Zzapi Pizza Bar (Amara)

True to Italian tradition but more than able to keep pace with the contemporary eateries dotted around Tanjong Pagar, Zzapi Pizza Bar is a buzzing restaurant and bar with some of the most authentic Italian fare in central Singapore. Better yet, it’s very reasonably priced, and with its cool bar and huge selection of drinks it’s definitely a great spot for group get-togethers or meeting for after-work drinks and (quite large) nibbles, handily parked right on Tanjong Pagar Road.

Burrata cheese with Parma ham and fresh Italian tomatoes to whet the appetite, truffle pizza with smoked scamorza cheese and porcini mushrooms, veal-stuffed ravioli with porcini in a truffle cream sauce, and the mouthwatering slow-cooked lamb shank with minced vegetables, tomatoes, olives and Italian spices in a red wine sauce served with mash. These are just some of the signature dishes on offer from the restaurant menu at Zzapi Pizza Bar, housed alongside a number of other fantastic eateries in Tanjong Pagar’s glamorous Amara Singapore Hotel, right on Tanjong Pagar Road.

The bar of this Tanjong Pagar gem has its own take on Italian culinary delights, focusing on salads and wraps, antipasti (the rock melon with Parma ham is an all-time bar snack favourite), and shareable pizza and pasta dishes – we recommend the ricotta & spinach ravioli in a creamy sauce of sherry, truffle and parmesan cheese. Of course this is in addition to offering a lengthy drinks menu replete with a variety of fine wines, cool beers and quality spirits. Since Zzapi Pizza Bar is so centrally located in Singapore on Tanjong Pagar Road, it’s best to beat the crowds – and the hotel guests – with a booking.