Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Mien at Bukit Timah Market Hawker Centre

C says:

A’s friends P and R told us about this stall on the second floor (#02-133) of the Bukit Timah Market Hawker Centre. It’s a hawker centre-style pasta stall with a difference. The menu is written on a blackboard, and food is served on fairly posh white melamine plates. There are 4 generic sauces to choose from – cream, aglio olio, tomato and pesto, but you can also get some variations on those like carbonara and amatriciana.

There’s only 1 type of pasta – spaghetti – and it’s pre-cooked, then just dipped into a vat of hot water with a wire basket a la mee pok style, then the pasta is given a quick stir with your chosen sauce in a wok. Pasta, Asian style.

I had the Aglio Olio with bacon and mushroom, which was very generous with the ingredients. It was a little salty at first bite but I got used to it after a while. A had a cream sauce with mushrooms because they ran out of chicken, and it wasn’t too bad as well. Best part is, pastas are only $3.90. We shared a soup of the day (mushroom) but it was a little bland. It came with some toasted garlic ‘bread’ which was actually some kind of pandan bread so it tasted a little sweet and really didn’t go with the garlic.

Still, the place was interesting and it also reminded us that there are other good stalls in the market that are worth a try. We had an early dinner so we managed to get a car park. When we walked back to the car, the car park was packed, so best to come here earlier.

A says:

The place was crowded and the layout is super cramped. But if you’re looking for some cheap and good (albeit a bit salty) pasta around Bukit Timah, this is probably the place to go. The guy running the place is also pretty articulate and friendly, especially given how harried he is from the many customers and the heat of the fire.

The portions are small though. And I’d skip the blandish soup. You can easily share three portions among two people. Our just order something else from the other stalls. It is a pretty decent hawker centre.

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