Ciao, Al Forno Trattoria
Our initial plan to bowl somehow turned to yet another food hunt; this time - to satisfy our pasta craving. Jia found this one place, Al Forno Trattoria, recommended by a blog so we decided to go with that instead of the usual. Lucky I made reservations in advance; the restaurant was easily filled up because of its size. Ambience wasn't cosy or homely as it claimed to be and nothing like what one website described it to be - quaint / rustic. Instead it was bright with a tinge of modernism.
Allow me to walk through the dishes we had last night.
Allow me to walk through the dishes we had last night.
A complimentary appetiser which is common among many Italian restaurants - Bread. Not bad, tasted like sour dough bread which is denser than the usual.
Insalate Tricolore
Green Lettuce, cheese, avacado, tomato and mamma's dressing - $12
Some of the lettuce leaves had holes and didn't look fresh. The avocado was unriped. "The cheese tasted cowy", quoted Jia. Indeed. The cheese had a strong beefy after-taste to it. Weird. Mamma's dressing - nothing more than olive oil with a pinch of salt & black pepper. I don't like my salad salty so this is a no no for me. Yeeks.
Green Lettuce, cheese, avacado, tomato and mamma's dressing - $12
Some of the lettuce leaves had holes and didn't look fresh. The avocado was unriped. "The cheese tasted cowy", quoted Jia. Indeed. The cheese had a strong beefy after-taste to it. Weird. Mamma's dressing - nothing more than olive oil with a pinch of salt & black pepper. I don't like my salad salty so this is a no no for me. Yeeks.
Penne Polpa Di Granchio
Pasta with cherry tomato, garlic, olive oil and crabmeat - $18.50
The description "CRABMEAT" was calling out for me aloud. Ever since I've tasted the delectable Tornarelli all granchio (Squid Ink Spaghetti tossed with Crabmeat Sauce) @ Ristorante Da Valentino, I fell in love with the heavenly combi. I requested the waitress to do a tomato cream base and would have asked her to change the pasta too if I hadn't been so blind! How could I have missed the huge bold word "penne" on the menu? ^$#!@ Gimme linguine anytime! The penne in my opinion was undercooked, Jia thought it was okay though. Tomato cream sauce was tasty but Valentino's still better.
Pappardelle alla Venexiana
Home-made pasta in saffron sauce, prawns & scallops - $22
Looks yummy! Taste wise - Its was okay but not fantastic. The cream based saffron sauce was delicious on its own and the homemade pasta though thick, had an interesting texture and extremely filling. But when combined, the pasta dish was unable to produce the wow factor and we got 'jur-lat' in no time. The prawns were also super tiny, not worth a hefty $22.
I would have been extremely delighted if these dishes were served @ pastamania or a cafe. But this being an authentic italian restaurant, I had really high hopes for it. For such prices, I rather visit Ristorante Da Valentino - the restaurant with the whole package: Fantastic food, ambience & service! Sorry but its unlikely I will ever revisit this place.
Home-made pasta in saffron sauce, prawns & scallops - $22
Looks yummy! Taste wise - Its was okay but not fantastic. The cream based saffron sauce was delicious on its own and the homemade pasta though thick, had an interesting texture and extremely filling. But when combined, the pasta dish was unable to produce the wow factor and we got 'jur-lat' in no time. The prawns were also super tiny, not worth a hefty $22.
I would have been extremely delighted if these dishes were served @ pastamania or a cafe. But this being an authentic italian restaurant, I had really high hopes for it. For such prices, I rather visit Ristorante Da Valentino - the restaurant with the whole package: Fantastic food, ambience & service! Sorry but its unlikely I will ever revisit this place.
