Monti @ The Fullerton Pavilion: Lunch review

Monti: Italian dining by The Fullerton Pavilion

Monti is an upscale Italian restaurant located in the Fullerton Pavilion. 

Path to The Fullerton Pavilion

The ambience – both indoor and outdoor – is one of the most romantic in Singapore. While I wouldn’t stroll outside in the middle of the day when Singapore’s heat is at an all-time high, in the evenings, when the temperature dips a little, it does make for a romantic stroll by the waterfront. 

Seating area

Inside, the restaurant is just as charming. Lavish and enchanting, just the place for a lovely date or meetup. 

Love the ceiling

A close friend and myself came here for lunch one day, because it was her birthday and she wanted to do something special.

With her permission, here was her bag of the day – a beautiful Lady Dior in Grey. Folks – I shamelessly confess, it is so gorgeous and it doesn’t help that I’m actually thinking of adding a Grey Lady Dior to my collection as well. Aiks. 

View by the Waters. Spot Marina Bay Sands.

(I didn’t bring my own luxury bag that day. Was rushing from work and only had a laptop carrier at that time. Sorry folks!)

American Express: Global Dining Credits

The Lunch option at Monti’s features both a Set Lunch option as well as an a la carte menu.

Menu at the time of our visitation

Birthday celebration aside, my friend and I had decided to visit Monti as there were other benefits we could enjoy if we used the American Express Platinum Charge Card.

• S$400 Global Dining credits, out of which S$200 is for local and S$200 is for overseas spend. For this, Monti is a participating dining establishment (For full information on Amex statement credit benefits, check out this post here).
• Monti is also part of the 10xcelerator rewards restaurants (In Amex terms, this means that diners earn 10 membership rewards points for every full S$1.60 spend).

I have also spent some of my dining credits at FIRE at 1-Atico – so for details check out that post too.

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 140,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 62,500 Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 35, 000 Krisflyer miles when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

Starters and Appetizers

We ordered our food and the server promptly brought some bread and dip for us immediately after.

Bread Basket and Dip

I can’t remember what the dip was exactly, but gosh, it was super good. 

I think spinach was involved

Soon, our starters arrived – for the three-course meal, there is an option to choose either an an appetizer or soup. 

I went for the Stracciatella Cheese.

Stracciatella Cheese

Served with heirloom and candied tomatoes, mortadella, and crushed pistachios, I swear that the soft cheese combined with the other ingredients felt both fresh and exotic. Astringent from tomatoes. Salt from the Italian sausage. Crunch from pistachios. A world of flavours, all together with cheese. 

With Heirloom and Candied Tomatoes, Mortadella (Italan sausage), and Crushed Pistachios

The friend ordered the White Bean Puttanesca Soup. A lovely mix of white beans, onions, tomatoes and olives. Served with garlic bread. Super comforting and warm. 

White Bean Puttanesca Soup

Main Course

I secretly think that Italian cuisine has some of the best Main Courses in the world. 

Our Food

I ordered the Roasted Ocean Perch.

Roasted Ocean Perch

This was a well-roasted fish, resting atop some green pea and carrot ragout. 

Light but still savoury, the fish was tender and carried hints of the surrounding flavours. Yum!

Vegetables underneath

My friend ordered one of Monti’s house special – Chef Giacomo Gallina’s Housemade Tagliatelle.

Chef Giacomo Gallina’s Housemade Tagliatelle

There’s just something special about homemade pasta that feels more genuine and rare. The one here is mixed in an aged Parmigiano Reggiano fondue and topped with black pepper and seasonal truffle. 

Gosh, just look at the shaved truffle. 

Freshly shaved Truffles

Slightly rich and cheesy with an obvious whiff of truffle seeping through the palate – this was 100% worth the carbohydrates. Highly recommended if you love a good cheesy pasta with a sophisticated backdrop. I thanked my friend for ordering this – this was easily our favourite item at Monti that day.

Dessert

When having a course meal, desserts are a MUST have.

When the cuisine is Italian, tiramisu is a must-try. Lol.

So one of our desserts was Monti’s tiramisu. The best kind of bittersweet it was – a delightful mix of espresso, mascarporne cheese, savoiardi (ladyfinger biscuits), cocoa, and marsala wine. 

Monti’s Tiramisu

Another amazing find was the Watermelon Rose Panna Cotta. Here, rosemay and honey coulis, honeycomb bits, and lime meringue come atop a soft milky panna cotta. 

I wished the serving size was bigger. Lol.

Watermelon Rose Panna Cotta

Pro-tip – Like I always say, if you’re celebrating a birthday or anniversary, tell the restaurant when you are making the reservation. You’ll never know what they’ll surprise you with. 

Complimentary Dessert

In my friend’s case, she had (what we both concluded was) a warm apple and nut pie. Sweet and made of crumbly flakes, the inner nuts gave the dessert a happy sense of crunch. 

Apple and Nut Pie… I think.

All in all, we both loved the meal. Service was impeccable, the staff were friendly, and the food was amazing – it all affirms that Monti is truly deserving of its place as an award-winning restaurant. 

My only gripe (and a small one, at that), is that coffee/tea was not included as part of the course meal. Granted, while its not such a big deal to pay for coffee, you’d think that for such an upscale place, coffee/tea would be a given for a set lunch. 

Otherwise, highly recommended, and 10/10 would definitely return again. 

American Express Platinum Charge Card (Image source: American Express)

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 140,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 62,500 Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 35, 000 Krisflyer miles when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

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