Al Forno East Coast

Al Forno East Coast is a casual Italian restaurant at 400 East Coast Road. It opened in 1995, which makes it one of the longer-running Italian restaurants in Singapore. The restaurant says it was the first Italian restaurant here to import ingredients such as whole peeled tomatoes and cheeses straight from Italy.

The website carries a welcome note from the owner, Ales. The kitchen keeps to classic Italian cooking, and the centre of it all is a wood-fired oven used for pizzas and fresh bread.

What to order

The menu is long and follows the Italian order of antipasti, pasta, pizza, mains and dessert. Pizza is the obvious first choice here.

• Pizza: classics such as margherita, diavola and ai formaggi, plus the house Pizza Al Forno with sausage, ricotta and spinach. The Pizza Rollo is a rolled pizza with ricotta, ham and spinach, served with arrabbiata sauce.
• Pasta: Spaghetti Al Forno comes with king prawn, fish and a touch of chilli in a tomato-cream sauce. Spaghetti Cartoccio, with mixed seafood, capers and olives, is made for two. Squid ink spaghetti, lasagne and gnocchi are also on the list.
• Mains: osso buco with saffron rice, braised lamb shank, grilled rack of lamb and a mixed grill of seafood. A large Bistecca alla Fiorentina is there for groups who want to share a steak.
• Starters: burrata with cherry tomatoes, baked aubergine parmigiana, bruschetta and mussels in tomato sauce.
• Dessert: homemade tiramisu, panna cotta and a coconut gelato served in the husk.

Vegetarian and spicy dishes are marked on the menu. Some items listed online are not always available, so ask your server what the kitchen has that day.

The setting

The dining room looks the part of an old-school trattoria, with wooden chairs, checked tablecloths and framed photos on the walls. The traditional wood-fired brick oven is the heart of the kitchen. There is also a covered outdoor area.

The restaurant seats about 100 people. It also hosts private events such as birthdays, company dinners and weddings, and the whole space can be booked.

The wine list leans towards Italian regions, with red and white bottles to match the food.

Good to know before you go

• Bookings can be made through the official website, which links to an online reservation page.
• The restaurant also runs delivery orders online.
• Pork features in several dishes, including pizzas with ham, bacon and salami.

Nearby

Katong and Joo Chiat have plenty more to eat and see. For a second Italian option, try La Bottega Enoteca. If you want to stay in the area, look at Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong. On a walk around the area, look out for the colourful Koon Seng Road shophouses. You can also browse more European and Italian restaurants or all restaurants in Katong and Joo Chiat.