Al Forno East Coast: Home-styled Italian adaptions
The Al Forno East Coast boasts of its 12 th year in operation this year, having presented a pleasing plethora of wholesome Italian dishes to its patrons through the years. Regulars of this restaurant that come from all over Singapore have grown to love the simple home-styled yet delicious fanfare that the full Italian crew prepares daily, amidst a humble backdrop that hints of adaptation from the charming pedestrian streets of Italy. One can expect to find all the usual crowd-pleasers here; like an assortment of generously portioned seafood dishes, al dente pastas, wood-fired pizzas as well as the ubiquitous home-made tiramisu cake.
Furnished mainly with dark wood and dimly illuminated with warm lighting, Al Forno East Coast invites all to dine without having to fuss with dress codes or dining etiquettes. Perfect for families and large gatherings amongst friends, this unpretentious and modest restaurant shows great capacity in affording a cosy ambience that can easily set any guest at ease. Those who enjoy watching their pizzas being prepared before their eyes should reserve a spot close to the open concept bar to spy on the chefs at work with the traditional wood-fired oven and be awarded with occasional wafts of freshly baked dough bread from time to time.
A glance through the menu will not offer any surprises in its selection, although it does have a decent array of antipasti, seafood dishes, pastas and pizzas, as well as meat and fish. If you are spoilt for choice, then you will not go wrong by starting your meal with a Frittura Di Pesce ($16 small), which is a crispy platter of lightly salted calamari and prawns that is generous enough to be shared among 2 to 3 persons. Bread lovers can also savour the daily freshly baked bread that is complimentary to every table and comes served with a dish of extra virgin olive oil and doses of balsamic vinegar.
For a real treat, the Spaghetti Cartoccio ($57) is a must try. Apportioned for 2 people, this seafood indulgence of mussels, crayfish, clams, prawns and squids served with spaghetti will prove satisfying both to the taste buds and the tummies. Wrapped up steaming hot in an aluminium foil, one can actually taste the fragrance of the seafood on the pasta itself, which is commendably not musked by too much tomato sauce, as many other restaurants have slanted towards. However, the portion might prove too large for most Singaporeans so do share it with at least 3 people or a lot of good food might go to waste!
Pizza lovers should not miss out on their wood-fired pizzas. A good recommendation would be their best-selling Prosciutto e Funghi ($22) that has a base of melted mozzarella and tomato, topped with tender ham and fresh mushrooms. My only gripe is that the crust is not as crispy as I had hoped, but the piquant taste of its toppings certainly makes up for it.
If there is still room for dessert, the moist and moderately sweet homemade tiramisu ($9) should not be missed.
Do keep a lookout for new additions to the menu as owner Mr. Alessandro Di Prisco brings in an array of grilled items and also ventures into creating special Al Forno East Coast sausages for his patrons to savour.
At first glance, one might sum Al Forno East Coast as just another Italian restaurant amidst the sea of Italian establishments in the local culinary scene. Taste-wise, the food is good, but not the best out there. However, this restaurant has the winning combination of serving dishes that are rather generously portioned, with reasonable prices tagged onto them at the same time. It is no wonder many have made Al Forno a regular haunt for Italian food, even if they do not live in the East Coast region.
Furnished mainly with dark wood and dimly illuminated with warm lighting, Al Forno East Coast invites all to dine without having to fuss with dress codes or dining etiquettes. Perfect for families and large gatherings amongst friends, this unpretentious and modest restaurant shows great capacity in affording a cosy ambience that can easily set any guest at ease. Those who enjoy watching their pizzas being prepared before their eyes should reserve a spot close to the open concept bar to spy on the chefs at work with the traditional wood-fired oven and be awarded with occasional wafts of freshly baked dough bread from time to time.
A glance through the menu will not offer any surprises in its selection, although it does have a decent array of antipasti, seafood dishes, pastas and pizzas, as well as meat and fish. If you are spoilt for choice, then you will not go wrong by starting your meal with a Frittura Di Pesce ($16 small), which is a crispy platter of lightly salted calamari and prawns that is generous enough to be shared among 2 to 3 persons. Bread lovers can also savour the daily freshly baked bread that is complimentary to every table and comes served with a dish of extra virgin olive oil and doses of balsamic vinegar.
For a real treat, the Spaghetti Cartoccio ($57) is a must try. Apportioned for 2 people, this seafood indulgence of mussels, crayfish, clams, prawns and squids served with spaghetti will prove satisfying both to the taste buds and the tummies. Wrapped up steaming hot in an aluminium foil, one can actually taste the fragrance of the seafood on the pasta itself, which is commendably not musked by too much tomato sauce, as many other restaurants have slanted towards. However, the portion might prove too large for most Singaporeans so do share it with at least 3 people or a lot of good food might go to waste!
Pizza lovers should not miss out on their wood-fired pizzas. A good recommendation would be their best-selling Prosciutto e Funghi ($22) that has a base of melted mozzarella and tomato, topped with tender ham and fresh mushrooms. My only gripe is that the crust is not as crispy as I had hoped, but the piquant taste of its toppings certainly makes up for it.
If there is still room for dessert, the moist and moderately sweet homemade tiramisu ($9) should not be missed.
Do keep a lookout for new additions to the menu as owner Mr. Alessandro Di Prisco brings in an array of grilled items and also ventures into creating special Al Forno East Coast sausages for his patrons to savour.
At first glance, one might sum Al Forno East Coast as just another Italian restaurant amidst the sea of Italian establishments in the local culinary scene. Taste-wise, the food is good, but not the best out there. However, this restaurant has the winning combination of serving dishes that are rather generously portioned, with reasonable prices tagged onto them at the same time. It is no wonder many have made Al Forno a regular haunt for Italian food, even if they do not live in the East Coast region.
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