When popular Italian restaurant Osteria Mozza at Marina Bay Sands shuttered in 2018 – due to owner Mario Batali’s sexual misconduct scandal — gourmands everywhere grieved. But not for long.
When the newly-built Hilton Singapore Orchard was shopping for a restaurant to occupy one of its dining spaces specifically made for Italian cuisine, the name Nancy Silverton (the other co-owner of one-Michelin outpost Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles) came up. In a heartbeat, the celebrated chef said yes, and summoned her original service team to run the farmhouse-inspired restaurant designed by EDG Design, complete with an open kitchen, private dining room, mozzarella bar, and alfresco dining area.
The 120-seat restaurant marks the return of executive chef Peter Birks, who spent close to five years with MBS followed by a short stint with Burnt Ends. As you can imagine, Silverton is well chuffed with the return of her favourite leading man. “Peter is a superb cook and chef. His palate is similar to mine, which is a must for me at my restaurants. He is not a know-it-all, which is another must. By the way, I’m not either,” she laughs.
Opened this June, Osteria Mozza serves up Cal-Italian cuisine – Silverton’s love note to her Southern Californian heritage paired with her love for Italy, which she has called home for the last 20 years. Incidentally, she owns a holiday home in Umbria.
The local menu will feature a reinvention of the classics from its flagship — from the homemade pastas to grilled specialities and gelato-centric desserts — as well as a number of new dishes crafted exclusively for Singapore. Birks has also introduced mains such as Braised Lamb Banjo, the Cacciucco, and Grilled Spring Chicken. “It’s hard to pick a must-try. It depends on what you are in the mood for. It sounds like a marketing cliché, but we don’t put anything on the menu we don’t truly like,” affirms Silverton.
While the dinner menu leans more towards the classic Osteria Mozza experience, lunch will differ slightly with more salad options, such as Nancy’s Chopped Salad, made with iceberg lettuce, radicchio, red onion, provolone, salami, cherry tomatoes, ceci, oregano vinaigrette, and the classic aioli-based Shrimp Caesar.
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Lunchtime dining here is a real treat. The music is louder and diners are livelier because they know pizzas are coming their way. For those craving Silverton’s world-famous artisanal pizzas, they are now available only for lunch. Currently, there’s a choice of 10 all-time favourites like Fennel Sausage, Burrata and Pizza alla Benno, all created with a new dough recipe that Silverton has perfected over the years.
“Many of our guests could not wait to taste our unique style of wood-fired pizzas again in Singapore. Our pizzas have evolved further since then, and we are thrilled to bring what we think are the best pizzas we have ever made. Our team is delighted to present a lunch experience that feels like a day trip to Los Angeles and highlights Osteria Mozza’s more casual side,” says Silverton in a press statement.
Renowned for popularising sourdough and artisan breads in the United States, Silverton has received the James Beard Foundation’s for Outstanding Chef in 2014. She is also the author of eight cookbooks, a famed restaurateur, baker, and celebrated TV chef personality. In town recently to launch her lunch menu, Silverton lets Options get to know her better with some rapid fire questions.
We adore your style. Where do you shop?
In Los Angeles, I go to Noodle Stories which is on 3rd Street, a few blocks east of La Cienega. I also love buying vintage designer clothes.
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When did you start braiding up your hair like this?
I’ve been doing my hair this way the last couple years. It looks like it takes a long time, but it really only takes about five minutes!
How many pairs of glasses do you own?
I like glasses as an accessory, and I have about 30 pairs.
What’s your guilty indulgence?
Pistachios from Aleppo, Syria. One Armenian market in Los Angeles gets them. And no, I won’t tell you what market, as they get very few.
You have so many awards. Which one means the most to you and why?
Food and Wine’s Best New Chef, the first award I ever got. My restaurant, Campanile, had only been open one year. Also, the following year the James Beard Award for Best Pastry Chef in America was special. All my awards are special to me, really.
What's the first pizza you ever made and how would you rate it?
It was for Pizzeria Mozza before we opened in 2006. It was a Margherita and, as surprising as it might sound, it really was good.
What (in your opinion) is the secret to a perfect pizza?
There are no secrets to making good pizza. To paraphrase Chris Bianco, put good stuff in the oven and you have the chance to bring good stuff out.
Top three cook books.
Well, you mean the top three not counting my own, right? “Zuni” by Judy Rogers, “The River Café Cookbook” by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, and “Cooking By Hand” by Paul Bertoli.
Favourite cooking TV shows to watch and why?
I like Guy Fieri’s shows, especially “Tournament of Champions” where I am an occasional judge. And “Beat Bobby Flay” is fun.
Who are your culinary mentors or heroes?
Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters and Jonathan Waxman.
Where is home for you now?
Windsor Square neighbourhood in Los Angeles.
What’s your favourite destination?
My single favourite has to be my second home in Umbria, Italy. It’s a little town and my getaway. I love to cook there in my little kitchen.
Describe the perfect weekend?
Dining at the 3 O’s in Italy. Michael (my partner) and I, drove to dine at “The 3 O’s. That’s DariO Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti, FrancO Pepe in Caiazzo in Campagna, and MassimO Bottura in Modena. One weekend, we somehow did it!
What are you up to these days?
There are some new restaurants in the works and a new cookbook coming out in the fall of 2023. I can’t wait to share more when the time is right.
Osteria Mozza
333 Orchard Road
Level 5 Hilton Singapore Orchard
Singapore 238867
Contact
Tel: 6831 6271 | sevenrooms.com
Opening hours
Lunch: 12pm – 2.30pm
Dinner: 5pm – 10.30pm
