Dolce Vita - Indulgent? Yes. Sweet? Uhmmmm...

Oxford defines Dolce Vita (crudely pronounced as 'dohl-chey vee-tuh') as the sweet and good life perceived as one of physical pleasure and self-indulgence.
As for Dolce Vita, the ostentatious restaurant perched luxuriously pool-side at the Oriental Hotel, indulgent - oh yes indeed, sweet and physical pleasure - I unfortunately beg to differ.

I feel mean.. I try as much as possible to sans bad reviews from my blog's vocabulary. But as often as praise is due, very much so often, is criticism. Ok, maybe to be fair, we went at a bad time, they had just changed the menu and some of the reviewed favourites recommended were not available. So we went trial and error.

The ambiance is certainly romantic, clearly one of those places meant for "Impression-Forming-First-Dates". Dinner is served by candle-light, bread is served in a neat white jacket and prices are of course, rocketed.

The appetizers were simple but yet lavishing. We had the order of asparagus and a duck soup to share. Since lobster bisque has become a main stay on most Italian restaurants, I thought to challenge convention and try something new. Morale of the story, stick with the tried and tested, they are recommended for a reason. The duck soup was a clear soup which resembles and tastes very much like our Chinese variation. Nothing impressive save for the side accompaniment of foie gras.

In the menu for the first time, I noticed the chef has paired hearty home-made gnoochi with beef. They almost never come with any protein, the closest being cheese or bacon bits. I have always lamented the fact that I couldn't resist ordering gnoochi whenever I spotted it on the menu, but had to forego my meats. So the chef scored a big point with me on this one.

Needless to say, the dish was super heavy. There was a generous serving of tender and juicy beef slices. The gnoochi was the size of cocoons, were well cooked, fresh and very soft to the bite. We also ordered the Dory fish, but that was a sad disappointment. And at an extravagant price tag of $60, we were expecting much more.

SO.

Was it a good experience? Absolutely. Based on service and ambiance, that is. The service staff is attentive and impeccably dedicated to your enjoyment.

Is it a place you have to go at least once in your life for those special occasions that just screams, "splurge!"? Possibly.

Will I ever go there back? Never.