This Italian stalwart has a loyal following amongst the professionals working and living in Tanjong Pagar for good reason. Executive chef Anna Borrasi pushes out weekly specials to keep things lively around here. The regular menu, meanwhile, features a solid evergreen selection.

For a cheery start to your meal, order the warm Mediterranean salad —a beautiful vibrant burst of colours and flavours that include fresh pumpkin, zucchini, carrot, peppers, egg plant and walnut, topped with a light gorgonzola cheese sauce. Another popular dish is the peppered clams and mussels with plump, steaming molluscs in a hearty seafood broth.

At Etna, the flower crab linguine is a crowd pleaser. The linguine is served al dente in a fragrant tomato reduction studded with generous morsels of crab; there is even a portion of crab on the side for diners prepared to dig in with their fingers. Etna also offers a daily fish selection, shipped in regularly from the Italian coast and offered baked, grilled or salt-crusted. We sampled the grilled seabass, which is easilyenough for two and pleasantly, is served de-boned by our ever helpful server.

Do save room for the pistachio tiramisu or the chocolate lava cake. The pistachio paste in the tiramisu (an authentic recipe from Bronte, Sicily) has a hint of sea salt, livening a standard Italian dish and setting it apart. The lava cake, meanwhile, comes with a slab of chocolate shaped like a spoon on the side, with a good drizzle of condensed milk. While the wine list is not long, it offers a good selection of Italian wines from the various regions. Also try some of the traditional Italian digestivos, including a refreshing limoncello.