Kucina Italian Restaurant (KINEX)

Fresh Buchot mussels, little neck clams, medley of seafood in light tomato sauce. Find that the pasta portion was little in comparison to its price. However the seafood portion was just right. Pasta was al dente but its price probably makes me think twice of returning. Nonetheless, a very homely vibe which I enjoyed.

For desserts, we ordered a dessert platter which came with homemade Sicilian cannoli shells filled with mascarpone-ricotta cheese and rolled in pistachio and vanilla ice cream. I don’t have a sweet tooth but this is so delicious!

We also ordered a pizza to share and we picked La Barca Funghi E Tartufo ($28.90). When you cut into the pizza, a decadent mixture of truffle pate, mozzarella, smoked scamorza cheese and button mushrooms oozes right out from the middle and it goes really well with the soft and chewy pizza crust.

For mains, I had Caserecci Alla Boscaiola Con Manzo ($25.90)which is short twisted pasta with sirloin beef strips and button mushrooms in a rich veal jus sauce. The pasta has a good bite, the beef is super tender and the sauce is packed with flavours.

We started with Burratina ($19.90) which is a ball of Burrata cheese served with rocket salad, tomatoes, olives, caper berry and basil pesto. This is light, creamy and refreshing - can’t go wrong with this!

Honest, homely Italian fare with big portions and a tantalisingly written menu. We shared the Pescatora with Squid Ink Chitarra, La Barca Funghi e Tartufo, Arancini Siciliani (not pictured) and tiramisu (also not pictured). As a big fan of squid ink pasta, I thoroughly enjoyed the umami taste of the sea that many other local renditions lack. My boyfriend enjoyed the la barca (boat-shaped pizza) more with its creaminess that I found slightly heavy, but we agreed that the bread was a welcome fluffy and doughy accompaniment. The crispy arancini, a rare dish locally, was rich in tomato and herb flavour - I'm glad I was able to introduce this to my boyfriend. Finally, as a coffee lover, the tiramisu was a decadent, fluffy and aromatic end to my meal. I'm excited to try more on the menu, but would be happy to re-order as well if the seafood in the pasta and the tiramisu serving could be more generous for the price!