Articles
 | Strokes of creativityThe Sunday Times, July 19, 2009Mrs Brenda Khusnin-Lafiandra’s most memorable meal was her wedding dinner. The Singaporean, 40, married Chef Cataldo Lafiandra, 44, an Italian from the town of Bari, in the southern Italian region of Puglia, in 1996. The couple, who now run Trattoria Lafiandra al Museo at the Singapore Art Museum, had a traditional southern Italian wedding and guests ate and danced throughout the meal. The whole affair lasted from 2pm to midnight. The dinner, which was organised by Mrs Lafiandra’s mother-in-law, included an array of appetisers, four pasta dishes, two main courses and a dessert buffet. |
 | Trattoria LafiandraSingapore American Newspaper, October 2008Picture this: Housed in a restored 19th century mission school, this restaurant is decorated with colorful painted murals of Italy hung on pseudo brick walls. In the back, rows of wine decorate the bar. The ceiling is ornamented with beautiful chandeliers right above your table and the dark colored red walls create a warm ambiance to the dining experience. While this panoramic view may come off as a scene in a movie, this is only reality you can experience right here in Singapore. Nothing beats an afternoon at the art museum and an evening of fine dining when it comes to planning a romantic date of even bringing your close friends for a relaxing night on the town... |
 | Pollock on a plateWeekend Today, December 22-23, 2007I appreciate a good work of art as much as the next person, but to be honest, I’d pick Portobello mushrooms on toast over acrylic on canvas any day. And, until recently I wouldn’t even have considered getting out of bed before noon on a weekend just to look at a bunch of paintings. Then I discovered a new section at the Singapore Art Museum that could signal the end of my Sunday sleep-ins. Trattoria Lafiandra al Museo is a charming addition to the 19th century building, with its warm-hued interiors set aglow by chandeliers and scenes of Italy hand-painted on walls.... |
 | Comforting flavours, good valueThe Business Times, Monday, November 19, 2007The original Trattoria Lafiandra began as a tiny outlet in Prinsep Street, building its reputation through word of mouth. Even if it was out shadowed by bigger names with stronger PR and marketing savvy, the home-style goodness of Cataldo Lafiandra’s cooking kept people coming back. So much so that he has opened a larger space at the Singapore Art Museum premises on Bras Basah Road. And continuing the spirit of the original, the new restaurant has lost none of its unpretentious charm..... |
 | The LafiandrasWine & Dine Magazine, August 2006Theirs is a story out of romance novel. A young Cataldo Lafiandra was working in the kitchen of now-defunct Italian restaurant Fratini’s in Ngee Ann City when he decided to pop outside to check out the diners. Little did he know that he would set eyes on his future wife. “I don’t know if it was love at first sight, but I was very attracted to her,” he says. That was in 1995... |
 | The Chefs’ Wives Club - Brenda KhusninThe Business Times, May 13-14, 2006It's like a script from a romance movie – girl goes to Italian restaurant, adores the food, falls in love with the chef. That’s the Brenda Khusnin-Cataldo Lafiandra story which started back in 1995, after which he whisks her off to the Netherlands for seven years. Having returned to Singapore in 2003, because their two children are of school-going age, the couple now run their own little trattoria in Prinsep Street – Trattoria Lafiandra, which has garnered a loyal following since it opened in 2004... |
 | Two's CompanyThe Sunday Times, February 15, 2004Over the past decade, two Singapore girls who set up restaurants with their Italian husbands have found that a good partnership can work wonders both at home as well as in business. Both are success stories. Da Paolo is now a chain of three restaurants, a gourmet shop and an upcoming pizzeria, while Buko Nero is booked weeks in advance. Now, the same recipe is being used by Brenda Khusnin and her husband, Cataldo Lafiandra, at their two-month-old Italian eatery in Prinsep Street... |