Food Picks: Gourmet pizzas and creative cocktails at Anto Pizza e Aperitivi

SINGAPORE – You cannot throw a stone without hitting an artisanal pizzeria in Singapore these days. They are everywhere, particularly along that one stretch from Clarke Quay to Duxton.

The new kid on the block is Anto Pizza e Aperitivi, which opened in September. Its double-barrelled name poses the question: Bubbling Neapolitan pizzas may be a dime a dozen, but where else can you enjoy them alongside cocktails crafted with an equal measure of care? 

Helming the cosy 80-seater are Pignola-born cousins, bartender Giancarlo Mancino and master pizzaiolo Antonio Brancato. Along the restaurant’s 5m-long bar are stamped the emblems of its twin expertise – an enormous pizza oven flanks the counter, while a shelf of premium alcohol adorns the wall. 

The memory of other relatives looms large. The Rocco pizza ($24) – baked in a small pan for 10 to 12 minutes at 250 deg C – is named after chef Brancato’s father and Mr Mancino’s late uncle. The latter used to own a pizzeria where the bestseller was this simple but delicious dish, made with just potatoes, mozzarella and fresh rosemary. 

The rest of the menu keeps things light with a generous smattering of vegetarian and vegan options, which ensure that even after this bread-on-bread-on-bread carb fest, you do not leave feeling totally engorged. 

Highlights include the Caponata ($36) – a sweet, tangy medley of tomato sauce, Sicilian-style agrodolci vegetables and onion puree – and Melazana ($38), an invention of chef Brancato’s which is laden with oven-baked eggplant, smoked scamorza cheese, mint and peperoncino oil. On top is piped a luscious aubergine puree that binds this unique combination together. 

Even the meat options take care not to overwhelm. Housemade salsiccia fresca (fresh sausage) adds a burst of savoury succulence to the Rustica ($38), but its richness is balanced with a layer of tomato sauce and strips of fresh radicchio. 

It pairs well with a Classico Negroni ($25). The aforementioned vegetarian options, on the other hand, are best complemented by a glass of Birra Americano ($25) or Rosa Spritzer ($25). 

The pizza finds its way into a couple of drinks and desserts too. The Pineapple Pizza Negroni ($25), for instance, puts an alcoholic spin on the Hawaiian, combining Big Kahuna Pineapple Gin, ham, tomato bitter, Mancino Vermouth Bianco and freeze-dried mozzarella. 

Then there is the Margherita Dolce Fried ($22). Sweetened tomato sauce, soya cream and mint reduction are drizzled on – what else? – fried dough. 

Where: 2 Jiak Chuan Road
MRT: Maxwell 
Open: Noon to 3.30pm (Mondays to Saturdays), 6 to 11pm (Mondays to Thursdays), 6pm to midnight (Fridays and Saturdays)
Info:

www.antopizzeria.com