Missus’s birthday at Forlino
The Missus’ birthday was yesterday. As she had read this review of Forlino which was absolutely raving to the point short of naming it “Singapore’s best Italian restaurant” and “sexiest” one, I booked a table for dinner. The neighbours babysat while we enjoyed 2 hours off.
The decor was in my opinion Gaudy. They had reindeer horns hung over the walls, and you had to go through a long passage before you reach the dining area. The dining area was however quite nice. We had a table by the window that overlooked the esplanade and the merlion. The lights were soft and the tables were far apart such that you didn’t feel cramped nor disturbed by the conversations at other tables. They also provided small stools for ladies to put their handbags on, which was a nice gesture. The dining table was also a good size, such that we can easily pass food to each other, without fear of knocking over the glasses. Quite a good start.
The captain recommended 2 starters. A kind of ham with melons that was supposedly a grade higher than parma ham, and scallops. The ham was not bad, although I’m not sure if you put me through a blind taste test, I could tell the difference between it and parma ham. The scallops were ordinary. Mine felt a bit overcooked.
The missus ordered the veal ravioli with truffles, while I ordered the Mama’s lamb chops, which were basically lamb chops deep fried with a breaded coating and melted cheese in between the meat and the coating. Having tried both, I was sad to say I wasn’t “blown away” like the reviewer was. The ravioli didn’t offer any interesting flavours, while the lamb reminded me of Western food hawker stores, which deep-fried the lamb chops. Missus however thought the lamb chops were tasty, although we were in the end unimpressed.
Dessert was a raspberry tart that while nice, wasn’t spectacular. The raspberries were fresh, and the custard sweet, but it seemed like the kind of dessert we could DIY at home, by buying ready made tarts and filling it with our own custard from Nigella’s sinful recipes.
Review aside, we figured that we might not have liked the meal because our tastebuds are not attuned to fine dining. In fact, I was telling the missus that the best kind of meal I could possibly have was a meal cooked by her (I didn’t say this only because it was her birthday). A couple of days ago, we had white rice, a fresh mixed green avocado salad with nuts, and steamed threadfin with soya sauce. I realise the kind of food I love is not the fancy sort (with all kinds of sauce reductions), but the simple ones, where the ingredients are fresh, and the food is cooked as it is. I love the pure unadulterated taste of steak without sauce, steamed fish, and roasted pork with basil.
No more fancy restaurants for a while.
The decor was in my opinion Gaudy. They had reindeer horns hung over the walls, and you had to go through a long passage before you reach the dining area. The dining area was however quite nice. We had a table by the window that overlooked the esplanade and the merlion. The lights were soft and the tables were far apart such that you didn’t feel cramped nor disturbed by the conversations at other tables. They also provided small stools for ladies to put their handbags on, which was a nice gesture. The dining table was also a good size, such that we can easily pass food to each other, without fear of knocking over the glasses. Quite a good start.
The captain recommended 2 starters. A kind of ham with melons that was supposedly a grade higher than parma ham, and scallops. The ham was not bad, although I’m not sure if you put me through a blind taste test, I could tell the difference between it and parma ham. The scallops were ordinary. Mine felt a bit overcooked.
The missus ordered the veal ravioli with truffles, while I ordered the Mama’s lamb chops, which were basically lamb chops deep fried with a breaded coating and melted cheese in between the meat and the coating. Having tried both, I was sad to say I wasn’t “blown away” like the reviewer was. The ravioli didn’t offer any interesting flavours, while the lamb reminded me of Western food hawker stores, which deep-fried the lamb chops. Missus however thought the lamb chops were tasty, although we were in the end unimpressed.
Dessert was a raspberry tart that while nice, wasn’t spectacular. The raspberries were fresh, and the custard sweet, but it seemed like the kind of dessert we could DIY at home, by buying ready made tarts and filling it with our own custard from Nigella’s sinful recipes.
Review aside, we figured that we might not have liked the meal because our tastebuds are not attuned to fine dining. In fact, I was telling the missus that the best kind of meal I could possibly have was a meal cooked by her (I didn’t say this only because it was her birthday). A couple of days ago, we had white rice, a fresh mixed green avocado salad with nuts, and steamed threadfin with soya sauce. I realise the kind of food I love is not the fancy sort (with all kinds of sauce reductions), but the simple ones, where the ingredients are fresh, and the food is cooked as it is. I love the pure unadulterated taste of steak without sauce, steamed fish, and roasted pork with basil.
No more fancy restaurants for a while.
