Lino Restaurant’s Binjai weekend brunch menu with free-flow Italian food is one for the big eaters

Located a little away from the bustle, along Binjai Park, is Lino Restaurant — a modern Italian concept that first opened in 2018. Today, it has two outlets — its flagship at Binjai Park, and a restaurant-cafe concept at Forum The Shopping Mall along Orchard Road.

Its weekend brunch runs every Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 2pm, priced at S$68 per person. 

What’s included in that S$68, though, might surprise you: Free-flow starters, pastas, pizzas, and desserts, alongside a choice of one main course. Coffee and tea are included, too.

Its weekend brunch menu is perfect for those who can eat — and I mean, really eat. The portions here aren’t the small, buffet-style servings you might expect from a free-flow menu, so pace yourself if you’re hoping to try a good variety of dishes. Or, just come really hungry.

Lino Restaurant is part of the Les Amis Group, which is behind a number of established dining concepts across different cuisines, such as the three Michelin-starred Les Amis to Japanese restaurants such as Tenjin, as well as the newly opened Sukiyakijin and Jiin Omakase.

So there’s one thing you can probably trust: The food here is pretty decent.

Lino Restaurant at Binjai Park may be a little out of the way, but it offers plenty of variety.

It also feels especially family-friendly. During our visit, there were many families spending a slow afternoon together. The area is quiet and relaxed, perfect for long catch-ups and conversations, so you might as well keep the plates coming.

Weekend brunch buffet menu

For antipasti (starters), there are six dishes to choose from. 

We loved the Lino’s egg Benedict, which comes with housemade fried dough, smoked bacon, poached egg, hollandaise, arugula, grated parmesan.

It’s a gooey classic done well. The dough adds a little more texture than your usual egg Benedict, and everything comes together nicely.

The Canadian oyster (six pieces per person) is the only item, aside from the mains, that’s limited to one serving. Additional oysters go for S$10 for another three pieces, so of course we had to give it a go.

It comes with blood orange granita and freshly cracked black pepper. Fresh, soft, and ice-cold — we slurped down all six before we even realised.

There are four primi piatti (pasta) options on the menu. We tried the vannamei prawn spaghettini, and it comes with South American prawns, cherry tomatoes, tomato passata, and salsa rossa. While the pasta itself fell a little flat in flavour, the prawns made up for it — thick, juicy bites, carrying a natural sweetness to them.

As for secondi (mains), you’ll get to pick only one per person.

We went for the red snapper — oven-baked and served with peperonata, olives, capers, and burnt lemon. The fish was soft and flaky, with silky skin and a rich mouthful. It pairs with the sharpness of the lemon and its saltier accompaniments, and it makes for a balanced dish.

The lamb spare ribs come as slow-roasted Australian lamb spare ribs with honey mustard lavender, sweet peas, and potato cubes. The ribs were tender, with a depth that lamb lovers will appreciate.

There’s also the pork sausage and angus beef striploin, both of which caught our eye too — if only we had more stomach space.

You shouldn’t skip the nine-inch pizzas. We decided to go for the pancetta, topped with Swiss smoked farmer bacon, white sandy egg, potatoes, basil pesto, and mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano cheeses. This ended up being one of our favourites — smoky, savoury, and packed with umami.

We also heard that the mixed mushrooms pizza is another popular pick.

End your meal with desserts

One thing’s for sure — after everything, we were definitely ready for the dolci (sweets). We tried all three options available, especially after being assured that they come in much more manageable potions.

There’s a cheesecake with hazelnut crumble and raspberry coulis, panna cotta (Italian custard) with raspberry coulis, honey, and walnuts, and gelato — choose from vanilla, chocolate, lemon, and strawberry.

Across the board, all three were good — gelato included — but the panna cotta stood out most. It had a light finish without being overly sweet. It has added texture from the walnuts, and its raspberry coulis balanced out the richness.

Apart from the coffee or tea included in the brunch menu, you can also add-on free-flow prosecco for S$38 per person.

It’s a spot worth visiting, if you’re after a hearty Italian lunch with plenty of variety and courses — just make sure you turn up with an empty stomach.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, check out the shio pans at this Muslim-owned bakery in Kovan, or our chat with the hawkers of 216 Bedok Food Centre after the recent tuberculosis scare.