When a restaurant’s name directly translates as ‘the grandmother’, you can expect food cooked just like mamma cooks it. But unless you grew up in an Italian home, this may not bring back warm memories of Sunday dinner. Still, home is where the heart is, and La Nonna maintains the homely vibe through nice touches like the ‘handwritten’ (ie, computer-generated handwriting) menu. The rigatoni with tender chunks of braised oxtail was delicious right down to the last drop of sauce, and the beef ravioli in a cream sauce is lifted by liberal amounts of fresh parsley and a truffle compote. The more experimental dishes such as the cream of pumpkin with stingray are iffy; the fishy smell and taste can be a little hard for some to swallow. The risotto, while cooked to the right texture, was disappointing; the foie gras was overdone and the asparagus limp. Our advice? Stick with the more traditional dishes and you’ll do fine.

For its Weekday Lunch Specials, the restaurant offers a 3-course set lunch ($26++) which a weekly-changing menu so your lickers have something new to look forward to. A classic starter is the ‘caprese’ salad with mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto sauce. Pasta and pizza lovers can expect dishes such as the linguine pasta with crab meat and fresh basil in creamy tomato sauce, as well the pizza ‘Diavola’ topped with tomato, mozzarella, spicy Italian salami and fresh chilli. 

At La Nonna Holland Village, diners can also enjoy 1-for-1 pizzas, pastas or main courses, while La Nonna Namly Place offers 40% off the a la carte menu as part of the restaurant’s weekday lunch deals.

The Weekday Lunch Specials are available Mon-Fri 12-2.30pm.