At one restaurant, I climbed a flight of fluorescent-lit back stairs, encountered a pail and mop peeping out of a storeroom and wove through winding corridors with no clear directions before I reached the entrance.

At another, I was greeted by a smiling concierge outside the building’s main entrance and directed past a stylish bar up a sleek winding staircase to the dining room. They happened in the same week at two new upmarket eateries in the business district.

The first was Forlino, an Italian restaurant opened by il Lido boss Beppe de Vitto and its former chef Osvaldo Forlino at One Fullerton, while the second was the eponymous Julien Bompard Restaurant, a stone’s throw away at Ascott Raffles Place.

After the very unsexy entrance at Forlino, there was more walking – up another two flights of stairs lined with wall-mounted antlers, past the kitchen and along a narrow corridor with gilded walls in a style that my colleague describes as “Marie Antoinette on acid” – before you finally enter a surprisingly subdued dining room with expansive windows overlooking Marina Bay.

Settled at our table, we asked the waitress if there was another way to get to the restaurant.

She said: “Let me check.”

Hello?

I did get the answer later and it was an obvious one: Renovations in the building were going on and the lift to the restaurant was not ready. Surely the Forlino staff should know that and warn diners when calling them to confirm reservations?

The menu had a good selection of hearty-sounding dishes such as cured cod and potato mousse ($22) and deep-fried pork leg with stewed rib and grilled sausage ($38). But the servings were often less than hearty.

Order at least four courses if you don’t want to leave hungry. The first time I dined there, I had three courses and shared two pasta main courses with three dining companions, and still had room to wolf down two soon kueh when I got home. The cured cod and potato mousse starter was a tiny lump of fish and potato mash. It was gone in a few bites and the dish was too plain for the price.

The deep-fried pork leg with stewed rib and grilled sausage – my main course – was even more disappointing. The pork leg was no bigger than a dollar coin and chewy. The rib was bland and tough. Only the skinless sausage was good, with the meat well-flavoured with herbs and coarsely minced so it had enough bite.

The pastas were a lot better. The lobster, scallop and prawn ravioli ($36) boasted a smooth skin filled with tasty bits of seafood. And the chanterelle mushrooms in the sauce were delightful.

The tagliatelle with duck ragout and foie gras ($35) had very smooth pasta tossed with slivers of tasty duck meat but the foie gras was too thinly sliced and overcooked. My dessert, a baked peach with chocolate and amaretti ($16), was good with rich, dark chocolate melting over soft fruit.

A second visit introduced me to some other nice dishes, including the “Mamma Forlino” lamb chops ($40). The deep-fried chops were greasy but they were also tender and delicious. Another dish of ravioli, filled with minced veal and topped with truffles ($35), was good too. But I also had an eggplant and mozzarella cake with tomato, chili and chocolate sauce ($22) that sounded more exciting than it actually was. And the cod and tomato stew ($38) was lacklustre.

Forlino 

1 Fullerton Road,

02-06

Tel: 68776995

Open: Noon to 2pm (Mondays to Fridays),6.30 to 9.30pm (Mondays to Saturdays).

Closed on Sundays