Forma: New Italian Restaurant In Singapore Has An Ever-Changing Menu With Unusual Pasta Shapes Freshly Made Daily

By Karmen on 12 May 2022

Digital Editor

Homegrown Italian hospitality group, The Cicheti Group, has collaborated with pasta artisan, Ben Fatto to launch Forma, an upscale trattoria.

Its stunning interior aside, a noteworthy element of Forma is its pasta programme which is said to be the first of its scale to be run by an all-local culinary team of chefs and pasta makers. The intrigue doesn't stop there, the pasta shapes are made using traditional techniques that pre-date modern machinery and is prepared in appreciation of the traditions of each dish's native region.

Ambience at Forma

Located at the vibrant Joo Chiat estate, the 2,000 sqft corner shophouse unit was designed by Takenouchi Webb to reflect the handcrafted elements of Forma while complementing the charm of the heritage neighbourhood.

Photo from Forma

Light timber walls, terracotta flooring, hand-made tiles and marble surfaces is used throughout the space, while rattan and cane furniture adds a rustic, homey charm. The mix of colours and textures are interspersed with paintings by Malaysian artist Fauzul Yusri (b.1974), which features heavy-bodied pigments like oil paints, pumice, and industrial texture paste, layered over scarred surfaces.

There's also a pet-friendly outdoor dining patio illuminated by overhead fairly lights.

Photo from Forma

Food at Forma

The glass-encased pasta production kitchen is proudly placed at the front of the restaurant, where diners and onlookers can watch the entire pasta-making process. In the pasta kitchen are specialist hand tools imported from Europe, machinery and custom pasta benches that the pasta artisans use to create the pasta shapes in accordance with the original methods.

Photo from Forma

The menu, which will be refreshed every quarter, centres around seasonal pasta shapes and their respective dishes. The opening selection features seven traditional pasta dishes based on regionality and framed broadly from North to South of Italy, and into the Islands. There will be a mix of iconic dishes and lesser-known ones, as well as both handmade and machine-extruded pasta shapes, based on the original methods of fabrication.

Photo from Forma

The pasta shapes are then fleshed out into exquisite dishes according to their storied origins. These are some of the pastas:

Orecchiette al Sugo d'Agnello ($36)

Photo from Forma

Originating in Bari, Puglia, this pasta is formed one at a time by hand and a butter knife. Each Orecchietta sports a pronounced dome shape with a rough exterior - the perfect "ears" to catch and complement the braised lamb shank sugo simmered with crushed tomatoes, anchovies, white wine and Pecorino Romano DOP.

Busiate con Pesto alla Trapanese ($28)

Photo from Forma

A part of the Fusilli family, busiate is handmade one at a time with a 'ferro' or thin rod. Forma serves this with a pesto of datterini tomatoes, basil, almond and Pecorino Romano DOP—typical of the Province of Trapani in Western Sicily.

Tortellini in Brodo ($34)

Photo from Forma

This dish has Tortellini - tiny meat-filled pasta - in a clear, slow-simmered chicken brodo. Fresh egg pasta sheets are rolled out manually with a rolling pin and each tortellino sealed by hand.

Struncatura Ammollicata ($32)

Photo from Forma

Once known as a 'poor man's dish' due to its low cost ingredients, Struncatura has since earned a cult status in Lucanian gastronomy. This dish combines the long bronze-extruded pasta with Mediterranean flavours of anchovies, taggiasca olives, chilli and Mollica di Pane, aka sauteed breadcrumbs that were considered 'cheese of the poor'.

The menu also has a variety of main courses, starters, desserts as well as an impressive 150-odd wine list from Italy's 20 wine regions.

Photo from Forma

The restaurant is currently operating five days a week for dinner, but is planning to extend more days and open for lunch.

Forma
Address: 128 Tembeling Road, Singapore 423638
Opening hours: Tues to Sat, 6 - 10.30pm (last order at 10pm)
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