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The Workbench Bistro
Hip cafes starting out in HDB heartland areas often require an interesting concept to take off, more so those who have chosen to start up in matured housing areas. it actually means that the cafe has to either convert the palette of its immediate catchment, or have strong enough outreach through various media channels to bring its target customers to the location. either way, you'd have to applaud those cafes which have established in such a backdrop.
The Workbench Bistro started out as an ice cream shop in Ang Mo Kio, after a concept tweak, it rebranded itself as a cafe offering a range of burgers, pastas and finger food that adopted more modern and artisanal recipes. Ice cream still forms part of the menu, with its sweet potato flavoured waffle one of the signature dishes. the food is promoted for its quality, and affordable price range. moreover the locality ensures that there's ample parking and proximity to public transportation, making this a viable alternative to Bishan Park or Thomson where most hipster cafes have gathered. 
The pastas at the store seem the most attractive and we tried a couple on our visit. This Ma La Pasta which is essentially Linguine served with fried buttermilk chicken and a special Ma La sauce has all the right flavours and a spicy punch that's all the rage now. Ma La is the new salted egg (the cafe has a selection of salted-egg inspired dishes too) and the dish allows customers to decide the level of spiciness to suit their comfort level of enjoyment. The crab meat Linguine that we also tried was also great, there was a generous serving of crab meat, mixed in a unique white wine and tomato cream based pasta which got tastier with every mouthful.. 
No cafe can be complete without its coffee and although there's no fancy barista reputation that comes with the Workbench, they do whip up some decent coffee blends. we had some flavoured lattes which proved to be pretty much comfort drinks to go with the food on a lazy weekend. both the caramel and hazelnut lattes were not overly sweet, and the aroma of the coffee can still be felt which we found was good value for a nice warm cup. 
Its useful to note that The Workbench Bistro is what we consider a family friendly place as well. we observed some families coming in during our short time there and we've got to say that having an ice-cream selection certainly helps. there's a range of flavours including some premium ones and they can be enjoyed either in a cup or served with their signature waffles. The highly advertised Moreffles, which is a mix of red and blue velvet waffles decked with melted marshmallows would certainly be as popular as their sweet potato waffles. those thirsty after a long day's work would also be cheered to know they sell bottled beers, with bucket promotions as well. in all, there's something for everyone and for a cafe that has been in Ang Mo Kio since 2016, these guys have got what it takes. 
The Workbench Bistro Blk 332 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 #01-1881 Singapore 560332 Opening Hours Mondays to Thursdays: 12 pm to 10 pm Fridays & eves of public holidays: 12 pm to 11 pm Saturdays: 10 am to 11 pm Sundays & public holidays: 10 am to 10 pm born out of a vision to create honest, practical and delicious food and drinks.. Labels: #angmokio, #brunchcafe, #brunchfood, #heartlandcafe, #icecreamshop, #malapasta, #sgbrunchfood, #theworkbench, #theworkbenchbistro Pastaria Abate
there are not many Italian family restaurants with a native chef operating in Singapore. the popular Italian restaurants based here are also likely to be rather damaging to the wallet. so for those who are looking for a no frills, authentic family-styled Italian fix, it is welcome news to discover Pastaria Abate that is located along Craig Road. Opened by an Italian chef and his Singaporean wife, the restaurant aims to bring the taste of home-cooked dishes to the local clientele at very affordable prices..
the restaurant is located within a shop house along Craig Road, the interior carries a very simplistic and homely fitout with shelving showcasing their various pasta sauces and wines that are up for retail sales as well. though the place is entirely packed, it has a cosy and vibrant atmosphere and it wouldn't be surprising to find the couple meeting up with patrons to introduce their best dishes and ask about their cooking. to keep costs low, the no frills concept involves requesting diners to collect their food from the kitchen window when their buzzer beeps, a small activity before enjoying quality home-style Italian food. 
before even going to the pastas, this appetizer dish is seen to be popular amongst the customers here. Fried Mozzarella that comes with an abundance of cheese and a crispy exterior served with a unique red sauce. We saw many younger patrons working on their Boomerang photography by taking a short clip of themselves stretching the Mozzarella cheese ball. the dish itself was great and it went well with the signature red sauce. 
Moving on to their specialty which would be their pastas. In particular, due to the owner's family history, the focus is on their red sauce or tomato based pastas. we tried this Linguine served with bacon and cherry tomatoes, it was splendid. as with good Italian pasta, the tomato based sauce was not overpowering, light but flavourful with a tinge of olive oil. the pasta itself was of a silky but harder texture which I personally liked very much, and it carried a strong savoury taste that many local pasta places cannot deliver. we enjoyed the pasta very much. 
Upon the owner's recommendation we also went for their Ravioli dish that contained mushroom and cheese filling. not a particularly heavy dish with an ample serving of Ravioli but extremely flavourful and certainly a good suggestion. we topped off our meal with Italian Spritz (soda water served with Prosecco and Aperol) and enjoyed a very hearty session for less than $20 per person. No fireworks or jaw-dropping food in a family-based diner afterall, but we felt it was good value-for-money and we would gladly come again. 
Pastaria Abate 43 Craig Road Singapore 089681 Opening Hours Daily: 10 am to 10 pm freshly handmade pasta in Singapore at prices that won’t break the bank.. Labels: #craigroad, #familyfriendly, #familyrestaurant, #italianfood, #mozzarella, #pastaplace, #pastariaabate, #ravioli, #redsaucepasta, #sgitalianfood |
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