A new pasta restaurant by the Cicheti Group, Forma is located in the hip neighbourhood of Katong and was the talk of the town since it was started by Lee Yum Hwa of Ben Fatto 95 who was known for being a private dining chef specialising in pasta (I've tried to book and the waitlist was for monthsss so I gave up). So when news that there's going to be a restaurant, I immediately signed me and my pastafarian friends on the waitlist and got a slot. Luckily we did too, because the PR did such a great job and media raved so much about it that it became impossible to get a slot anytime soon (they are fully booked till end of July). So my cab pulled up to the restaurant which did not have any signage but was obviously THE restaurant.
The awning and outdoor area looks really good actually but it was SOOO warm recently it's quite unpleasant to dine out even after dark!
There's actually an open workshop at the side of the restaurant where you can see the pasta-making live by Lee Yum Hwa. She was literally handr rolling every single strand of pasta so I can perhaps understand why their pasta is more pricey.
The indoor dining area consists of two sections - one just at the entrance, and another further in that is closer to the semi-open kitchen. However there isn't any food smell, which is good. It actually got quite cold where we were sitting about 40m into the meal with the strong powerful aircon. The staff also seemed pretty overwhelmed and their service is perfunctory at best so don't expect any warmth there either.
Here's the menu. The pasta section only comprises of 7 types of pasta, but there's quite a few starters and 3 mains. As you can see (click to view larger image in new window) the prices are quite steep.
On to the food! We actually ordered 4 pastas first before deciding we need a couple of starters between the 4 of us so we had the Smoked Speck Ham (S$18) and its quite a surprising combination of salty ham and sweet medijool dates drizzled with honey. 4/5
We also tried the Fiori Di Zucca Fritti (S$26) which saw fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with gooey rich stracciatella cheese and this was really good! I can't decide which of the starters were better. The only point to dock here is it is $26 (maybe the cheese is expensive?). 4/5
Our first pasta dish was the Tortellini in Brodo (S$34) which we were advised to consume with the fork, much to our disappointment because we thought the broth could be nice too, like in wanton soup! It wasn't. The tortellinis though, while very petite, was packed with meat and full of flavour. Just don't think that you're eating $1 every bite, and you'll feel better. However, in my opinion, I would choose other pastas to have as mains as this does not feel that satisfying. 3.5/5
Then we got the signature pasta that Lee was making strand by strand - the Busiate con Pesto alla Trapanese ($28). A classic tomato sauce with bits of almond sprinkled throughout, the pasta is the star of the show with its bouncy texture with a bit of bite to it that brings much joy to our faces. 5/5
We also got the Stroncatura Ammollicata (S$32) which had a super long description, but you can think of this as anchovy pasta. The taste of anchovies was quite strong so if you're not a fan, you can skip it! To us it was alright though and quite different from the previous two. 4/5
One of our favourites was the Orecchiette al Sugo d'Agnello (S$36) where the ear-shaped pasta was so delightful it overshadowed everything, including the basic sauce that came with it. It really did give off the anime comic effect of fireworks in your mind as you bite into a piece of it! Why oh why is it so pricey though! Still.. maybe it is worth paying for. 5/5
We added a 5th pasta, the Pappardelle e Coda alla Vaccinara (S$36), since portions are definitely quite small and a plate is NOT enough for one as a main. The dish also had their fans, and I was super impressed by the soft yet firm texture of the pappardelle which is so tough to get right! TBH every single pasta dish is fantastico so go with 4 or 5 pax and order all of them. 5/5
For dessert, we thought to try the Cannoli (S$24 for 3), which is stuffed with ice cream instead of cheese. It was alright but I rather have another plate of pasta!
Here's the final bill of SGD398 including a bottle of wine for the 4 of us. They also charge $3 for sparkling or still water (I wish they don't do that and just serve regular tap water, but hey they want to make a profit so). Regardless, we paid $75 each (excluding wine) for 5 pastas, 2 sides and 1 dessert but the pastas and sides were so good I feel compelled to recommend this place IF you are the type to spend $ on food than things. Because if you were to spend, you might as well make sure its on good food. At least that's what I tell myself!
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Forma
128 Tembeling Road, Singapore 423638
Tuesdays-Saturdays 6 to 10.30pm
Closed on Sundays and Mondays
Fully reserved now (months of May to July), else you can reserve on sevenrooms
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