The one-month-old stall is in good company, with neighbours like offshoots of the popular Rong Fa Minced Meat Noodle and Fei Fei Wanton Mee. The kitchen is helmed by a former chef from Italian restaurant Cicheti, Cheng Kai, who serves old-school western dishes like chicken chop and “local-style pasta” including carbonara and aglio olio.Boon Ping and Steven are longtime pals who have known each other since primary school.
The chef tells us keeping the prices affordable at the stall has been quite challenging. “At Cicheti, we had a mushroom gnocchi dish that requires making a puree of mushroom with truffle paste, etc. I gotta simplify things here,” shares the chef, who whips up a simpler aglio olio with pan-fried mushrooms at the new stall. Prior to meeting his biz partners, Cheng Kai was already planning to leave Cicheti to start his own business. “I just wanted to try something new.
The three partners oversee different functions – Boon Ping is in charge of marketing, Steven handles operations and Cheng Kai helms the kitchen with two assistants.Despite its rather ulu location, the canteen transforms into an IG-worthy spot in the evening. The alfresco area is strung with pretty fairy lights, while the interior exudes a chic dose of nostalgia with black and white flooring, geometric print tables and rattan chairs.
They also hope to open more stalls in future, though Boon Ping and Steven have no intention of leaving their day jobs. “First, we want to get this place up and running. Then we can look into hiring more people to run the ship here, while the three of us move into a more advisory role,” shares Steven.So, what makes their food reminiscent of the ’80s? Big portions at reasonable prices, according to Boon Ping. “Served with baked beans, coleslaw and fries.
Lousy location...a dead town for many years.