Most good restaurants review their menus from time to time. Zambuca Italian Restaurant & Bar, which opened in Pan Pacific Hotel three years ago, recently changed 50 per cent of its menu, taking care to retain the old favourites while introducing new dishes to ensure its customers are not jaded by the same old fare.

The Italian fine-dining restaurant has one of the most unusual interiors I've seen. The deliberate use of dark colours in almost everything from the walls to the booths to the carpet serve to make the spacious restaurant appear a lot smaller than it actually is. It is, however, balanced out by the high ceiling, and the result is a cosy yet elegant ambience. The restaurant also boasts a wine list of 2,300 labels, and the 8,000 wine bottles do double duty as part of Zambuca's decor - a most unusual sight.

But enough about the decor. The focus of any restaurant should be its food, and here, Zambuca does not disappoint.

The tasting menu included some appetisers, pastas, meat dishes as well as a dessert. Care was taken to make sure that we got to try the restaurant's signature items along with the new offerings on its menu While the whole meal was altogether pleasing, several dishes are worthy of mention.

But first, a disclaimer - I do not like foie gras. I simply do not like the taste - and a few unfortunate experiences with poorly prepared goose liver have turned me off the delicacy almost entirely. However, I will make an exception for Zambuca's new offering - the pan-fried goose liver on toasted brioche, or bread, ($26) was good, with a rich, velvety taste.

If you love scallops, try the Trio di Cappesante ($24, above), which is one of the restaurant's signature dishes. Scallops are usually prepared in three ways (tempura, pan-fried and tartar) and at Zambuca, this light appetiser is complemented by the refreshing 2005 Gunderloch Jean Baptiste Riseling Kabinett ($14 per glass).

The Pasta Frutti de Mare ($34, main picture) is new on the menu, and comes with a generous amount of seafood. You can request the type of sauce or preparation it comes in - tomato, aglio olio, cream or rose. If you finish this dish, it is likely that you will forgo dessert - the pasta servings at Zambuca are large.

My favourite dish had to be the Porcini Risotto ($34). This rich, savoury, creamy Arborico rice dish with porcini and button mushrooms is the perfect comfort food for those days when you just want to indulge. Unsurprisingly, this is one of Zambuca's signature dishes. Risotto fans, this is a must-try.

The Agnello ($44) is also noteworthy. The lamb rack is coated with rosemary, thyme and parsley and a layer of mustard, before it is baked. This unusual preparation creates a tender, juicy lamb rack with a crisp, aromatic herb crust. I usually do not like lamb, but I liked this dish almost as much as I liked the Porcini Risotto!

At the end of a full meal, one wants to round everything off with a dessert that satisfies the sweet tooth but is not bloating. The keyword is balance. And the Coconut Panna Cotta ($12) was, for me, the perfect end to a good meal. Silky, smooth, with a mild coconut flavour and just the right amount of sweetness, this delectable item is almost worth busting your diet for.

Zambuca has been described as "avant garde" and "innovative" among other things. I don't know about you, but most of the time I'm more concerned with the taste of the food than with how it is described. When all the fancy adjectives have been exhausted, the question which remains is, "did I like it?" followed by "Would I want to eat this again?" If I were to judge by the risotto and panna cotta alone, the answer is "yes, definitely."

Zambuca Italian Restaurant & Bar
The Pan Pacific Singapore,
7 Raffles Boulevard, #03-00
(S) 039595
Tel: 6337 8086