Al Forno

The previous time I dropped by Al Forno was a long time ago, probably back when I was still in university, and I came by here only because there was a DBS promotion going on which allowed for a 1-for-1 main course. Fast forward a couple of years and there are no more credit card promotions and the crowd has definitely thickened considerably. 

We came here over the long weekend to celebrate my dad's and bro's birthday. Was thankful that my mum did eventually get around to making a reservation or we would be stuck waiting outside for a long while judging by the size of the crowd. Every table was filled and there were people milling around outside waiting and some eventually gave up and decided to order takeaway instead.

We ordered a parmigiana to share which is egg plant baked in tomatoes and cheese. It was totally heavenly. I loved the juicy slices of eggplant that have absorbed the essence of the tomatoes and cheese and the sweet ripe tomatoes bursting in my mouth. Awesome.

We also ordered a pizza with parma ham and rocket leaves to share. This was my own recommendation as I was craving for parma ham and all of us agreed that this pizza was fantastic. Al Forno pizzas truly never disappoints! It's always so good. Lots of mozzarella cheese beneath the thick slices of parma ham and the thin crust was crispy and yummy.

My dad, brother and I each ordered a pasta for our main dish while my mum ordered a pan fried chicken in white wine sauce. The pan fried chicken came looking really healthy, but it tasted a bit bland and the chicken meat was too dry. The mash potato was really buttery and filling but I wouldn't recommend this dish.

My dad ordered Linguine with Lobster in cherry tomato sauce. The linguine was done al dente but the lobster was slightly overcooked which resulted in the meat being quite tough as it lost all its essence in the long cooking process.

My brother ordered seafood spaghetti in tomato and cream sauce. He could hardly finish his plate of pasta towards the end of the meal as the sauce was too creamy and it left him feeling very uncomfortable in the tummy. The seafood was really fresh though!

So I made the right choice after all. I ordered Spaghetti Vongole which is spaghetti with clams tossed in white wine and olive oil. It was delicious! Al Forno was really generous with the clams and I had a plate overflowing with fresh juicy clams soaked in white wine. The spaghetti was al dente and tasty with the white wine. I loved my pasta!

Not exactly in the most convenient location, Al Forno can be accessed by bus (alight across from Two Fat Men and walk along East Coast Road to the Peranakan Hotel) or you could drive there and park along the  slip road beside Al Forno.

Do remember to make a reservation if you are intending to have dinner here over a weekend!

400 East Coast Road