Our visits to Liang Seah Street normally come when we’re in need of some steamboat comfort, but a chance to have a fling with pasta instead piqued our interest. The setup here is casual, with pretty pink tables, chalkboard menus and a large, factually-inaccurate Styrofoam globe. The wait staff were attentive and quickly came to explain their somewhat complicated lunchtime set menu. We started off with a classic set, consisting of a juice/soft drink and a miniature Caesar salad served in a sundae glass with some crunchy croutons and a decent sprinkling of bacon bits in what was easily the smallest salad we’ve ever had. Next, we took on the Jumbo Set; another drink and bolognaise fries. The skinny fries were topped off with a meaty, slightly sweet bolognaise sauce and a generous squeeze of molten cheese—it certainly hit the junk food spot. We were feeling the classics that day, so we settled on a Carbonara and a Chicky Pest’o , although admittedly, we were slightly disappointed that our pasta choices were limited to spaghetti and penne. The Chicky Pest’o was excellent, with big chunks of grilled chicken and a zesty pesto. The gorgeously creamy Carbonara here just manages to avoid the dark side and its richness only weighs you down slightly towards the end. Nature’s way of telling us not to have too much of a good thing, perhaps. For dessert, we had a cheese pie , which led to several jokes about a vulgar dialect word we shan’t mention in front of polite company, and a “tetramisu”. The cheese pie, which to us seemed more like a cheesecake, was dense enough to give your forearms a workout (just the way we like it), while the tetramisu’s mascarpone top, chocolate cookie base and sponge were delectable, though the layer of agar-agar like jelly was a little jarring. With its central location, this affordable luchtime option is a neat spot to relax and watch the world go by.
