Singapore - Forlino

Ask anyone today and they have to agree that Facebook is one of the biggest time-wasters on earth. However, in times where I find an old friend and through that time-wasting tool, organise a lunch after what has got to be close to a decade, I marvel at the wonder of the tool.. and since, very coincidentally, R loves his food too, we both decide to try the newest Italian icon in town - Forlino's at One Fullerton on Collyer Quay. The restaurant certainly lived up to the occasion and provided a close to perfect meal.

A table by the floor to ceiling window overlooking that merlion "doing its thing" and the marina bayfront, added to the atmosphere, and R and I agreed that dinner by the same window would be spectacular and very helpful if you needed a huge favour from our respective partners! Service was also impeccable since a stool for my handbag was brought without me asking... very rare in Singapore and impressive.
We decided to go "light" and share some of our courses, while having our own mains.

1. the amuse bouche of creamy soft polenta, topped with melted gruyere and topped with a summer truffle was delicate in texture and taste. Heavenly combination, especially with the freshly baked bread, by Chef Osvaldo's wife. Mmmmm.....

2. the appetiser of an excellent cut of Culatello ham, with sliced peaches and spicy fruit preserve were a nice combination of fresh natural sweetness from the fruit and a subtly fragrant saltiness from the ham.

3. Mains - My traditional Piemonte veal ravioli with truffle was excellent and in my opinion, the deal sealer for me. The al dente raviolis were each individually, painstakingly stuffed with shredded veal which was full of the hearty rich goodness of veal, unlike other veal raviolis where the veal is pulverised to an unrecognisable pulp and taste. I could eat this dish all day, and even though the portion was not modest, I lapped it all up.

4. R's mains of Risotto carnaroli with saffron and bone marrow, was most pretty in its presentation, and when he kindly offered me a spoonful to taste, it matched its good looks. The richness of the marrow was perfectly accompanied by the saffron-dyed arborio, where each mouthful was to be savoured and not swallowed too quickly.

5. Dessert was probably the only thing which was fairly ordinary but it was really our second choice since our first choice of golden apple strudel with Barolo Chinato ice cream would take a whole 20 minutes to make and I had only 10 minutes to order, down dessert and rush for a 4pm flight. So we settled for the summer berries with honey ice cream and crispy pancake. Don't get me wrong, it was not bad at all - the tart summer berries cooked in its own juices with sugar, was tart but nicely so, and made for an exciting contrast to the sweet honey ice cream and thin eggy biscuit of a pancake.

With the above, I hereby declare Forlino's to be the best Italian restaurant in Singapore as at the date of this post, if not, as good as its sister Garibaldi's on Purvis Street!

1 Fullerton Road
#02-06 One Fullerton
6536 9965