When Scarpetta, a new pasta bar on Amoy St opened up early this year in Feb 2025, it attracted snaking long queues. I had seen the raving posts on social media and had bookmarked it, but the long queues were such a turn off that I convinced myself I should wait until the hype dies. In Singapore, it is quite common for queues to form and die in a month or two. So I finally managed to set a date to visit it for Wednesday lunch with my buddy Steph, who suggested we meet at 1pm. I thought surely the queue would have dissipated and we will have no trouble getting in. Wrong. The place was packed at 1.10pm and a sign said next seating at 1.45pm. So i walked in and left my name for 2 pax on the waitlist (very important! don't just queue, leave your name and come back when it is time). I was waiting outside and saw they changed the board to "see you at 6pm!" at 1.30pm. Luckily I came just a bit earlier!

The place is a typical tiny rectangular shophouse that has an open kitchen concept and bar chairs surrounding it as well as tables at the side. Despite all the cooking, we did not walk out smelling like food, which is kudos to the ventilation system, even though it wasn't very cool inside with the AC. The vibes were pretty good, in fact. 

We sat at the bar counter and was treated to all the cooking, tossing and toasting action from the well-oiled team. Pasta takes very little time to cook, so it is perfect that they can cook, toss, serve immediately without the dish sitting under a lamp for a bit.

Here's the menu, which I noticed had changed slightly from previous versions on Google. I guess they kept on refining it. There was also uni and crab toasts specials which were not on the menu. One of the USPs of Scarpetta was their pricing. Pastas were not ridiculously priced - they were fair and $22 or under for 4 of the 6 pastas. They also have schiacciata toasts. Apparently if you are finishing your pasta they will give you free schiacciata bread to mop up the sauce (the menu explains that the act of mopping up sauce with bread is termed "la scarpetta", which is their namesake).

We originally wanted to get the Charred Bone Marrow Toast, but they were out of that and the Burrata. So we got the Broccolini (S$18) as a starter instead. This was interesting because of the slightly spicy nduja sauce which also was tangy. That made the veggy (cooked perfectly) really appetising and crunchy with the garlic crumbs! 4/5

On to the main event, the pastas. I had been eyeing the Cacio E Pepe with crispy guanciale (S$22) ever since it launched, since it is SO DIFFICULT to find good ones in Singapore or even outside of Italy. I had high expectations and they were met. The pecorino cheese sauce was properly emulsified so you can see the glossy shine of that mixed with the starchy pasta water (no cream, no oil, no butter!) and not too salty. The crispy guanciale bits were so satisfying with the pop of saltiness. If I to nitpick, I'll say the pepper could be more aromatic and the pecorino a bit more pungent but that's a personal preference thing. For a dish with just 5 ingredients - pasta water, thick spaghetti pasta called pici (perfectly al dente), pepper, pecorino cheese and guanciale (pork cheese), it shone. 5/5

We also got the All' Assassina (S$19) which was super simple. Slightly charred or burnt spaghetti in tomato sauce and a bit of chilli. This was actually the more flavourful pasta due to the stronger tomato base which was tart and rich (they used Italian tomatoes, for sure). I liked the texture of the burnt parts and the pasta was served piping hot. The portion was just right (if you have it with sides) too. 5/5

We ended off with the Tiramisu (S$11), which was well-priced and very tasty because the first bite was a cacophony of textures and flavours. Alcoholic was the first thing that comes to mind, but then the creamy mascarpone and the fine cacao bits gave that textural backdrop. I appreciated the use of the nibs for a bit of grittiness - most tiramisus come with a fine dusting of cocoa powder so this stood out. 4/5

47 Amoy St, Singapore 069873

Tuesdays to Saturdays 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm or later

Closed on Sundays and Mondays

Walk-ins only

 

After 3 weeks of reviewing it when I came back from Greece, I have to say I am suitably impressed with the build quality and effectiveness in charging my devices (Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Buds3 Pro and Apple Airpods Pro 2). Not to mention the colour and sleek design!

Even though I had a wireless pad for my earbuds (I strangely dislike plugging wires into them), the powerbank charges the earbuds without issue. You can see it in action here, hehe.

But of course, the main purpose is to charge the newer Apple/Android smartphones - be it the latest iPhone 17 or 16 as well as the Pixel 10 line. According to the press release, 

Actually for me, the most important factor in buying a power bank is SAFETY. Goodness knows how many power banks have gone up in flames that airlines are extra careful about them, even making sure they are within line of sight on flights. That's because unsafe power banks are like bombs. And since I charge my devices and power banks beside my bed (and head), that is one risk I am not willing to take for something cheaper. When I use the power bank, my device and the power bank get slightly warm but not overheated.

I like that the lanyard also doubles as a wire because sometimes it is more efficient to charge with built-in wire when i just leave it in the bag or on the table. Goodness knows how many wires I bought overseas because I have a powerbank but NO WIRE.

This UGREEN powerbank is not the slimmest I have seen, but I always have doubts about those tiny magnetic power banks that claim to be 10,000mAh. I verified this one against my Samsung's 4855mAh and it could charge my phone from empty to full at lease once. Not charge it twice over from zero to 100% though, because ICYMI and according to Google, "A 10,000mAh power bank has an actual usable capacity of approximately 6,000 to 7,000mAh, which is about 60-70% of its advertised rating. This is due to energy losses from voltage conversion and charging inefficiencies within the power bank and the device being charged."

Overall, I've been very satisfied with the UGREEN MagFlow Qi2 25W 10,000mAh magnetic power bank (buy on Shopee) And my recommendations when it comes to tech has to be something I use and like, so even though this was sent to me for review, I have given my honest thoughts.

Here's the TLDR - it's to me quite an obvious choice.

High safety assurance from a trusted and established brand

Super fast wireless and wired charging for newer phones

Strong magnetic suction

No overheating

Built in USB-C cable and lanyard 

Sleek design and colour

Thicker and heavier than normal wired 10,000mAh power banks

Slightly pricier than normal