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
If you have the time, Scarpetta is worth checking out for their pastas. The bustling restaurant filled with patrons even till now is evidence of their good food and pricing strategy. I will actually try to go back again to try other pastas and maybe the toasts!
🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if you are in the area
💁 Bookmark this ✔️
Scarpetta
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
Post a Comment