the Confit of Duck salad has a gamey yet lardless taste that lingers and dissipates without much fanfare.

However the best things -- the wines -- stay the same. In fact they’ve grown to accommodate over 1,400 Old- and New-world labels in their “wine bible.” It seemed excessive, but wines are Hadley’s passion who “started with a handful of wines and just kept adding to the collection.”

So we’d say make a date, saunter on by, and see for yourself what’s new and what’s not at the revamped Michelangelo’s.

getting there

Michelangelo’s
Blk 44 Jalan Merah Saga #01-60 Chip Bee Gardens, Singapore
Monday to Fridays & Sundays: 11.30am to 2.30pm; Daily: 6pm to 10.30pm
tel +65 6475 9069
www.michelangelos.com.sg