Words by Jolene Koh of Cupcake Weekend, Photos by ladyironchef

When I say I’m not a huge fan of Italian food it’s not because I don’t like the cuisine per se, but more so the feeling you get after having an overly hearty pasta meal where you’d go “that’s it I’m having Chinese for the next few weeks”.

Thankfully, I think I’ve found the perfect place for when I’m craving Italian without having to go through that unpleasant aftermath in my gut.

Helmed by Chef Michele Pavanello and housed at the corner of the Red Dot Traffic Building sits OTTO Ristorante. This classy, unpretentious establishment serves amazing Italian fare with a new-age influence. It’s a great place to have a business lunch, bond with the family over a good meal or even for a romantic night out.

Chef Pavanello takes what he does in the kitchen very seriously. Props for his constant drive to create new dishes and fine-tuning his style of cooking to suit our Asian taste-buds. When you meet someone who’s innovative and cares so much about what he prepares, you just know that what’s presented to you will taste good because at the end of the day, real dedication and passion for food is something you cannot fake.

We started with the Cocoa bean crusted foie gras with port wine reduction ($28). A decadent piece of foie gras coated in a crunchy cocoa bean crust on a bed of crisp salad leaves accompanied with home-made crostini.

By far one of the better foie gras dishes I’ve tasted, a palate tickler starter as I would call it. I liked that it had a myriad of textures and flavours from crunchy to soft, slight bitterness (from the cocoa), to sweet and salty.

Next we had the Slow cooked slipper lobster with leek veloute and morel mushroom ($28). I really enjoyed this other starter. The lobster was fresh, sweet and tasted of the sea. The leek veloute was flavourful & rich without being overly indulgent and complimented the perfectly cooked crustacean.

The Homemade squid ink tagliolini with lemon and chilli marinated prawn ($28) was pretty interesting for me because it’s the first time I’ve had squid ink pasta without a cream/squid ink based sauce.

I was pleasantly surprised that I actually prefer this to the former two alternatives. Homemade noodles (cooked al dente, no less) tossed very generously with prawns. I loved how the lemon zest and the chilli gave the dish some lightness and heat without over-powering the sweetness of the prawns. This one of those pastas where you’d finish, not get sick of and want more.

Homemade potato agnolotti with chicken jus and crispy bacon ($28). From plain sight this dish doesn’t look like much but it’s a whole different story when it enters your mouth. Although there’s no physical trace of chicken in the agnolotti, the flavour that bursts through was akin to a hearty roasted chicken meal complete with mash, peas and the works. The crispy bacon added a nice contrast of texture and a kick of saltiness.

The European seabass fillet with sauteed mushrooms and potato ($42) followed after. Wasn’t exactly a big fan of this main but the fish was well executed and I liked that the sauteed mushrooms and potato had strong hints of basil.

Lastly, the Pièce de résistance; Crispy “suckling pig” lacquered with acacia honey & balsamic vinegar ($48) that was accompanied with braised endives. I’m usually not a pork person but wow, this bought me over. Think sinking your teeth through perfectly crisped skin and into the juiciest, most succuluent piece of meat. All I can say is yes, yes & yes. A must-have!

Our meal at Otto Restaurant ended with Creme Brulee ($14). One thing I particularly love about this dessert (besides eating it) is the part where I get to use a spoon to tap on that thin glass of torched sugar and hear the sound of it crackle.

So I did, revealing a silky, smooth vanilla cream infused with kaffir lime leaves and citrus notes, paired nicely with marinated strawberries.

If you’re looking to try an Italian restaurant that’s authentic and classic with a modern twist, Otto Ristorante is a great place to head to (if you haven’t already). I assure you it most likely won’t be your only visit.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Otto Ristorante
28 Maxwell Road, #01-02
Red Dot Traffic Building
Tel : +65 6227 8350
Mon to Fri: 12pm – 2.30pm
Mon to Sat: 6.30pm – 10.30pm
(Closed on Sun)

Note: This was an invited media tasting.

Jolene Koh is the owner of Cupcake Weekend, which provides artisan cupcakes for every occasion. From media events, product launches, birthday parties, to weddings, baby showers, as personalized favours or just because you feel like having a cupcake.

Platypus Test Kitchen at Clifford Centre is a very interesting place. They have an unique name, and it is kind of difficult to define the place.

What exactly is a test kitchen? Is it like a lab where the chefs experiment with different ingredients to come up with the best pasta in Singapore? Or is it just a name to catch the attention of customers? Knowing absolutely nothing about the place, my friend brought me to the restaurant at Raffles Place to try out their food.

The owners describe Platypus Test Kitchen as a casual Mediterranean bistro, specializing in hand-made pastas and seasonal Mediterranean fare.

For a small bistro, Platypus Test Kitchen has quite a few items on its menu. The appetisers section consists mainly of salad (Wild Rocket Salad, Caramelised Baby Carrots, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon) and soup (Leek & Crab Bisque, Wild Mushroom Soup, Vine-Ripened Tomato Soup). The pasta menu is divided into two corners: fresh handmade pastas (Summer Truffle Egg Tagliatelle, Four Cheese Tortellini) and their signature pastas (Carbonara, Aglio Olio, Prawn Pomodoro).

Prices range from $5 to $9 for the soup and appetisers, while most of the pastas are around $12 to $15. It is also worth noting that they have a few selections that are suitable for vegetarians.

With so many pastas on Platypus Test Kitchen’s menu, it took us a while before we finally chose the Squid Ink Seafood Marinara ($15.50) and Carbonara with Double-Smoked Bacon ($12.50).

Both the squid ink tagliatelle and the spagehetti with egg yolk based cream were a little too dry for my liking. While the squid ink pasta was generous with the ingredients, I definitely had better ones elsewhere. On the other hand, the Carbonara was decent but not fantastic.

It is clear that Platypus Test Kitchen caters to the office crowd in Raffles Place for lunch. They operate from 10.30am to 5pm on weekdays, while dinner is available only on Friday night from 5pm to 9pm, and they are closed during weekends.

Maybe we ordered the wrong pastas. But I can see myself coming back again to try the other items. The pastas are reasonably priced, and they have some interesting creations on the menu. If you are working in the Raffles Place area, gather your colleagues and head to Clifford Centre to try the pastas during lunch time.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Platypus Test Kitchen
24 Raffles Place
#02-02 Clifford Centre Singapore
Tel: +65 6533 7402

Did I get your attention with the title – “Best Pizza in Singapore?”

Good. Now that you know what we are dealing with, please grab a chair and some snacks before we continue. Here’s the story: for the longest time, I have been wanting to check out Bella Pizza at Robertson Quay.

“You must go to Bella Pizza, they have really good Italian food — but DO NOT BLOG about it!”

A couple of friends gave me the same warning. Bella Pizza is an open secret for good Italian food in Singapore. The problem with Bella Pizza, though, is the location. It’s at Robertson Quay along the Singapore River, and there are simply too many restaurants at Robertson Quay! Epicurious cafe, Red House Seafood Restaurant, Boomarang bistro and the list goes on and on. I am glad that I finally made it to Bella Pizza.

Since there wasn’t any salmon pasta on Bella Pizza’s menu, my salmon-crazy friend chose the Pizza Salmone ($21) and was rewarded with a very good pizza.

I am not a big fan of thin crust pizzas, but Bella Pizza’s was thin yet filling, moist but not overly wet. Rolled up like a taco with all the fillings, or simply wolfed it down directly on the thin dough – the Pizza Salmon’s a winner! This is a very good option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Yay for all salmon lovers!

After checking out a few Italian restaurants in Singapore for Squid Ink Pasta, I preferred to have the tomato-based pasta that is infused with squid ink, rather than one that comes with the slimy black squid ink sauce. For one, there isn’t as much stain on the teeth and the lips after dinner, and it is also because I have yet to find a squid ink pasta that’s truly memorable.

The Spaghetti Al Nero Di Seppia ($22) at Bella Pizza was very well-executed. Every slurp of the pasta blended effortlessly with the charcoal black squid ink sauce. Needless to say, we enjoyed the squid ink pasta very much! Bella Pizza’s rendition of the squid ink pasta is definitely one of the best I’ve tried so far.

Tossed with clams, squids, scallops, and a king prawn, the Linguine Al Frutti Di Mare ($22) caught our eyes immediately as we scanned through Bella Pizza’s menu. We wiped the plate clean and the pasta would be perfect if there’s a heavier dose of tomato!

My middle name is sweet.

If you have been reading my food blog for a while now, you’d have noticed that I have an incredible sweet tooth for a guy. Bella Pizza’s dessert menu has some interesting choices like the Panna cotta, Warm Chocolate Lava cake, and the tiramisu. For a minute, I was sorely tempted to order all three!

Since there’s only room for one, the obvious choice was the Tiramisu ($7) which was very reasonably priced. We took up the dessert fork and crowded around the tiramisu; literally like ravening vultures circling around the prey. We gobbled the tiramisu as though there wasn’t a second to spare, as though it would run away if we didn’t eat it fast enough.

* * *

It wouldn’t be fair to say that Bella Pizza has the best pizza in Singapore when we only ordered one pizza from their menu. But I really like the pizza there, and I will definitely come back to try the other pizzas. Bella Pizza is surely among my favorite Robertson Quay Restaurants now.

Have you been to Bella Pizza before? Do you agree that they have one of the best pizza in Singapore?

Restaurant Review
Bella Pizza
30 Robertson Quay #01-14
Riverside View Singapore
Tel: +65 6734 0139

All of us love Wednesday. It is the middle of the week, and it is the timely message to tell us: hang in there, Friday’s coming soon! Here’s one more reason to love Wednesday – there’s an ongoing 1-for-1 pasta promotion at Ricciotti Italian restaurant,

Ricciotti is a Singapore Italian Restaurant under the Garibaldi group of restaurants which include Gunther’s and Garibaldi at Purvis Street. The Italian restaurant has a series of 1-for-1 dining promotions for lunch and dinner. On every Monday, the beef lasagna (usual price $17) goes for $12, Tuesday is 1-for-1 Pizza, and today they have the 1-for-1 pasta. All one for one dining promotions refer to items of same or lower value, which in my books, is a very good deal.

I like the tangy tomato sauce of the Tagliolini Neri Con Capesante ($24.50), the scallop was fine but I’d prefer prawns. Ever since I had the out-of-this-world squid ink pasta from Valentino’s Italian restaurant, everything else was bland and tasteless in contrast. I know this is an unhealthy obsession. It’s like the feeling of not being able to forget your ex-girlfriend which leads to the inevitable comparison between the two.

For everything that Ricciotti’s Linguine Al Granchio ($21.50) lacked in looks, it made up for it with the abundance of crab meat and the creamy rich sauce. This was the classic example of the plain Jane. Even though it had a seemingly average appearance, the pasta had a robust and flavorful taste that would make you forget about everything else.

At the bottom of the hollow Soffiato ($8.90), the satisfying ooze of the immensely dark melting chocolate and the component of the dark chocolate cake were flawless. A scoop of vanilla ice cream would be the ideal companion to the warm dark chocolate cake. But the chefs at Ricciotti had a much better idea, there was a twist in the form of the chocolate chip ice cream instead of the typical vanilla flavor. Yum!

Tiramisu and I have an inexplicable relationship. All I wanted initially was to stand from far and admired her. Though I harbored no illusions, I found myself falling for her, and I became greedy. She is my tiramisu and I am her lover. The timeless favorite, Tiramisu ($7.80) is the dessert that everybody love – mascarpone cheese cake with ladyfinger biscuits, coffee and cocoa.

* * *

1 for 1 dining promotions at Ricciotti

Monday // Beef Lasagne at $12 (Usual Price $17)
Tuesday // 1 for 1 Pizza (Choice of any pizza)
Wednesday // 1 for 1 Pasta (Choice of any pasta)
Thursday // Any Panini or Salad at $9 (Usual Price $14.80)
Friday // House-pour Spirits at $5 (Whisky, Vodka, Gin etc)
Saturday // 1 for 1 any Wines (On Bottles or Glasses)
Sunday // 1 for 1 Homemade Gelato
* All 1 for 1 promotions refer to items of same or lower value.

In case you are still confused about how the Ricciotti’s 1-for-1 dining promotion works, we paid $24.50++ (the higher value) for two pastas, which makes it very value for money. The 1-for-1 dining promotion is available all day for lunch and dinner. Now you know where to find me during lunch every Wednesday!

Restaurant Review
Ricciotti Italian Restaurant
3 Pickering Street
#01-36/37 China Square Central – Nankin Row
Tel: +65 6438 8040

20 Upper Circular Road
#B1-49 The Riverwalk
Tel: +65 6533 9060

“With so many restaurants at Holland Village, where should we have our dinner?”

Holland Village is like a foodie paradise in the West of Singapore. Tourists love Holland Village, and there are also plenty of locals who always frequent the area. Meanwhile I have been on the lookout for a good Italian restaurant to add to my list of Best Singapore Italian Restaurant. Since Amici Italian Restaurant is one of the few Holland Village restaurants that has been around for some time, we set off for an Italian feast during a weekday dinner.

My friend had never tried any Squid Ink Pasta before, so I was keen to convert her to a fan of the black and slimy, but absolutely delicious pasta. Unfortunately, Amici’s Spaghetti Nero Di Calamari E Merluzzo ($20.90) was a letdown. It was subtle, bordering on bland, with no distinct taste and the only saving grace was the two tiny pieces of fried cod – definitely not the best place to have Squid Ink pasta.

The Fettuccine Alla Russa ($19.90) on the other hand, was delightful with the bits of smoked salmon and caviar in vodka cream sauce giving the dish a robust and flavorful taste.

Tiramisu is a must-order in an Italian restaurant, and we had the ‘award-winning’ Tiramisu ($10.90) from Amici Italian restaurant. It was a competent rendition, but nothing extraordinary.

The other dessert that we ordered, Country Apple Crumble Pie with gelato ($9.90) was excellent. Each bite brought a refreshing apple chunk under the tooth, and the cold gelato complimented the warm apple pie perfectly.

Among the Seven deadly sins, I’d most likely commit ‘gluttony‘. I am willing to be a sinner just for this apple crumble pie from Amici Italian restaurant.

* * *

I am still undecided as to whether I will return to Amici Italian Restaurant. While it’s interesting to watch the chefs perform in the open kitchen, but it wasn’t very pleasant to leave the restaurant with the smell lingering on our clothes. If I am craving for Italian food, I will probably choose to go to La Nonna at Holland Village instead.

I have only been to Mykii Brasserie Cafe so far, please share with us which restaurants in Holland Village do you usually go to?

Restaurant Review
Amici Italian Restaurant
275 Holland Avenue
Holland Village
Tel: +65 6469 9989

OChre Orchard Central’s Agello – Australian Lamb Chops

When it comes to dining in Orchard Central, there are so many restaurants and eateries that we are really spoilt for choices. There’s a couple of restaurants at Orchard Central that I have been wanting to check out; for instance I have heard a lot of good things about Ootoya Japanese restaurant but the long queue always puts me off.

Like what I mentioned in my previous blog post on the Best Singapore Italian restaurants, I have been going to many Italian restaurants recently, one of which was OChre at Orchard Central.

When Mr Gadget was in town back in March, dweam and I brought him to OChre – an Italian restaurant on the 11th floor of Orchard Central. It seems inappropriate to start my introduction by jumping straight into the main course, but the picture of the Almond and herb breaded Australian lamb chops ($34) was too irresistible.

Rossini on right, Fegato Grasso on left

And then it was foie gras, and more foie gras! Our appetizer was the Fegato Grasso ($27), hot and cold foie gras. It was the virgin experience for both my dining companions when it comes to foie gras.

I was like, “Oh my god, how can you guys never tried foie gras before?”

It’s definitely one of the must-try food in the world! All of us preferred the hot foie gras, with a texture and taste that was consistent with the melt-in-the-mouth effect. On the other hand, the cold foie gras was a bit too much for us to stomach, with an overbearing gamey liver taste.

One of the main course that we ordered was the Rossini ($36). Done medium, the seared grass fed beef tenderloin also came with a piece of caramelized foie gras that sat smudgy on top. A bite of beef tenderloin and a bit of foie gras, I can’t think of a better combination!

If the chef is the artist, then surely the Doppio Carpaccio ($22) will be the piece of artwork. It was so pretty that we did not know where to start. Essentially it was a double carpaccio of Hokkaido Scallop and Parma Prosciutto. I’m a sucker for all things pretty, this is a feast for the eyes as much as for the stomach.

I couldn’t remember which pizza we had. All I knew was that: it was thin crust, with a very subtle tomato base topped with wild rocket.

The Acqua Pazza ($32) was the most disappointing among the three main courses that we shared. Fillet of red snapper braised in broth of clams, anchovy, capers and dried tomato – it was exceptionally ordinary.

Luckily, the Squid Ink Pasta and Duck Risotto were much better. The pasta was infused with squid ink and tossed in tomato sauce, the Squid ink pasta is one of my all time favorite pasta! We were intrigued by the Duck risotto, thin slices of duck meat were prepared with the risotto and lots of cheese, it’s very creamy and delicious!

It will be foolish to have an Italian dinner without trying the Tiramisu ($11). OChre’s rendition was generous not only in portion, but also in terms of the alcohol level. Give me a tiramisu and I will be a happy boy!

One of the must-order dessert at OChre Orchard Central will be the smooth and bouncy Pannacotta ($11). In addition to that, we also had the Creme Brulee ($10), which came in a trio of orange/espresso/pistachio flavors. Personally I preferred the orange over the other two flavors.

OChre Orchard Central has a complicated system in placed; there’s two different menus with the degustation set dinner menu at $68 per head for the interior dining, and the causal ala carte bar menu for the al fresco dining area.

In short, it means that you must order the set dinner menu to dine indoors. At $68, the dinner set menu includes antipasto, soup, pasta, main course and two desserts. While prices for the ala carte menu are around the $20s for appetizers and pastas, and $30-ish for main courses.

While the complicated system ‘forced’ customers to have the degustation menu; dining at OChre Italian Restaurant at Orchard Central is pleasant and doesn’t have the fine dining vibe. It will be better classified as a semi-fine dining Italian restaurant, and I wouldn’t mind having dinner at the breezy al fresco area.

From what I understand, OChre’s chef Kentaro Torii has been trained in Japan and Italy, naturally there’s a blend of the Japanese cuisine with Italian food. OChre Italian restaurant is a good option for a romantic dinner, with prices being slightly above mid range.

Which restaurants at Orchard Central will you recommend me to go next?

Restaurant Review
OChre Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
#11-03/04 Orchard Central
Tel: +65 6634 0423
(Note: This was an invited tasting session)

Right on the heels of a romantic dinner at Forlino, I had another amazing Italian feast – the following day. The original plan was to have a simple lunch somewhere else.

“Why don’t we go to Valentino?” I asked jokingly.

Apparently, my lunch date took it very seriously. To cut the story short, we ended up at Valentino’s after calling to confirm a table. Stepping inside Ristorante Da Valentino, it feels like we are in our charming Italian neighbours’ house for dinner.

Most squid ink pasta, or at least the ones that I’ve tried, had the quirky and murky flavor. This one tasted like squid ink. It tasted like fresh ink extracted on the spot.

Like the one that I’ve at Forlino the night before, the Fettucine al Granchio ($23.9) here was also infused with squid ink. Huge chunks of crab meat with the fettucine, tossed with the creamy tomato sauce – it was absolutely wicked!

Now we have a problem. I want every slurp of the pasta. No, I do not want to share.

Option A: Finish everything and re-order before my partner returns from the washroom.

Option B: Try to convince her that the mushroom risotto is better than the squid ink pasta.

I could see no Option C, even though I was secretly praying that she’d not like the pasta.

Unfortunately not. In case you are wondering, we wiped the plate clean. I’d die for the squid ink pasta, or less dramatically, save up and come here every week – just for this.

I want Risotto. My dear Seafood linguine, it doesn’t mean I don’t like you anymore. It just means right now, I’m craving for risotto more.

Mushroom risotto has a very important place in my heart. I don’t always order it, but when I do – it has to be good. Maybe subconsciously, we wanted more of the squid ink pasta, or maybe we had small appetite that day. Either way, just a word of caution: see the plate of Porcini Mushroom Risotto ($23.9) up there?

It might not look like a lot, but trust me, both of us couldn’t finish it.

Sweetie, it’s desserts, and Perla’s Pastry Boutique is calling!

Right beside the restaurant, there is Perla’s patisserie by Valentino’s sister. There’s no dine-in area for the patisserie, but the desserts are available if you are dining in the restaurant. It was an agonizing choice between the tiramisu, panna cotta, frutti bosco and their signature chantilly cake. But the sight of the gorgeous mixed berries were simply irresistible.

There’s a wise saying that goes like this: never trust a beautiful woman, and if I can add on to it, never trust the beautiful berries to taste sweet. Call me shallow, but I actually fall for it. Oh well, what to do, I’m superficial. Anyway I believe there’s blackberries, raspberries and strawberries in the Frutti Bosco ($8.80).

* * *

A romantic dinner for two is not necessary just about fantastic view or fanciful cuisine. Lovely, lovely place. Valentino is my definition of a romantic restaurant, it is all about us having good food in a cozy ambiance. Here’s a restaurant for Valentine’s day, reservations are definitely a must for dinner.

I’m going to bring all my friends to Ristorante Da Valentino for their homely, authentic Italian food. Rifle range road is directly opposite King’s Albert Park & Bukit Timah Plaza. Pick up your phone, and dial the eight digit numbers. Get on with it.

Restaurant Review
Ristorante Da Valentino
11 Jalan Bingka
Mayfair Park
Tel: +65 6462 0555

Ristorante Da Valentino is listed as one of ladyironchef’s favorite restaurants in Singapore.

It is difficult for a restaurant whenever a chef left, especially for one that bears the namesake of the chef. For the longest time, I have heard about Forlino, an Italian fine dining restaurant at the second level of the swanky One Fullerton, overlooking Esplanade and the new Marina Sands.

Catherine, Ju and I had the chance to dine at some of the waterfront restaurants at One Fullerton, and we were at Forlino for their Valentine’s day six-course dinner (S$128++ per person) which will be available from Feb 12 to 14.

It can be quite a thwarting experience to find Forlino; there was the much-talked-about mysterious flight of steps leading to the restaurant. Black and white tiles, with blue paneled walls lined up the entrance right up to the main dining area – Forlino at One Fullerton is  a stunning restaurant.

Everyone was full of praises for the Jumbo Crab Salad, a garden of wild rockets with strips of crab meat. Alaskan King crab will always sound nicer, and taste better than a Sri Lanka crab.

“Is that Spam (luncheon meat)?” One of us blunted out.

I wasn’t that surprised when I saw that there’s Beetroot cake on the menu, since I just had Beetroot Halwa not too long ago. The texture of the Beetroot Cake had a close resemblance to luncheon meat. Anyway, most of us couldn’t finish this, but the Robiola cheese fondue, made from milk of cow, goat and sheep, was very intriguing – impossibly creamy yet airily light.

I can remember a while back when I tried my first squid ink risotto and I thought that the planet would stop spinning. It was one of those rare moments that made me go ‘awesome’, and I knew life would never be the same again. At Forlino, I had one of those moments again. It was a simple Homemade Squid Ink Tagliolini – or so I thought. While most rendition comes in the black, slimy sauce, the tagliolini here was infused with squid ink, and it was tossed nicely in the flavorful Sea Urchin Sabayon – no hideous black stains on the lips. The semi dried cherry tomatoes were the sweetest tiny things ever, I loved every slurp of the pasta – Awesome!

The medium Angus Prime Beef Tenderloin had a tinge of pink in the middle; subtle hint of blood, slightly charred surface – I’m sure you’d like this. Besides the beef, we also enjoyed the very tasty potatoes but none of us knew how to appreciate the bitter Radicchio.

“Where’s the black cod from?” Catherine asked.

“Atlantic” came the prompt reply.

The Black Cod Fillet was like meat in cod’s disguise. Peeling off layer by layer, I drizzled each piece of the cod and a bit of the asparagus with the Sicilian blood orange sauce. It’s a tough choice for main course: choosing between the beef tenderloin and the black cod fillet, but the Angus prime beef edged out slightly for me.

The Strawberry & Yogurt Mousse was a cliche, with the corny heart-shape sauce of peppermint chocolate sauce. But still, cliche is a cliche because it works, sometimes. I was expecting a highly complex, multi-layers dessert to wrap up the show -  oh well, a dessert’s still a dessert anyway.

* * *

This is the first part of a series that I’m doing on the waterfront restaurants in One Fullerton. I’ll like to thank Fullerton Heritage, and Lyla of Ate Consulting for arranging and hosting this dinner.

Service at Forlino was impeccable, all the staff was equally knowledgeable about the food and wine on their extensive menu. Under the lovely influence of moscato, good food, and stunning overview of the Marina bay; Forlino is definitely a romantic restaurant for Valentine’s day dinner.

Restaurant Review
Forlino
1 Fullerton Road
#02-06 One Fullerton
Tel: +65 6877 6995

It’s Sunday, the seventh day of the week; when lazy people wake up with the sun shining at their bum, to go for a hearty, big brunch.The idea of having eggs, pancakes, waffles for breakfast while watching the world slipped away; it was too irresistible.

The sun was high up in the sky, getting sweaty and sticky wasn’t really what we had in mind for a lazy Sunday brunch; which left us with only one mode of transport – taxi.

We soon arrived, at Wild rocket, Mount Emily. The day is ahead of us, all day long.

The first nibble

I was horrified by the mere thought of dipping the bread into vinegar, not vinegar, balsamic vinegar you corrected. And a dab of olive oil, what a ‘nice’ way to eat your bread.

Unfortunately, it was not as rosy like what we had in mind. In place of the old ala carte brunch menu, there’s the set brunch instead; and sadly there wasn’t any pancakes, waffles or eggs Benedict. We flipped the pages of the menu and finally decided on one set brunch, and one additional main course.

Pan-seared tuna Wild rocket salad

Light ginger dressing, lovely. The bitter-cold rockets, was not what I wanted for a hearty meal. But at least the pan-seared tuna weight in for the carnivore in me. And oh, there was mandarin orange too, what a pleasant surprise.

Scrambled eggs home-smoked salmon foccacia

Scrambled eggs. I adore (read: love) eggs. Over easy eggs, or scrambled eggs were hardly what you considered a value choice when there’s the famous wild rocket burger, or their signature laksa pesto linguini available on the same menu; but we wanted eggs, and eggs we got.

Believed it or not, the scrambled eggs were most excellent with the hollandaise sauce, tossed in some rockets, with some smoked salmon on a foccacia; this, was what I meant by B-r-u-n-c-h.

Black squid ink risotto

And then it appeared. Rising out from the ocean, the most hideous, gruesome, and black thing you ever see, it arrived on our shores. We stared at it for a second, okay, who’s first? Our eyes connected again, sending signals ‘you-try-first‘ across.

I carefully placed a spoonful of the black thing into my mouth, if I may, O-M-G! We threw away any pretenses, facade that we’ve before, and tucked in. I sniggered at you, pointing to the black stain by your mouth, you snorted at me, for the black blot on my teeth; there wasn’t any need for us to behave like a gentleman and lady any further. Boy, the risotto was good, and filling too.

This, ought to be, the most, unglamorous meal we ever had. But we love it!

Kueh buloh Tiramisu

The end. The arrival of the dessert symbolised to us that its time to go. But before that, let us try the tiramisu. Strangely, I couldn’t recall how it tasted like. I vaguely remembered having a dig at it, and both of us kept quiet, and dug more, and then, it’s gone.

* * *

Note:

(1) The 3 course Weekend set brunches is available at $26
(2) Black squid ink risotto is from the ala carte menu, $23.80
(3) Taxi up to Wild rocket from Cathay was $3.50, walking down took us just 10 minutes

Wild Rocket at Mount Emily
10A Upper Wilkie road
GF Hangout @ Mount Emily
Tel: 6339 9448