Tasting For You

Al Solito at Orchard Plaza Feels Like Someone’s Favourite Regular Spot

The interior of a cozy Japanese izakaya features a long wooden bar counter lined with high metal stools cushioned in light gray fabric, facing an open kitchen station with hanging wine glasses and shelves of bottles. Above the kitchen, a black chalkboard displays hand-written Japanese text and beer illustrations, while additional wooden two-seater dining tables line the warm, wood-paneled walls in the background.

I almost walked past it.

Orchard Plaza is not the kind of building that pulls you in. The lift is slow, the tiles have seen better decades, and the directory looks like it hasn’t been updated since forever. But that’s part of the story. Some restaurants aren’t built to impress you from the escalator. They belong to the people who already know them, and you feel that the moment you step inside.

Al Solito is one of those places. A small Japanese Italian izakaya on the third floor of a battered mall, quietly doing its own thing while the crowds head to shinier addresses. I went in curious about the odd pairing on paper. I left understanding why the tables were full of people who clearly weren’t there for the first time.

This review is about whether the food, the space, the service, and the price make Al Solito Singapore worth your evening. Short answer: probably. Longer answer below.

A Quick Review Snapshot of Al Solito at Orchard Plaza

  • Location: Orchard Plaza, third floor


  • Cuisine: Japanese Italian izakaya


  • Best for: small-group dinners, casual date nights, solo diners at the counter, drinks and simple snacks, regular-spot energy


  • Not best for: large groups, diners who need really much space, anyone expecting strict Italian culinary traditions


  • Must-order: cold angel hair pasta, uni pasta, mentaiko butter pasta, camembert cheese, hamachi kama nitsuke


  • Vibe: plain wooden tables, counter space, warm owner-run service, intimate atmosphere


  • Price feel: not budget, but reasonable if you order the signature dishes well


What to Order at Al Solito: Signature Dishes Before Anything Else

A four-panel collage highlights a selection of Japanese-Italian dishes served at a restaurant. The top-left panel shows cold angel hair pasta topped with sea urchin, salmon roe, and caviar, while the top-right displays a braised fish collar in dark sauce garnished with greens and ginger. The bottom-left features crispy fried chicken wings served alongside shredded cabbage, and the bottom-right presents a plate of rich carbonara pasta topped with crispy pan-seared bacon bits.

Ordering well matters here. The food menu spans pasta, hot dishes, tapas, cheese, chicken, seafood, sake, and house wines, and it’s easy to over-order into something rich and heavy. The charm sits in the balance; Japanese comfort meeting Italian culinary traditions without either side shouting. Here’s where I’d start.

It definitely deserves its seat at the table that honors the best izakaya Singapore has within its corners.

Cold Angel Hair Pasta at Al Solito: Cold Angel Comfort with Sea Urchin

Start cold. The cold angel hair pasta is the dish I’d hand a first-timer.

The pasta is thin, almost translucent, chilled just enough to feel fresh rather than fridge-cold. It comes crowned with sea urchin, salmon roe, and a small finish of caviar. What I liked is that the plate doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be luxurious for the sake of a photo. The sauce is light and clings to each strand instead of pooling at the bottom.

The sea urchin flavour reads clearly, briny, a little sweet, and the salmon roe adds gentle pops as you twirl. It’s delicate, not decadent. That restraint is the point.

Uni Pasta with Salmon Roe: The One Such Star on the Food Menu

If the cold angel is the opener, the uni pasta is the headline.

This is the dish most people come in curious about, and it’s the one that gives Al Solito Japanese its clearest identity. It’s creamy and briny, seafood-forward, rich without turning tiring halfway through. The salmon roe does real work here, cutting the creaminess with little bursts of salt and texture. A touch of sea urchin ties it back to the sea.

Among the signature dishes, this is the one such star boasting similar qualities to a proper counter uni bowl, just plated over pasta. If you order one thing, order this. Uni pasta in Singapore rarely feels this unfussy and this honest at the same time.

Mentaiko Butter Pasta: Japanese Italian Comfort in a Bowl

For something less flashy, the mentaiko butter pasta is the quiet comfort pick.

It’s warm, buttery, and full of that gentle umami from the roe worked through the sauce. The pasta carries the flavour well, and it doesn’t ask you to be adventurous. This is Japanese Italian in its most familiar form, the kind of delicious food you’d order on a tired weeknight and not regret.

If uni feels like a splurge, this is the dish that still delivers satisfaction without the premium.

Liking the pasta variety? If yes, you’re definitely missing out if you haven’t tried Sio Pasta from one of the cool restaurants Singapore’s foodies has been lining up for lately.

Camembert Cheese and Simple Snacks for Drinks, Sake, and House Wines

Now for the izakaya side. The camembert cheese is a drinks-friendly order and an easy yes.

Battered and fried, it arrives with a crunchy shell and a warm, molten centre. Pull it apart slowly. It pairs beautifully with sake or one of the house wines, and it fits the evening perfectly if you’re settling in at the bar with a few simple snacks and tapas to share. This is the part of the menu that reminds you Al Solito isn’t only about pasta, it’s a place built for lingering over a glass.

Hamachi Kama Nitsuke: Simmered Yellowtail Cheek for Diners Who Want Hot Dishes

For the diners who want hot dishes and something more purely Japanese, the hamachi kama nitsuke is the plate to get.

Simmered yellowtail cheek, tender enough to fall from the bone, sits in a sauce warmed with ginger. It’s homely in a way the pasta isn’t; the kind of dish someone’s family might serve on a quiet night. The fish is cooked until it’s soft and deeply flavoured, and it grounds the meal.

Order it when you want the table to feel less like fusion and more like dinner at someone’s home.

Chicken Teriyaki for Less Adventurous Diners

If your table has a picky eater, the chicken teriyaki does the job. Chicken, rice, familiar sweet-savoury sauce, easy to share, and easy to eat. It’s not the reason to come, but it’s a practical safety net among the more experimental food.

The Japanese Italian Izakaya Atmosphere Inside Orchard Plaza

A high-angle view of a Japanese restaurant counter reveals a long wooden bar lined with leather-padded high stools, fully set with plates, cutlery, and drinking glasses for guests. Above the open service area, a black overhead structure decorated with handwritten chalk drawings and festive greenery holds hanging wine glasses, while stacks of clean white dishes and kitchen prep counters sit neatly organized on the left under warm wooden paneling.

The space is small. I’ll say that plainly.

Plain wooden tables, a run of counter space, a full kitchen humming just beyond it. There isn’t really much space, and the layout keeps everyone close. But that’s exactly what makes it work. You hear the pans. You catch the chef plating. You notice the diners around you who clearly know the place already, ordering without glancing at the menu.

The battered mall setting only adds to it. Orchard Plaza is old, worn at the edges, full of character, and finding a warm restaurant tucked on its third floor feels like being let in on something. This is an Orchard Plaza restaurant that treats its shabby address as an advantage, not an apology. The atmosphere is part of the meal.

The Adorable Japanese Couple, Lady Boss Warmth, and Chef-Led Comfort

The warmth here is run by an adorable Japanese couple, and it shows.

The lady boss reads the room, remembers faces, and serves with the kind of ease that can’t be trained. The chef cooks like he’s feeding people he cares about. There’s nothing performed about it. They simply manage the space with attention, the way you would if the restaurant were an extension of your own kitchen.

Places like this stay in memory because the service is part of the flavour. A little of Japan travels with them into every plate.

Where Al Solito Japanese Food Meets Italian Culinary Traditions

The pairing sounds st

A wooden table display features two Japanese dishes, including a thick hambagu steak served with shredded cabbage and steamed carrots on the left, alongside a plate of golden-brown fried chicken wings paired with a shredded cabbage and purple cabbage salad on the right. In the background, an iced beverage glass, a small bowl of dark dipping sauce, a woven napkin basket, and extra side plates complete the dining setting.

range until you eat it.

Al Solito Japanese food works precisely because it doesn’t pretend to be a textbook Italian restaurant. It borrows comfort from both sides. The pasta, cheese, bacon, and wine-friendly dishes nod to Italian culinary traditions. The sake, sashimi, rice, ginger, and simmered plates keep it rooted in izakaya-style sharing.

Cold pasta, hot dishes, tapas, a glass of something. It’s a combination that reads confusing on paper and makes complete sense at the table. A Japanese Italian restaurant in Singapore rarely feels this settled in its own identity.

What Might Not Work for Everyone

Honestly? It won’t suit every diner.

There isn’t really much space, so seating can feel tight, and large groups will struggle. The food turns rich fast if you over-order pasta, cheese, and sauce, so pace yourself. Anyone expecting strict Italian culinary traditions may leave puzzled. And if you prefer a cleaner, newer, more spacious mall restaurant, this old-building charm might not land.

Book ahead. It’s small, and it fills.

Price, Portions, and Who Should Come Here

Al Solito isn’t a budget pick, especially once uni pasta, sea urchin, salmon roe, caviar, sake, and house wines enter the bill. But it feels worthwhile with a balanced spread: one fresh dish, one pasta, one or two simple snacks.

Come here if you’re: a couple, a solo diner happy at the counter, a small group of friends, or someone after an Orchard Plaza restaurant with real personality and delicious food in a warm room.

Maybe skip it if you: need a big table, want a quiet formal dinner, or dislike fusion menus.

Final Verdict on Al Solito at Orchard Plaza

Influenced…with expectations managed.

Go if you’re open to a small Japanese Italian izakaya with genuine warmth, order the cold angel hair pasta and the uni pasta, and don’t expect a spacious, polished room. What you’ll get instead is sincerity, comforting food, and an evening that feels lived-in.

Al Solito feels like someone’s favourite regular spot because it already is. Pull up a stool. You’ll understand quickly.