Seven7h Cucina: Fall In Love With The ‘Pizza-Burger’ Served At A Halal Italian Fusion Restaurant In Novena

It’s not often that you find good and affordable Italian cuisine in Singapore, let alone served in a halal restaurant. Seven7h Cucina is a breath of fresh air for the muslim community, thriving in a food scene that’s only getting bigger and better.

The bistro opened in late 2016 in Novena Regency, and has been pretty busy since. We were lucky to get a seat inside for lunch amidst the reserved tables and even got to meet the proud Co-Owner/Chef, Mr Firdauz Nazir.

Chef Firdauz is no stranger to the F&B scene in Singapore and was formerly the Executive Chef of the Arteastiq group of restaurants. With years of culinary experience under his belt, he merely wishes for diners to have honest and simple food in a laid back environment.

What’s so special about halal Italian cuisine? Well, it’s not every day that you’ll find in-house cured lamb and beef. Chef Firdauz uses these in the pizzas instead of the usual Italian cured ham, making the experience as authentic as possible.

While we couldn’t wait to stuff our faces, we thought we’d try some of the unique drinks first. The Fizzy Drinks selection offers something called a Frozen Myang ($5.90), which is a refreshing concoction of premium grape juice, orange, apple and lime.

This was perfect to combat the typical Singaporean heat, and we highly recommend ordering this for a bit of a pick-me-up.

If you’re after something hot, try the Flava Tea Green Tea ($6). It’s visibly not your average green tea and tastes quite fruity.

We later found out that the green tea is infused with Thai flavours, and clearly isn’t something that you’ll find anywhere else.

There were just too many options available, so of course we had to try one of the milkshakes – the Chocolate Mentel ($6.70), which is a blend of chocolate and mint.

Beautifully presented, the drink was more of an iced chocolate than a milkshake, but still really hit the spot nonetheless. It tasted like Christmas and would make for a good dessert substitute.

A big board highly recommends the Specials, which we were told sells like hotcakes. Half A Dozen Freshly Shucked Oysters ($19.90) are a steal at that price in Singapore, and these bad boys were of a decent size.

We loved the accompaniments of Calamansi Lime, Spicy Nero Sauce, and Chopped Onions in Vinegar, which were delicious when eaten altogether with the oyster. The homemade nero sauce provided the same kick that you’d get from adding Tobasco.

The highlight of the day for us were the Hokkaido Scallops (one shell $9, two shells $16), which came served aburi-style. The scallops were fresh and juicy, and ideal when eaten with a squeeze of lime.

If you can’t get enough of seafood, order a side of the Calamari ($7.90), which comes served with fennel sour cream and torched calamansi lime. We thought the batter on the calamari could have been crispier, but loved the homemade sour cream dip.

Carbonara ($15.50, set lunch $9.90) is usually off the menu in halal eateries because the recipe calls for ham; but at Seven7h Cucina, you’ll find the pasta dish laden with turkey bacon, Grana Padano cheese and a 64 degree poached egg.

We loved the abundance of cheese and the runny egg yolk, which combined everything really well. The portion size was also perfect for lunch, and the set even comes with a choice of either sweet potato fries, normal fries or the soup of the day.

We’d heard great things about the Pizza Burg ($18.90) and couldn’t wait to try it. This pizza-burger combo came served with truffle fries which could definitely hold their own.

An Angus beef or lamb patty, caramelised onions, chilli relish, pomodoro and mozzarella cheese is stuffed into pizza dough and cooked to perfection, creating an artery-clogging must-have. The side salad of arugula does make you feel better, but maybe skimp on the other sides if you’re going for this.

This hearty dish packs a punch and should be tried at least once in your life.

Remember the cured meats we mentioned? Get the 6″ Bresaola Pizza (Set lunch $9.90) to try the cured beef on pizza with tomatoes, sage, arugula and mozzarella.

This creation will keep any Italian pizza lover happy, and the side of sweet potato fries (included in the set lunch) made for a very filling meal for one.

You have to get the Zeppole ($8.50) for dessert if you’re a fan of chocolate – Italian donuts stuffed with Nutella? Take our calories.

We would have perhaps liked a bit more consistency amongst all the donuts (some had a lot less Nutella stuffed inside), but there was plenty of the hazelnut spread on the plate to mop up and we can’t really think of a better combination.

The pizza-burgers and Nutella-stuffed-donuts are seriously going to keep us coming back.

For something lighter (who are we kidding), order the Tapai Gelato ($5.90) which is actually fermented tapioca. Sounds kind of healthy, right?

It was delicious, light and refreshing and was great as a palate cleanser at the end of a very hearty meal.

With yummy food, a friendly ambience and dedicated staff, Seven7h Cucina is on its way to becoming one of the top halal restaurants in Singapore.

We’d love to come back and try some of the other things on the menu, but should probably hit the gym first after that pizza-burger.

Expected damage: $9.90 – $30

Seven7h Cucina: #01-02 Novena Regency, 275 Thomson Road, Singapore 307645 | Opening Hours: 11am – 4pm, 5pm – 10.30pm (Daily) | Tel: +65 6493 2134 | Facebook

The post Seven7h Cucina: Fall In Love With The ‘Pizza-Burger’ Served At A Halal Italian Fusion Restaurant In Novena appeared first on SETHLUI.com.