I chanced upon the profile of this restaurant during their pre-opening phase: An outpost of Lucali in Brooklyn – a popular neighborhood eatery characteristic for its thin-crust pizzas and BYOB policy. A collaboration between Mark Iacono from the parent Lucali and Gibran Baydoun of BYGB Hospitality. A grand opening so highly anticipated that bookings were mostly full for weeks.
Hopping in the line of high hopes, I made my reservation 2 weeks in advance and on the day itself, brisk walked through the Kallang Riverside Park to the old industrial building at Kampong Bugis where the restaurant is tucked in.
The interior – wooden tables and benches, part concrete part tiled floors, bright and airy with lots of natural light streaming in – sets it apart from the rustic BK neighborhood vibes of the main branch and was right up my alley.
Parked at a table for 2 with a view of the Kallang River (riverside dining at its best in Singapore), we looked through the simple, concise menu – a pizza, calzone, 3 types of pastas, a few appetizers and a few desserts.
Drinks-wise, no BYOB here, but instead there is a fair range of sodas, homemade bottled cocktails and wines to choose from the fridge.
The Original 18” Pizza Pie ($55), served at only 1 size, is the signature. Don’t forget to add toppings (at $5 each), otherwise your pizza will come plain with just sauce, basil and cheese. From the list of toppings – extra side of sauce, pepperoni, anchovies, onions, sweet peppers, mushrooms, olives – we added pepperoni and mushrooms. Freshly wood-fired and out from the oven, the pizza was quite satisfying, from its crispy thin crust to the sauce. The size was also more manageable than expected for the both of us (females). However, admittedly, we could list better pizza joints we’ve been to.
We also had the Cacio e Pepe ($35) comprising long fusilli seasoned with pecorino and black pepper. The highlight was the perfect firm, al dente texture of the fusilli, which I’ve not experienced in a long while. This could have been a superb pasta except for the unfortunate fact that it was too salty.
That was how my bill came up to be $115 – including water charged at $2/pax, GST and service charge. Prices are surely on the higher end here, even higher than in NYC. (Eg. The pizza with 2 toppings here costs $76.50 after GST and service charge, while that from NYC will cost about $53 SGD after tax, 20% tips and exchange rate conversion).
I enjoyed the food, but can’t help feeling this sense of getting pinched as I left the place. Oh I miss rustling among the hippies in Brooklyn.
66 Kampong Bugis, Level M, Singapore 338987
Wed – Fri 5pm to 10pm
Sat – Sun 11am to 10pm
Tel: +65 8284 1325
Have you not known about my obsession with all things white? My day-to-day wearables, the places I like to immerse myself in, my photo-editing style of always increasing exposure. For me, it is synonymous to cleanliness, to light, to minimalism. As opposed to the antonymous dirtiness, darkness and clutter. Three words that put my mind to unrest, that sometimes put me in fear.
In consistency with my white obsession, I therefore like daytime – mornings, especially. Mornings where the sun is unobstructed in a cloudless sea, where the most part of my room is naturally lit up through translucent curtains, where light and shadows are juxtaposed appropriately for a photo. Such mornings are days where I gain more drive and inspiration to live more fulfilling-ly (moment of shock as I realise that this word does not exist).
On such mornings, there are a few options:
Recently, one of such mornings was spent at Apartment Coffee. It was my third time at the white-washed, minimally-themed coffee house since its opening in late 2018. On usual afternoons, the space is packed comfortably with customers and conversations spill across everywhere. All the more I have to be pressed to reach as early as possible, best if at 9am when the closed sign is flipped.
Like the previous two visits, I had perched myself on the wooden high stool for the coffee bar counter and called for my usual order of White. I am always fond of the smoothly textured milk + espresso here, though those who prefer very strong and robust flavours may not. One day I will get the filter. Oh, no takeaways here unless you bring your own tumbler.
Whilst waiting for my coffee, I would swoop up my phone and camera for a good round of photo-taking. This time a few people got caught in my photos, for I arrived an hour past 9.
Interior-wise, I dare say this space is my best-loved. The white walls, ceaseless coffee bar, brown wooden stools and tables and large windows put together remind me of Scandinavian design. Due to its location and windows, sunlight enters and leaves, creating brief moments of contrasting light and shadows that I so love to admire.
Despite gloominess from that global health situation which I will not go on to elaborate on, the first quarter of 2020 has seen a pretty fair boom in new cafes in Singapore. This is after a lull in the previous 2 years that had more than slightly depleted my usual excitement in café-hopping.
Opened last November without much fanfare is Double Up Coffee, located along Jalan Klapa in an enclave that houses several other well-known cafes. Just recently, it started to gain attention from social media postings.
Stepping through the glass doors, I was first greeted by the concrete coffee counter, followed by another sitting area furnished with small stools and tables. The minimalist concrete-themed setting was predominant.
Small and simple, the menu is has 3 sections – Business (i.e. coffee), Pleasure (i.e. non-coffee) and Chow (i.e. pastries). Having always been more of an espresso person (vs. filter), I opted for the Spro with Soy Milk ($5.50), while my friend got herself the Iced Spro with Milk ($6). Spro here refers to espresso. Though my soy espresso was a tad limp, I loved the iced espresso with milk for its smoothness and non-acidic aftertaste. I later found out that beans here are sourced from Bearded Bella.
The sole pastry available that day was the Blueberry Crust ($5.50), which I thoroughly enjoyed for its lightness and flakiness.
Rather than a comfortable spot to do “work from home” whilst sipping caffeine, I see this spot as one where I can hold light conversations and, from time to time, empty my mind and daydream.
Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog 