If French cuisine is known for its ridiculously small servings, Italian fare must be recognised for its generous portions, especially at Modesto's. This restaurant is found deep inside Vivo City's ground floor, but for a good reason – it opens out into an al fresco dining area by the HarbourFront Walk. The prime waterfront land offers a mesmerising sea view, especially by night when the water becomes a shimmering sheet of ebony.

• The Vibe
  Al fresco seats are always a plus for waterfront dining, as in the case for Modesto's. However, that is only recommended after the sun sets unless you intend to be scorched alive (we aren't called the Sunny Island for nothing). Indoors, Modesto's emits warmth aplenty in its woody furniture and red brick flooring. You also get to enjoy the sea view indoors through the full-length glass panels that cover half the restaurant's perimeter, so you get waterfront dining no matter where you are seated.

• The Food
  Italian cuisine is not just limited to the usual pasta and pizzas. Modesto's offers a tantalising spread of appetisers to give you a truly Italian start to your meal with them. The Antipasto Italiano ($22.50) is fantastic for people who prefer variety over quantity. ‘Antipasto' literally means ‘before the meal' and indeed, this starter is perfect for teasing your taste buds into activity before the pizza-plus-pasta carbohydrate overload. A selection of bruschetta , caprese , rock melon with Parma ham, grilled button mushrooms and vegetables are served alongside fresh greens tossed with olive oil. The caprese is heaven for all Mozarella lovers – soft Mozarella rounds are placed atop fresh tomato slices for a deliciously creamy starter but it's really the rock melon's passionate affair with Parma ham that stole the limelight. Refreshing rock melon is tightly embraced within thin Parma ham slices to result in a delightful contrast of sweet and savoury.

  Some may like a soup to warm their stomachs. In this case, you'd do well with Modesto's popular Zuppetta Di Pesce ($15.50), a rich seafood soup heavy-laden with an assortment of shellfish, squid and prawns. The mussels were satisfyingly fat and juicy, making the soup a flavourful alternative to the usual Cream of Mushroom and such.

  The starters were fantastic, but the same cannot be said for Modesto's main courses of pasta. Their signature dish of Linguine Alla Modesto ($24 for single portion/$42 for double portion) was greatly disappointing – yes, even with its extremely generous portion, whole crab and abundance of seafood. The linguine is actually well-done, smothered in generous amounts of tomato puree sauce, but the prawns were overdone and mushy. The whole crab that sprawled on top of the pasta didn't salvage the dish since it was quite a chore to pry through its shell.

  Thankfully, Modesto's pizzas saved the day with a Pizza Quattro Stagioni ($32). A thin, crispy crust is clearly segmented into 4, each adorned with different toppings – mixed seafood, cooked pork ham, mushrooms and lastly, black kalamata olives – ideal for diners who just cannot make a choice. Don't be deceived by the mushrooms' unpalatably dry appearance, as they are perfectly sweet and juicy. The black olives are also such delicacies – sink your teeth into one and feel the piquant juices spurt forth! Kamalata olives are known for their smooth and meat-like taste, so olive fans ought to swarm in for a taste at Modesto's.

  No matter how full you and guilty you may feel after all that carbohydrates, there's nothing a Tiramisu ($11) at Modesto's can't remedy. Literally translated to mean ‘pick-me-up', with reference to the caffeine in this dessert, Tiramisu has been distorted in many restaurants that claim to serve the real McCoy. At Modesto's, you get the dessert in cake form, instead of the modified cream form, with the perfect touches of espresso, cocoa and coffee liquér . The bitter notes of espresso and coffee liquér comes through clearly to induce a sense of lazy contentment.

• The Service
  The staff at Modesto's is always eager to be at your service. Their efforts to recommend customers house specialties are admirable, especially when they do it with a smile. There's nothing quite like a cheerful disposition to encourage return patronage.

SD Food Advisor's Take on Modesto's
Modesto's is not very modest (pun not intended) when it comes to serving their food. In fact, they are so generous that dining there almost makes me choke on guilt whilst thinking of the starving children in Ethiopia. The Linguine Alla Modesto (for 2 persons) came in an extremely huge portion, which I suppose is actually enough to feed 4 persons and still leave some appetite for their Tiramisu . Despite the apparent pasta disappointment, the charm of Modesto's black olives and dessert deserves your support.