^{Terra's interior}

Known as one of the most vibrant food hubs in Singapore, you’ll never run out of choices along Tras Street whether it’s for lunch, dinner or drinks. But lately, all eyes have been on Terra, a Tokyo Italian restaurant by chef-owner Seita Nakahara, which officially opened early this year.

But don’t get us wrong — this is not a fusion restaurant. It’s strictly Italian as chef Seita stays true to the traditional cuisine he mastered in Italy. What makes him unique, though, is that he uses fresh seasonal ingredients from Japan to create his dishes.

These are presented in ala carte and omakase menus, the latter being the best option to fully experience chef Seita’s Italian offerings. We’re always into the idea of leaving it all up to the chef, and that was what we did when we dropped by the restaurant to try out the five-course omakase set. 

The appetiser is always a good way to make an impression, and he easily impresses us with a huge piece of scampi, which is half cooked to enhance the flavours. It’s simply topped with spring vegetables and a bit of caviar to let the sweetness of the seafood shine through.

^{Sea urchin spaghetti with homemade bottarga}

Now that he’s captured our palates, he brings out the big guns and serves us with one of his signatures — sea urchin spaghetti with homemade bottarga. With this dish, everything is made from scratch — from the pasta he prepares daily to his bottarga, cured in-house for 40 days. This serves as the finishing touches to the rich and bisque-like sauce made from a variety of seafood and a touch of yuzu.

^{Chargrilled olive wagyu beef}

From here, the dishes get better (and heavier) with the risotto abalone, made with al dente rice infused with rich seafood taste, and the chargrilled olive wagyu beef, with just the right marbling so that it remains soft yet not too fatty. It’s also a definite plus that it’s grilled just like how we wanted it that the inside remains red and juicy.

The last course is saved for desserts and he closes our appetite with the addictive apple and almond cake served with the sweetest amarone strawberries we’ve tasted. It’s our perfect ending to a memorable and quite filling meal at Terra.

Terra | 54 Tras St, S(078993) | 6221 5159