Walking into Christina’s felt like entering a kaleidoscope of warmth and energy. Golden light emanates from a massive light installation resembling a coalesced mass of energy in the middle of the restaurant, its sultry glow dancing from amber-hued mirrors to brushed bronze walls. Pleated curtains frame the background. The wooden furnitures are warm. The plants that flank the edges of the room are polite.
There’s an easy harmony to the space. A certain completeness—so much so that my surroundings seemed to blend seamlessly into the convivial atmosphere that enveloped me during my visit. But that makes sense, given that Chef Federico Scordo takes his cues from a childhood spent at family tables overflowing with warmth, and a cuisine (Mediterranean) built around the idea that food tastes better when passed across a table. As I’ll soon come to realise, Christina’s is a manifestation of that belief.
Christina’s Potatoes. It features baby potatoes pressed flat to create jagged textures that crisp and crunch as they roast. House-made beetroot hummus offers a sweet counterpoint, while a drizzle of balsamic glaze hooks the palate with a gentle tang. Potatoes take on another form in the Croquetas, which contain a velvety smooth mashed potato filling encased in a golden crust, with bits of ham circulating each bite.
Then comes the Polpo Materca, the octopus-led main that caught my attention. I’ll admit—I have history with our eight-legged friend. Mostly of the rubbery, reluctant kind that seems to fight against my jaw. But here, it arrives braised and wood-fired, charred in all the right places and tender in a way that manages to subdue lifelong expectations. They’re served perched atop a bed of homemade hummus, which anchors the dish with its neutral, nutty flavour, while tomato confit on the side brightens each bite.
The Lamb Ras el Hanout arrives as a lean eye-loin cut that’s rubbed in Ras el Hanout seasoning—a spice mix which translates to “head of the shop” in Arabic, implying the best spices the seller has to offer. Pair that with a perfect cook, and you’re left with a medium-rare cut—its blush pink interior working in harmony to coax out the lamb’s gamey yet surprisingly delicate flavour.
Chef Scordo’s signature dish, the Traditional Carbonara manages to extract richness in simplicity. Eggs, pecorino, and parmesan are whisked into a creamy emulsion that clings to every ridge of the rigatoni. Bits of guanciale (aged pork jowl) not only fold in that essential hit of salt and fat, but also adds a satisfying crunch to each slightly gummy bite of pasta. My only quibble is that the dish ran a little dry on my visit—but the flavours were all there, and the restraint felt deliberate rather than lacking.
Ah, desserts—the beginning of the end. We began with their ChocoBanana, which sounds child-like, but it’s anything but. As its name might entail, it’s a blend of 70% dark chocolate and banana semifreddo. The latter of which is essentially just ice cream, minus the churning. This creates an incredibly dense bite that sits somewhere between a mousse and ice cream. There’s a richness here that borders on boozy, which I was surprised to find isn’t actually the case. Either way, it lingers.
Finally, the Tiramisu al Pistacchio works mascarpone cheese onto Italian pistachio cream to form layers between espresso-dipped sponge fingers. The result is a refreshing, well-balanced bite, with each component collaborating to shine equally, none overpowering the other. That said, the pistachio cream’s nutty, earthy profile intrigued me, so I would’ve loved to feel it assert itself more. But then again, I love pistachios, so I’m hardly impartial.
Christina's is located at 16A Duxton Hl, #01-09, #01-10 Floor 1 Mondrian Singapore Duxton, Singapore 089970
