#forlino

[justalittleobsessedwithfood]

Shrimp ravioli - Forlino, Singapore

[beourguestblog]

Another successful deployment @ Forlino

First and foremost, congratulations to Yi Wei and Michelle. May you two always find love and hope in the company of one another.

After touching down in Singapore on the morning (from Bangkok and India for YC and Jav respectively), we went down to Forlino @ One Fullerton.

Setting up of the equipment was painless. It took no more than 10 minutes to connect everything up and introduce the application to the ushers. There was a minor hiccup when the restaurant's WIFI wasn't working with our synchronisation function. Fortunately, we came prepared with a mobile wifi hotspot and got everything working.

Everything went smoother than expected after that. Guests started to arrive and we stayed to observe how the whole process was going. 

Personally, it was my first time seeing the whole thing in action. The system worked pretty well for a small event like this. The real challenge is their wedding this coming Saturday. They have almost 900 guests and 8 ushers to register guests. For the next few days, we will be busy prepping for the event. 

Tata~

- javier

[life-more-beautiful]

Valentine’s Day Dinner at Forlino

It’s been a while since I actually celebrated Valentine’s Day. I suppose that’s lucky in a way, as I avoided spending on over-priced flowers and wrecking my brains over a good place to dine out.

Well I ran out of luck this year thanks to Joanne, so for the first time in years the day actually had some meaning! Kind of, anyway. As they say, every day is Valentine’s Day, right?

In any case, I wanted to go to a nice restaurant, and since I don’t read magazines and food reviews I was out of ideas, as usual. In the end, I stumbled upon a place called Forlino at One Fullerton, which I later discovered to be quite a well-known place. For me, only two things mattered though – good food and good location. Based on popular food rating site hungrygowhere, this place has generally good reviews. And I wanted to go to the Marina Bay area. That settled it.

This year’s Valentine’s Menu:

Apertura (Amuse Bouche)

    Insalta di Astice con Asparagi, Aria al Coriandolo e Frutto della Passione (Lobster Salad with Asparagus, Coriander Air and Passion Fruit Sauce)

    Flan di Zucca con Salsa di Fegato d’Oca (Pumpkin Flan with Goose Liver Sauce)

    Ravioli di Bietole Rosse con Salsa al Taleggio (Beetroot Ravioli with Taleggio Cheese Sauce)

    For our main, I chose the Merluzzo Nero Arrostito su Orzotto con Funghi Porcini e Salsa di Piselli (Black Cod Filet with Barley Risotto, Porcini Mushrooms and Sweet Pea Sauce)

    While Joanne had the Controfiletto di Manzo con Timballino di Melanzanee e Salsa Aromatica (Grilled US Beef Sirloin with Eggplant Timbale and Aromatic Sauce)

    Morbida di Fragole al Profumo di Lime con Cuore di Cioccolato (Lime Scented Strawberry Mousse with Chocolate Heart)

  Sorry that the photos aren’t fantastic, as 1) It wasn’t a photography outing to begin with and 2) the restaurant was very dimly lit.

The meal cost me quite a bit, but unfortunately, we both didn’t find the food outstanding. Quite disappointing, as I was expecting a lot more. The service was good, however.

At the end of the day, I was happy that we had a good evening out.

But maybe I won’t be so extravagant next year!

[danandesther]

[Event] Isole E Olena Wine Dinner with Gabriele Ferron.

The theme of the Isole e Olena Wine Dinner with Gabriele Ferron was a celebration of Italian fine-dining and fine Italian wines. And the perfect venue to host this event? The beautiful Forlino restaurant at One Fullerton, overlooking the magnificent view of the bay.

Guests were invited to partake of a culinary feast of six courses, including Chef Ferron's specialty, risotto, with each course paired with a specially chosen wine from the estate of Isole e Olena in Tuscany, Italy.

The Wine-Maker

Isole e Olena is headed by Paolo De Marchi and considered one of the top ten small wine producers in the world. Having taken over his family's estate since the age of 20, Paolo transformed Isole e Olena, his traditional Tuscan wine label, into one of the most admired wineries through a constant refinement of his wine-making techniques.

During the dinner, we had the opportunity to taste six of his exquisite wines:

2011 Isole e Olena, Chardonnay 2006 Isole e Olena, Syrah 2008 Isole e Olena, Cepparello 2008 Proprietà Sperino, Uvaggio 2008 Proprietà Sperino, Lessona 2004 Isole e Olena, Vin Santo

When we expressed that the Chardonnay (a non-native Tuscan grape variety) was particularly excellent, Paolo sighed happily and informed us that he receives similar feedback every time he serves his Chardonnay.

"Very funny, no? Because Chardonnay is not a traditional Tuscan wine at all!" 

The Chefs - Kentaro Torii (Forlino) and Chef Gabriele Ferron (Ristorante Pila Vecia, Italy)

The head chef of Forlino is, ironically, not Italian, but Japanese. What is even more surprisingly is that he's only in his early thirties! We've heard that Chef Torii's boyish good looks have charmed many a female patron, but he's definitely more than just a pretty face. Classically trained in the art of Italian cuisine, Chef Torii was recently awarded Gruppo Virtuale Cuochi Italiani Chef of the year 2012, bearing testament to this non-Italian's expertise in the Italian kitchen.

Chef Ferron, of course, requires little introduction. You can find out more from our interview with him here.

Together, the two top Italian chefs worked hard to create a menu to wow the guests. These two courses were easily my favourite of the night:

Grilled Octopus with Mesclun Salad

Incredibly tender octopus with just the right balance of savoury-sweetness from the ocean. I would order this again and again. And probably again.

Isolana Style Risotto with White Veal in Cinnamon Scent

The World Rice Ambassador's risotto is completely unexpected. Chef Ferron's technique brings out the innate creaminess of the individual rice grains instead of relying on excessive quantities of cheese to achieve that perfectly smooth texture. Cinnamon adds a surprising touch to this savoury dish. 

Yet another lovely night of amazing Italian food and wine (the first being A Night of Italian Opera with San Pellegrino). I'm already looking forward to the other 17th World Gourmet Summit events!

- Esther