Bukit Timah Secrets Reloaded

Chiak Bah Boh?

Bukit Timah has recently developed into a "niche" dining area from the "so infamous" Newton FC to the more upmarket 6th Avenue / Turf City area and the very "atas" (read: snobbish) Greenwood Place. Riding on the wave of such renaissance, a couple of interesting restaurants have sprung up at the "previously so very dead" Railway Mall. There were previously 2 pubs, a couple of cake shops and a small supermarket along this stretch of shops. Now, there is a famous ramen shop, a 24hr prata / kaya toast place as well as a 24 hr fish ball noodle shop.


First up, an unpretentious italian deli called Garbaltis (or something - didn't really check properly). No menus here - the menu is right in front of you in the refridgerated counter. They have everything ranging from pastas, pizzas to seafood to roast meats or cuts. Evrything is sold by the weight - so u just choose the amount you want and the staff will weigh and heat it up for you. The lasagne and pizza are really good - in fact very authentic (chef is an italian) and the pasta came with chopped red chillies (which I have since adapted into my very own seafood marinara creation) which gave it a nice spicy twist. Do be forwarned though - don't get too greedy with your selections - the bill can be a tad expensive.



I think I am the first to make this review. Hooked! A Fish & Co copycat but a far better imposter than the real thing. When Fish & Co first started in Singapore (by some ex SIA fella), the concept was fresh and an instant hit. following such success, there were a few copycats that emerged by didn't quite hit the same heights as Fish & Co. Fish & Co has since opened several outlets across the country but disappointingly i feel that the standard has also dropped tremendously since its flagship days at Plaza Singapura. Chanced upon this outlet 2 weeks ago and was told that this joint is opened by the same creators of Cafe Cartel. Thought it was a bit odd to open their first flagship in a place as "ulu"(read: rural) as Railway Mall. After trying the food, I am inclined to believe that we should see this at more popular places in the near future. I had their self recommended fish and chips and my wife had some herb snapper with spaghetti. For side dishes, we had Otah Toast as well as some chicken wing name I can't remember (as you can see - the chicken wings didn't leave an impression so try at your own risk). For seafood to taste good, it is extremely imprtant for it to be fresh cos no matter how good the condiments are or sauces, a bad fish is a bad fish - nothing can change that fact. So I was plesantly surprised to find that the quality of the fish used were all exceptionally fresh - no cutting corners here. The snapper with herbs and spaghetti that my wife had was also delightfully tasty and most importantly - Fresh! The Otah Toast was quite good too, with real chunks of dish meat but i would prefer the taste of the otah to be spicer and stronger. Due to its opening special, we were also served party portions of the Shark vindaloo. The shark meat was good but we found the curry a bit weak but still relatively ok. Prices are reasonable and the portions quite big - slightly cheaper than Fish & Co and with better quality. The jury is still out on them whether they can still maintain the same standards in future with expanded operations.





Fatpapa rating:
Garbalti's (or something) - 4 stars out of 5
Hooked! - 3.5 stars out of 5