ah bong's italian, tan quee lan.

having been to the original outlet at tiong bahru, i've been wanting to visit ah bong's second outlet at tan quee lan since it opened earlier this year, but somehow i only managed to earlier this week. i have to admit that the pull factor was mainly that they were offering porcini filled tortellinis as a special that day, and that sounded really good. i was supposed to meet C at suntec for dinner, so finally, the stars aligned and i managed to visit ah bong's.

they've taken over gastrosmiths' old space, and having been to gastrosmiths, it was kind of weird to know that it's now not there anymore. the decor was very no frills- simple and clean, with a chalkboard up on the wall displaying the menu, which changes day to day. the space was small and cozy, with most of the tables taken up.

ordering and payment was done at the counter. C wanted the atas duck ragu ($16) as her main, but they were out, and were replacing that with angus beef instead. i, of course, went for the giant tortellini in truffle cream ($18).



we got two starters to share- the comfort eggs ($8) and the cauliflower gorgonzola soup ($6). the soup came first after a brief wait. it looked nondescript, but turned out to be deliciously creamy, with a slight hint of the cheese. the comfort eggs came slightly later, and was indeed worthy of its namesake. mangalica sausage and mushrooms formed the base, topped with two perfectly poached eggs and dusted with parmesan and a drizzle of truffle oil. we wiped it clean in minutes.



our mains came a while later. my giant tortellini came first, and at first C was startled by the seemingly small portion, and was joking that i'd probably need to go have another main. there were just five large pieces on the plate. strangely enough, i was really full afterwards- i suppose the size of each piece made it a substantial eat. the tortellini were quite delicious- i particularly liked the porcini filling. the pasta itself was on the thicker side, though. i found out later that it wasn't handmade, but i suppose at $18, that's too much to ask for. i liked how light and minimal the truffle cream sauce was- i hate it when pasta is swimming in sauce.





C's angus beef linguine was hearty and delicious as well. she actually commented that there was too much beef (!) for her liking. happily enough she tasked me with finishing it, and i willingly obliged.



we also got a 73% dark chocolate orange cake ($6) for dessert. interestingly enough, it came dusted with sea salt flakes, which we really liked. i'm a sucker for desserts that aren't too sweet (though admittedly that sounds ironic), and even better if there's a sweet-savoury contrast, which was exactly what this was. it was also the perfect size for sharing, given how stuffed we were after the pastas.

service was friendly and personable. at the end of the meal, the owner himself came up to talk to us and ask how we found everything. it was kind of like having a meal at a friend's place, in a good way- there was a homely, comfortable vibe that you just don't get most places. i'll keep an eye out for their daily specials- definitely going back again soon.


ah bong's italian
103 beach road
#01-02
https://www.facebook.com/abitalianTQL#