Forlino

Disappointing! …and overpriced for what it is.
Let’s start from the good part: the view, the venue, the location. And the bread. After the bread, it went downhill.
Maybe when Chef Forlino was there it was worth it. Now they lost it. Will go back to No Menu…

Disappointing dining experience. It was our first time and our last time at Forlino.
The bar area was a sad dark corner opposite the restroom; we waited there for friends to join and had some cocktails. The Americano and Negroni were tasteless and watery.
The service was absent and unpassionate. One did not get a sense of pride of the history of this restaurant which has had such a wonderful past.
Appetisers: pretty good: cold cuts, burrata, and scallop tartar (not quite Italian though).
Main courses: big disappointment: The Coniglioni with Duck ragu came over-​baked and therefore the pasta shells were hard and tough to chew. The duck ragu was slightly too sweet.
Risotto with shrimp: average.
Spaghetti carbonara: too creamy and lacked the authentic flavor of a true carbonara
Branzino: small portion served in an uninspiring manner with tired vegetables around it.
A great positive: The views are wonderful.
Overall however, a tired, uninspiring and very overpriced dining experience with poor execution of Italian dishes ($ 150+ per person with one bottle of wine).

Romantic ambience with a great view of the marina area.
Service was attentive and presentable.
The appetizer bread was served with generous shaved cheese.
Thick seabass fillet and wagyu beef that melts in you mouth, went down well with glass of champagne and reds.
Long black was perfect to close the evening with choc lava.
An exceptional evening.

Disappointing after a decent start.
We will not be returning. Overpriced for what it was

Came here for lunch. I really liked the view, and the setup is really nice and clean. Service was average, staff seemed a unfriendly when we made requests, but remained polite. I was vegetarian that day, and just wanted to check what dishes did not have meat. Staff did not seem sure.
Anyway, I liked the bread, even though it was rather oily. Everything else all right — nothing bad — but boring. Ever had a meal where you cannot find much fault, but that’s the only great thing? Pretty much sums this meal up. If I had to pick something though, I think I liked the panna cotta w/​passion fruit best. Slightly sour, but otherwise good. Overall, it felt like I was there more for the view and to have a chat, and the meal was an add-​on/​secondary to that and was no cause for interruption.

Came here for a weekday lunch. Friends had told me this was only so-​so, and I agree.
Good things first. The focaccia bread was served up warm and soft, though the bakers leaned towards the liberal side with the olive oil. For mains I had the halibut filet, which the waiter recommended over the veal. It was crisply seared and succulent inside, and fresh.
However, that was the only high note. The rest of the meal was technically alright but singularly uninspired.
The starter, two small slices of raw salmon with pesto, was decent but not memorable. Our second course of pasta — garganelli with forest mushrooms — was better, but I didn’t feel compelled to finish it. The pannacotta dessert that followed was monotonous and yawn-​inducing.
The sugar biscuits they served with tea/​coffee after were a tad more interesting, but not compelling enough to save this.

Forlino is one of those restaurants that thrives on business clientele and ladies who lunch. It fits the mold of a perfunctory fine dining restaurant with it’s white linen, sharply dressed waiters and a hostess at the front desk with a remarkable memory. Thing is while the food is good and the service is as it should be for people who lunch in 45 minutes, I feel like this restaurant lacks heart or passion and that’s why it scores a ³⁄₅.
At a recent lunch, I had the crab salad to start with and a seafood casserole for my mains. I believe the menu changes monthly with the seasons so these items may not be available year round. The crab salad was light and refreshing with a mold of fresh, juicy crab and just enough dressing drizzled on the plate. My seafood casserole was deceptively filling, served in a cast iron pan. I had pieces of cod, lobster, mussels and other treasures from the sea, cooked perfectly in a tomato base. Before my orders came, we were given a plate of cheese shavings and bread, both of which were extremely addictive and threatened to ruin my meal.
In all, I can’t complain about the food, décor and view but the restaurant lacks a certain je né sais quoi. I would return again for work lunches but wouldn’t make the special trip out on a weekend.