If you guys haven’t realized, my favorite place in my year long of blogging has got to be AH BONG’S ITALIAN. The little store which had its humble beginnings in the kopitiam of Eng Hoon street serving up absolutely comforting pastas, and who also is the only place with a 100% hit rate on “OMG I THINK YOU ALL WILL LOVE THIS PLACE” amongst my friends.
Following their successes on Eng Hoon street coupled with the lamenting of many that Ah Bong’s opening hours are TOO short – 11am to 2pm, and that they don’t get to visit them on weekends because they are only opened on Saturdays, Chris has decided to bring his craft CLOSER to all of us. This time, his second outlet is located on Tan Quee Lan Street at Bugis, a stone’s throw away from the downtown line exit. If you need a better picture, they are located at the end of the stretch where Joo Bar is located at.
Of course I was THRILLED at the prospect of Ah Bong’s moving closer to me and the fact that it is SO MUCH MORE convenient, I visited them on their second day of operations, i.e. TODAY, and boy, IT WAS SO PACKED DURING LUNCH HOURS. He sure does have a ton of regulars and fans!
The Place
As mentioned, Ah Bong’s is located at the end of the stretch of Tan Quee Lan, the street opposite Bugis Junction! Exit from downtown line, and you’ll find it almost at the exit. Here’s its striking orange signboard that you wouldn’t miss. If you walk through the sheltered area, you may miss this signboard, but all you need to know is, it’s located just beside Marrison Hotel!
Oh besides the more convenient location, AB2 is AIR CONDITIONED, and they serve coffee (beans from Tiong Hoe) TOO!
The Menu
As usual, the menu for its pastas are not fixed!
The meat ragu was sold out within an hour. IT’S CRAZY.
I was convinced from trying their pastas and had the other items on their menu instead like the “Almost there” pork belly I’ve seen Chris roasting and making for the past year yet never had the chance to try it, the home made bread he has been experimenting for a while and the comforting sounding gourmet eggs!
The Food
1. Homemade Bread with Spicy Guinness Butter ($5)
This was highly recommended by Chris! Pardon the hues of green because of the walls in the place.
This one was a divine piece of art. The bread was oh so fluffy with its crisp crust, and the guinness butter added a tinge of alcohol in its flavors coupled with the savoriness from the cheese.
Seriously, some sinful goodness right here and might just be my favorite kinda bread right now.
2. “Almost There” Pork Belly ($12)
This was what I’ve been seeing on Ah Bong’s Italian for the longest while and never had the chance to try it. Wow. Just wow. For $12, this is PRETTY DARN AFFORDABLE. Melt in the mouth fat with that crackling skin. I just want more and more and more of it!The greens on the side, I was told its summer kimchee, basically just unfermented ones and they taste more like cucumber. Really. A good complement to the pork belly, maybe a good bottle of beer as well.
3. Comfort Eggs + ($8)
I had to order this because gosh, just look at its ingredients: Mushrooms, Mangalitsa Pork Sausage, Truffle oil, Parmesan and 2 ONSEN EGGS! That just screams YUM!The combination of these ingredients were just oh so comforting pretty much like how Ah Bong does its pastas. Simple yet full of flavors. I especially loved the chunks of mangalitsa pork sausage within this goodness, AND MUSHROOMS! Always my love.
Closing Remarks
I absolutely loved what Ah Bong’s Italian 2 had to offer. The pastas albeit of a slightly higher price tag now because of its location, looking around, it seemed like there were more ingredients on the plate and hey, $9 for a plate of legit pasta in this area? NO WAY.
I also really liked how Chris also added more items into the menu and all those items are just PERFECT for sharing! Ah, GIVE THE COMFORT EGGS ANY TIME OF THE DAY. I’LL TAKE IT!
If you guys haven’t checked out Ah Bong’s Italian, their new outlet at Bugis would definitely be some where you SHOULD decide to go SOON.
How to get there?
103 Beach Road, #01-02
Singapore 189704
BUGIS (Downtown line exit – Tan Quee Lan)
Opening Hours
DAILY; 12pm to 2pm; 6pm to 9pm!
I love reading ur reviews on ah bongs italian 2 at bugis. They just made me drool.