pasta 🍝

The spicy crab pasta ($14.50) was creamier than expected, but the sauce was rich and faceted! Wish the crab was chunkier because the small slivers kinda got lost amid the linguine. Asked for the spice to be turned up a notch and they delivered. Pretty decent if you have promotional codes on grab but otherwise rather pricey for a regular workday meal.

King prawn and scallop pasta ($30.90++) was a touch disappointing as the sauce was thin and rather oriental with the addition of dried shrimp. Favourite part of this dish would be the grilled prawns - juicy and firm and bursting with flavour! Kudos to the attentive staff who came over with an extra plate to discard the shells.

Beef stroganoff ($28.90++) features a stellar pan-seared sirloin - just the right amount of chew and char, with a delectable flavour. The spaghetti on the other hand was mediocre at best, its cream sauce cloying and one dimensional. Not something I’d order again given its high price point, would just opt for their meats!

The miso does make this carbonara ($16) a little different from most others, but it was still rather one dimensional and cloying after a while. Salmon cubes were decent but quite forgettable! Also, missing the ikura and furikake pictured in other reviews?

The waitress recommended the meatball tagliatelle ($26++) over the ravioli, so we went with her suggestion! I must confess that I had my reservations when the dish arrived - it looked terribly plain, like something I could whip up from cans at home. But this is, hands down, my favourite pasta at Lino thus far! The homemade tomato sauce is tangy and savoury; the pasta had a firm bite. What won me over were the meatballs - a medley of beef and lamb, they had a great depth of flavour that pulled the whole dish together without being too heavy. This paired perfectly with the burrata pizza!

The beef short rib fettuccine ($29++) is highly recommended but average at best - the sauce is one dimensional and a tad too salty, whilst the beef came across more like bolognese. I’d stick to their pizzas!

A pity that the burpple beyond deals no longer include the oriole classics, which I really enjoyed previously! Settled for the spicy crabmeat capellini ($28++) - despite the copious amounts of chilli enfolded within, it lacked the distinctive heat and instead tasted strongly of cardamom. I found the pasta a tad dry! The portion of crabmeat was fresh and generous.

We only ordered the braised lamb shank ($28++) because our first pick had gone out of stock, but this was a surprisingly wonderful find! The meat is tender and falls off the bone easily; seasoned well and not at all gamey. It is accompanied by mash and roasted vegetables, ladled over with a tangy tomato sauce. The crispy broccoli and cauliflower florets were exceedingly good!

Given their identical price points, I’d recommend the braised beef cheeks over the short rib pasta ($25++). I found the sauce too one dimensional and gelatinous. The pieces of meat were either fatty or a tad tough to chew. The beef cheeks features more textures and flavours!

Their capellini was cooked al dente, which I found a little hard for me! Will request for a softer bite next time. Loved the savoury tomato pesto in Gamberi ($28++), balanced by the arugula. I’m not convinced that they used fresh tiger prawns though - rather lacklustre for a place that claims to use premium imported ingredients!

The truffle cream linguine ($13.90+ a la carte, 20+ burpple beyond’s set) was rich and decadent - the truffle aroma came through nicely! Might get a little overwhelming towards the end when it gets cold, but this was substantial. Also ordered the chilli seafood pasta - enjoyed it previously, but it was awfully alkaline-tasting this time round. Otherwise, the seafood was generous and fresh. Particularly liked the addition of mushrooms and garlic!

A really unassuming dish! The prawn & crab aglio ($18) is tossed in a simple medley of olive oil and chilli flakes. Wasn’t a fan of the dry pieces of crab that flakes apart, but it was otherwise enjoyable.