I Saw I Came I Ate - Lino, Binjai Park - A Colleague's Recommendation

Hello all, blessed Christmas everyone, may blessings be upon you and your family this festive season. I am glad to be back again to share good food that I've tasted recently with the community. For today, it will be a restaurant located in Singapore that is recommended by my colleague. There is something about me and my colleagues is that we always share our food finds with one another and in the weekend, we will go explore the places that were shared amongst us and savour the delicacies. So today let's zoom in to one of such recommendation which really made me wow with the quality of Italian food it served.

The Place
Lino, Binjai Park
Address: 7 Binjai Park, Singapore 589821

Notes on this place: Found in the shophouse region in a residential area, a very nice restaurant but parking is a challenge because there are only a few parallel parking lots found in the area. My suggestion is to come here via public transport or you might have to park along the roads at the residential area without double yellow lines (in Singapore, parking on roads with double yellow lines is a traffic offence). The environment within the restaurant is very cozy and conducive for dining. Simple decor and sufficiently spacious.

When you see such a mural, it is a signal that we definitely need to order a pizza.

The Food
Now to the main highlight of this post, let's talk about the food that this restaurant serves. As mentioned above, the pizza is a must (pure faith based on mural hint). The restaurant serves a whole array of Italian cuisines that makes it a little tough to decide what to order.

After browsing through the menu and also getting some recommendations from the waiter whom was serving us, my wife and I ordered the following:

• Burrata (recommended by the waiter)
• Char Grilled Iberian Pork Secreto
• Buttered Japanese Flame Grilled Oysters (recommended by the waiter, seasonal and not found in the menu)
• Panna Cotta
• Cafe Latte (wife) and Americano (me)

Let's start looking at each of the food item closely as I review them

Burrata

Look at well baked Burrata pizza, from the looks of it can already tell that it will be a very crispy pizza. This is a pizza that is made with tomato sauce on it with pieces of cherry tomatoes all over it. Then in the middle is a big ball of cheese that is well coated with Arugula (the green part). To be honest, at first look, I thought I gonna regret ordering this because that big green ball in the centre didn't look exactly appetizing and I started feeling a little skeptical if it is as good as what the waiter claimed as he said this is their bestseller.

When I took a slice of the pizza without grabbing a portion of the green ball, the pizza was fantastic. Baked to perfection and the tomato sauce with the bite of the cherry tomatoes was so good. Subsequently, I took the leap of faith and grab a small portion of the green ball and mixed it with pizza. Instead of feeling yucky, it elevated my taste and boy this gave an additional dimension to the pizza. Arugula which is also commonly known as rocket, when mixed with the cheese and also the pizza, gives a very refreshing taste and also reduce the strong taste of cheese. And after eating it as a combination, I can truly understand why this is their bestseller. A very good tasting pizza with a nicely baked base.

Char Grilled Iberian Pork Secreto

When the dish is served, I was having high expectations of it as well because it is Iberian pork. Together with the pork, Arugula and sauteed potatoes with onions were served. The pork live up to its expectation, soft, moist, tender and lightly charred. Very well done with no signs of tough meat. 3 slices of pork were gobbled down rather quickly. While the pork was great, the sauteed potato wowed me. Marinated well and sauteed in a way such that it melts in your mouth with no overpowering taste I didn't knew potato can be made in such a way with such a texture. Kudos to the chef for such a nice dish done.

Buttered Japanese Flame Grilled Oysters

This is a recommended dish from the waiter as well. He said this seasonal and this particular shipment of oysters they had was thick and succulent. And indeed the look amazingly succulent and coated with a layer of cheese on top of it then flame grilled to give the light char on the surface. Served on large stone pieces, these oyster are just so easy on the mouth with umami from the oyster itself mixed with the light saltiness of the cheese. A good blend of flavours that didn't had an aftertaste. It is nice that it is served in 3, because 1 makes you feel you didn't actually eat anything, 2 is too much for 1 person, a 3rd piece shared by 2 person felt just right.

Panna Cotta and The Coffees

Was deciding between Tiramisu and Panna Cotta, but ended up going with Panna Cotta since we often ordered Tiramisu. Choice was right as the Panna Cotta had raspberry sauce which reduce any oiliness left behind from the mains and a light sweetness to end off the meal.

For the 2 coffee ordered, both had strong aroma and for sure not low grade coffee. Nicely brewed and tasted great.

Overall:
Dining at Lino is a wow experience. While it can be a little pricey than the iO which I previously shared, the ingredients used were of high quality and the dishes were done to perfection. Good place, good food and good experience worthy of the price they charge.

Closing
Thank you for coming by and reading my post. I really love exchanging food finds with my colleagues and explore their recommendation. So far the group of us all had very similar taste for quality food and recommendations all live up to the expectations. Foodies unite and enjoy good food together.

See you in the next post!