The discount that Club-at-The-Hyatt members get is a huge incentive for me to dine at Grand Hyatt Singapore’s restaurants. But seriously, the food at the hotel has always been consistently superb. I wouldn’t have known Pete’s Place is such an excellent Italian restaurant, if not because both Mezza9 and Straits Kitchen were fully booked on a December Friday night.

Unlike other Italian restaurants that often have a stiff atmosphere, Pete’s Place, on the other hand, is very casual and it reminds me of an old Tuscany tavern. Guests are encouraged to help themselves at the bread counter. The breads are so fragrant and soft. And with a generous amount of the decadently sinful salted butter, they are a pair made in heaven. For a bread lover like me, I could have eaten bread for the entire evening.

At SG$10, the Roasted Tomato and Garlic soup is a steal! The wholesome soup is packed with finely diced tomatoes. The crispy fried garlic slices are simply divine when paired with the roasted tomato soup. The soup is so good that I wanted to lick the soup bowl!

Two of my ex-colleagues ordered the Roasted Garlic Tiger Prawns with Crispy Potatoes, Parmesan and Rocket Salad (SG$34). Our jaws dropped when the prawns were served. Any seafood lover would have drooled when they inhaled the sweet aroma of the roasted prawns. The tiger prawns are huge, juicy and delectable. My ex-colleagues were having such a great time devouring the crustacean that I, who has an allergy to crustaceans, was even tempted to have a bite of the succulent prawn.

Another ex-colleague ordered the Lobster Truffle Ravioli with Thyme Butter (SG$36).  All three of them tried the ravioli and started raving about it. Every piece of ravioli has a sizable amount of chunky lobster meat. They told me that the seafood essence just burst in their mouths when they bit into the ravioli. And the creamy buttery sauce complements the pasta perfectly. Other than shopping, I’ve never seen these three women so excited over food.

My Baked Pasta Beef ‘Bolognese’ with Béchamel and Parmesan or lasagne (SG$28) is very flavourful. I like the slightly burnt bits on the top layer of cheese and the rich Bolognese sauce. But that evening, I’ve never been so jealous of not being able to eat those shelled fishes.

It’s a pity that the dessert at Pete’s Place didn’t measure up. I like my tiramisu to have a strong espresso and liquor taste, and moist. But the ladyfingers in this version are dry and the espresso is rather faint. Tiramisu is very easy to make and I couldn’t understand why Pete’s Place failed miserably here.

Despite the unappetising dessert, I would say Pete’s Place is still a great Italian restaurant.  It’s no surprise that this restaurant has stood the test of time and established itself as one of the best Italian joints in town.

Pete’s Place
Grand Hyatt Singapore
10 Scotts Road, Singapore 228211
Tel: (65) 6738 1234
www.singapore.grand.hyatt.com