Ah Bong's Italian

The food featured this week was eaten mid week to be honest. I spent my weekend at the Geylang Serai Bazaar. With so many articles springing up about the unique food found in the bazaar I decided I shall not add to the crowd. I just wanted to say that I queued 45mins for the much hyped rainbow bagel, spent $8 on it, took a bite and threw it away. Enough said.

I decided to try something different this week by inviting a friend on my catch up list to join me on my food hunt for a change. I first heard of Ah Bong's Italian when I had a craving for basil pasta and I found them on Google. Back then, they only had one outlet at Tiong Bahru and closed really early mid day so it was really hard to make a trip down to try. (I really need to work for a living too!) Now with their second outlet opened till night, I finally addressed my craving with Supercai! (Nicknamed chosen by my friend)

Apparently Ah Bong's Italian's menu changes all the time. So if you wanted something not on that day's menu, basically you have to come back another time. Which is a good and bad thing because I happened to want something not on their menu that day! So they disappoint first time customers but of course the up side is that you get variety if you are a regular. 

Our mains for the day were Crabby Aglio Olio ($14) and Fresh Pesto pasta ($12). I must say the food lives up to the hype. The Crabby Aglio Olio is rich in flavour something I don't really expect from the past crab pastas I have eaten and the pasta was done al dente. I like it that it's garlicky enough, not exceedingly spicy and not overpowering that it over kills. The Fresh Pesto pasta was true to its taste. The pesto sauce was made in house and mushrooms went well with the dish. I like it that the sauce was thick and not watery. Pasta was al dente and the proportions of ingredients to pasta ratio was just right.

We picked a side to share and we settled for Spicy Balls in Pomodoro ($10). The pork balls are amazing! Tender yet not overcooked. I felt that the spicy level is close to zero to be honest which was a little disappointing. However I give credit to the authentic tomato sauce freshly prepared in-house. The portions of cheese went well with the balls but overall I still felt disappointed by the lack of tanginess which I was expecting from spicy balls. 

Supercai's conclusion along with mine is that this place is worth revisiting. Number one it's because there's stuff on their menu I haven't managed to try. Number two reason is that their prices are really decent and generally inexpensive for town sit-in dining. Number three reason would be their food quality. It really beats a lot of other pasta establishments in the similar price range by a big margin in my opinion. 

Ah Bong's Italian

103 Beach Road, #01-02 (below marrison hotel) at Tan Quee Lan Street area 

(Be sure to visit their Facebook page to check out their menu before arriving to avoid disappointment)

Joo Bar

It's really rare when I get to go out and grab a drink at night. Not that I'm much of an alcoholic person but sometimes it's just feels good to be able to chill. This week is another major switch in lifestyle for me as I take on new roles and challenges in my job. This means lesser weekend getaways and more work!

I was first introduced to Joo Bar last year by Vain Pot. Apparently one of her friend recommended the place to her but the menu somehow didn't agree with my palate. Joo Bar is a Korean restaurant famous for their unique drinks and Korean menu. Being not a fan of Korean food, it took a picture of the Joo Bar Army Stew on Burpple to finally lure me there. 

It's high time I change my IPhone 4. Relying on it to take pictures at night is really a let down sometimes. Then again, I find carrying an additional camera such a hassle. The drawing card of the night as mentioned is this Army Stew ($24). It comes with some light Korean snacks but I personally think it's meant for a serving of 1 even though the waiter told us that it can feed 2-3 persons. I must say that the stew is good. There's strong distinct kimchi taste of the soup, very rich in ingredients and the ramyeon is well-cooked unlike some of the food courts which serve me 3/4 cooked noodles. Sharing this with Vain Pot, I felt I didn't managed to eat my fill of instant ramen. 

The Joo Wings ($18) came as a pleasant surprise. It's richly coated spicy and sweet soy glazed crispy chicken wings and one of the best Korean chicken wings I've eaten. Previously in my other post on Gayageum Korean Restaurant I mentioned that I never got what the fuss over Korean chicken was about. Joo Wings would definitely give me better indication of how different good wings are from their counterparts. It's succulent, tasty and not oily. The crispy level was just right and the well marinated wings are pretty addictive. Worth ordering! 

Lastly at Joo Bar, it'll be such a waste if you don't try some of their alcoholic beverages. We settled for the popular Makgeolli Slush, Yucha flavour ($22). It's pretty decent, with a strong taste of alcohol not overpowering the Yucha flavour and its a great way to quench thirst after eating spicy ramyeon and strongly seasoned crispy chicken. 

Joo Bar is a pretty good place to hang out for a quiet dinner with some light drinks. I like it that they gave me a quiet corner after I made an effort to make a reservation the day before. Service was prompt and non intrusive. The food gives me greater confidence in Korean cuisines and I'd be sure to be back for more chill-out sessions in future. Consider Joo Bar, if you wish to have an intimate dinner with unique drinks with a date or a cozy gathering with a small group of friends. 

Joo Bar

5 Tan Quee Lan Street

(Operating hours 5.30pm-12am)