Mr NGFL, my good friend who used to contribute to our blog, left his very lucrative office job to pursue his passion in cooking! I’m very proud of and happy for him. Currently, he’s cooking at Ah Bong’s Italian at Tiong Bahru. Fighting! Chiobu and I surprised him one day, and we ordered everything on the small menu.

The pastas, all cooked al dente, aren’t strictly Italian because they are innovative. Chiobu’s fav, Birthday Pasta ($7), is a linguine, tossed with black pig bacon, broccoli pesto, and chilli. It is piquant, appetizingly sourish (vinegar?), and very peppery.

My fav, Warm Bath ($7), is a penne of an adventurous combination of pungency, saltiness, and sweetness: pungency from the anchovy butter, and sweetness from the egg brulee, which is an onsen egg, caramelized with sugar on top. Chiobu found this sweet-salty-pungent combination too weird for her liking, but I liked it.

Two things we would like to see improved: (1) both of us finished 3 plates of pastas, which could mean that we are big eaters or portions are small; and (2) Carbs are not very fashionable these days, if only they can increase the proteins/meat.

On the whole, we are quite satisfied with Ah Bong’s Italian. The pastas are creative and fun, and they don’t give a heavy postprandial lethargy. Both of us paid $24 for 3 pastas.

Ah Bong’s Italian
6 Eng Hoon St, #01-46, Singapore 160056
T: +65 9650 6194
10am-2pm, closed Sun
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Food: 7/10
Service: NA (self service)
Price: 6/10
Ambience/Decor: NA (kopitiam)
Rating: 3.25/5

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.