Located on the second level of Great World City, an unassuming open-concept restaurant is quietly whipping up tantalising Italian fare at unexpectedly affordable prices. Al Dente Pronto, a subset of renowned Al Dente Trattoria restaurants, serves a compact menu specially selected from the lavish spread available in Trattoria. As its name suggests, Pronto (which means ‘without delay' in Spanish) offers quick dining for people on-the-go yet unwilling to compromise on quality, especially for Italian food.

• The Vibe
  This restaurant emits a muted aura of sophistication, which may be attributed to the stream of smooth jazz in the background and clever use of white, cream and brown shades throughout its premise. Being an open-air restaurant, Pronto has the advantage of endlessly high ceilings, and when coupled with low glass panels for the perimeter, make for an ideal venue for lunch meetings.

• The Food
  Italian cuisine is best embodied by the extravagant use of cheese, garden herbs and all things carbohydrate. Dieters will be tempted through and through with Pronto's selection of pastas, pizzas and desserts. So visually appetizing, I gave in to temptation and tucked into the Beef Carpaccio ($11.50) even before the carbohydrates came along. This starter of paper-thin slices of raw beef tenderloins is served with rocket salad and parmesan cheese shavings, topped off with honey mustard. Rolling rocket salad within a quivering slice of beef is a joy, but having the beef melt in your throat is paradise. Rocket salad lends such a refreshing crunch, making the meat irresistible; all my carefully laid dieting plans evaporating as I devoured every slice.

  Some might relish a sugar rush but personally, I delight in a meat rush – where the texture and taste of red meat induces a state of contentment. A beef starter was clearly not enough. I had to have an Italian Meat Lovers pizza ($18.50) to attain the elusive meat rush. Fellow carnivores out there will be satisfied with the abundance of bacon, Italian sausage, salami and minced beef topping. The pizza crust is rather hard – in fact it turns rock-hard once it cools off – but there is really nothing a good dose of meat cannot remedy, especially when it's a good dose of savoury, flavoursome, and chewy red meat.

  By the time I was done with pizza, I looked at the menu for the 3242 nd time (all right, I exaggerated) to eye their pasta guiltily. I concluded that it is not half as preposterous to forgo all thoughts of weight-watching as to omit pasta from an Italian meal. It was time for a little seafood with Pronto's Sand Crab Lasagne ($17) and Arragosta ($19), a light garlic cream based spaghetti with lobster. The lasagne was rich with the goodness of ricotta cheese drizzled with béchamel and, of course, substantial strands of crab meat. This dish could certainly use more sauce for a moister rendition. A few mouthfuls into the lasagne, however, I found its taste too heavy for my liking.

  Thankfully, the Arragosta revived my appetite. Available in a tomato base or light garlic sauce, Arragosta entices with chunks of lobster meat, zucchini and mushrooms served alongside a bed of springy spaghetti. I went for the cream sauce – much to my waistline's chagrin but to my palate's pleasure – and was delighted by its subtle garlic aroma. The spaghetti, done al dente , is firm and lovely with the freshness of lobster infused within. A word of warning: this pasta gets increasingly addictive. I intended to have a paltry amount of spaghetti just to taste but before I knew it, I was having my fourth paltry helping.

  One can't leave Pronto without their desserts. Italians fancy their custard very much, so I tried a Banoffi ($9), Zabaglione ($9) and a traditional Sticky Date Pudding ($9). The first 2 desserts are different renditions of the ever-popular custard. Banana lovers will dig the Banaffi for its caramelised banana slices on top and banana puree soaked in banana liquér at the bottom, with ricotta-flavoured custard in between and served in a pretty glass. The Zabaglione is perfect for people who want dessert without being overwhelmed by the sweetness. Amaretto (almond-flavoured liquér ) lends this custard pudding dessert a distinctive bitter note. I prefer my dessert with plenty of sugar, so the Sticky Date Pudding won my heart. Warm, sticky pudding is well contrasted against cold vanilla ice cream. The golden caramel drizzled around the pudding is, surprisingly, not sickeningly sweet, which adds a pleasing finale to my afternoon rendezvous with Italian food.

• The Service
  Service is prompt and polite in Pronto. Well-groomed members of the waiting staff are always around to clear your plates, refill your glass of water and bring the menu around. It is also comforting to know that they at least know how to pronounce some of the most baffling Italian dish names on the menu.

SD Food Advisor's Take on Al Dente Pronto
Don't be taken in by the chi-chi ambience because the price list really isn't as intimidating. The food is unexpectedly affordable for such quality at Pronto. I certainly enjoyed the beef starter and cream pasta – two dishes that can easily taste awful in other restaurants sharing the same price range as Pronto. So, please stop settling for lousy pasta and visit Pronto!