Chef de Pasta

Chanced upon this seemingly new stall named Chef de Pasta at the same coffeeshop where 888 Mookata is located at Blk 212 Hougang Street 21 — occupying just a corner unit right beside the tze-char stall, Chef de Pasta looks quite like any other western cuisine stall that is situated at the neighbourhood until one observes the menu. Whilst the namesake of the stall undoubtedly meant that Chef de Pasta serves up pastas as its signature offerings, it is interesting to see how the menu at Chef de Pasta also carries dishes such as Japanese Garlic Fried Rice served with a good variety of meat / seafood options for patrons to choose from — that is aside from the various main course dishes such as the Grilled Cajun Chicken Chop and Fish & Chips that one would usually find at any western cuisine stall situated in a coffeeshop in the heartlands. Taking an even closer look on the menu at Chef de Pasta, there are some pretty surprising finds for the different pasta that they serve up — notable mentions include the Kimchi Pasta with Chicken and Bacon, Beef Bulgogi Pasta, Salted Egg Pasta with Chicken Karaage, as well as the Seafood / Clam & Crab Meat Pasta with White Wine; all items that one would not really expect to find at a coffeeshop stall serving up western fare in the neighbourhood. Side Orders such as Buffalo Wing with Fries, Porky Fries, Mashed Potato etc. are also available for those looking for something to share around the table.

Making our order at the counter, it is noted that a couple mans the stall — the chef being a male who is dressed in a chef’s coat whipping up all the orders, while a lady assists with the serving, taking of orders and some of the plating of the dishes. Electronic buzzers are issued upon order and payment — the buzzer will ring once the order is ready to be collected from the counter. Despite being one of the slightly more predictable items off the menu here, we opted for the Truffle Beef Pasta after noticing its price point on the menu — the main courses here (including the Japanese Garlic Fried Rice and pasta dishes) are priced from $6.90 to $12.90; the Truffle Beef Pasta is listed at the price of $8.90 which we felt was pretty much a steal. Coming in a black plate with a thick rim, the Truffle Beef Pasta looks absolutely enticing; beef slices and capsicums amidst pasta that has been tossed in a truffle-infused sauce. Patrons have the choice to opt between the Linguine, Spaghetti, Penne and Fettuccine for their choice of noodles to go along with their order — we opted for the Fettuccine.

Going straight for the Fettuccine, we were already very impressed with what they have to offer; given the price point, we were initially expecting an overpowering hint of truffle since we thought that they were probably going to use truffle oil to provide for the aromatics and flavour of the dish — we were pretty wrong about that. Turns out, it seems that Chef de Pasta uses what seems to be truffle paste for their Truffle Beef Pasta — it gives off that light whiff of earthy aroma as one slurps on the Fettuccine that was done al-dente; that hint of truffle being well-balanced with the hint of black pepper that follows shortly after, providing a peppery and lightly spicy kick that cuts through that truffle aroma aptly. The grilled beef slices were absolutely well-executed; despite how they did not seem to ask their patrons for the desired level of doneness for their beef, the beef was done just right — no effort required to chew, whilst the beef slices maintained a good bite whilst being tender and juicy. There are strips of julienned red capsicums and caramalised onions that further adds on to the Truffle Beef Pasta — the former providing a refreshing flavour contrast to all those savoury notes in the pasta, while the caramalised onions add a hint of sweetness to the pasta for more contrast of flavours. Overall, a plate of pasta that well-exceeded our expectations at its price point — definitely something which we will go for again.

Whilst we had only tried out one pasta dish from Chef de Pasta during our visit there, we were really left surprised by the quality of food that they have to offer at the price point. With most dishes being priced pretty affordably and comfortably below $15, the quality of food served at Chef de Pasta easily surpassed that of what some specialty coffee cafes are serving up — there seems to be much thought being placed in the recipes that they have derived so as to achieve that delicate balance between flavours that keep things from being jelat or one-dimensional, while they also were able to showcase their expertise through serving up an exemplary plate of pasta which one would least likely expect from a western stall situated in the heartlands; Chef de Pasta indeed they are. It is needless to say that we are looking forward to revisit Chef de Pasta again some day — we are most definitely interested in giving their Kimchi Pasta with Chicken and Bacon, Beef Bulgogi Pasta and Clam & Crab Meat Pasta with White Wine a go another time; items that we are pretty intrigued with. A spot that we find worth making that extra trip especially considering it’s quality against the price point, we wish the folks behind Chef de Pasta all the best in what is to come!