While fusion cuisine isn’t new, it’s still considered a gourmet gamble by more traditional diners. Thankfully Ristorante Luka puts any such reservations to rest, as a classic Italian restaurant with Japanese inspired dishes. A bustling eatery on Tanjong Pagar Road that’s popular with the after-work set and Japanese expats, the menu leans towards traditional Italian standards (antipasti, pizzas, pastas) while injecting top-shelf Japanese ingredients (mentaiko, ikura, uni, wagyu) where it makes flavourful sense.

Start with the tuna tartare that’s a little tower of robust seafood flavours—fresh tuna chunks mixed with crabmeat and little spheres of ikura and avocado result in a mouthful of creamy, umami goodness. Other signatures include the prosciutto e rucola burrata pizza, generously topped with lashes of Parma ham, San Marzano cherry tomatoes, arugula, mozzarella and burrata, held together by a perfectly charred crust courtesy of the wood-fired oven.

Not to be missed is the Arrosto section where a daily selection of meat and fresh seafood is cooked on a charcoal grill or in the oven. The order of wagyu skirt steak was the highlight of our meal—slivers of tender meat permeated with a robust charcoal flavour and served with a moreish potato gratin that only the French could possibly better.