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Singapore's love affair with pasta is still going strong. Pasta-focused concepts like Scarpetta on Amoy Street, Korean-style handmade pasta at Noci and spaghetti dishes at Nolita continue to draw in crowds. And recently, a new one has joined the fray. Sio Pasta, a six-time Michelin-recognised eatery from Tokyo, just opened its first international outpost in Raffles City Shopping Centre. Its main draw? Fresh, handcrafted pastas starting from $13.80 a bowl.
We head down on a weekday afternoon to check out what the hype is all about. Sio Pasta is located in the basement, with a tight layout consisting of several counter seats and tables. In a mall already saturated with popular Japanese F&B options – think Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu, Mensho Tokyo and Sushi Dan, among others – the 28-seater manages to hold its own, drawing a sizeable queue on its opening week (the restaurant does not accept reservations).
The menu is straightforward: 11 pasta dishes priced between $13.80 to $23.80, five sides, three pizzas and three desserts. We start with simple bites of baguette with fig butter ($4.80 for two pieces) and mentaiko butter ($4.80) to whet our appetites. The fig butter comes as sizable slabs atop the bread slices, and is surprisingly neither overwhelming nor too rich. We can't say the same for the mentaiko butter, though, which is definitely on the indulgent and savoury side. The crispy fried chicken (with a choice of plain or black garlic pepper) is certainly worth a shot as well. We opt for the black garlic pepper version (from $4.80), which is not as pungent as it sounds, and pairs extremely well with dips like yuzu kosho mayo and sriracha mayo.
But what we are really here for is the pasta. Across the counter, you'll spot a pasta machine where fresh batches are churned every other hour, using 00 flour and semolina to achieve silky, elastic strands that are wonderful to chew. Each pasta serving is 130 grams, which is quite substantial for today's standards. The recipes and proportions have all been approved by Sio Pasta's founder, Chef Shusaku Toba, whose experience includes stints at Tokyo's most respected kitchens like Florilège and Aria di Tacubo. The Singapore kitchen is led by a local head chef who underwent a month of intensive training in Japan under Toba's direct supervision. And in the opening year of Sio Pasta Singapore, Toba will be personally conducting quality control checks every two months, followed by twice-yearly checks from next year onwards.
With over 10 types of pasta on the menu at Sio Pasta, from applewood bacon spinach to cheesy prosciutto with asparagus, you're likely to be spoilt for choice. If so, do as we did and order all the signatures: the self-named 'Best Mentaiko Pasta' ($16.80), the fried egg, cheese and salted kelp combination ($13.80) and the pork belly and mushroom pasta ($16.80). Most Japanese families would have their own version of mentaiko pasta – a fuss-free dish that can be whipped up in minutes and doesn't compromise on taste. Sio Pasta's rendition is homely and addictive, with al dente strands coated in an umami-rich mentaiko sauce. Shredded spring onion, nori and shiso leaf add additional layers of fragrance and flavour, so the taste isn't one-dimensional. Make sure to toss this up once it reaches the table, as the dish is on the drier side with not much sauce to go around.
The fried egg, cheese and salted kelp pasta is the cheapest pasta dish on the menu, alongside the garlic carbonara and Neapolitan beyond Neapolitan ($13.80 each). Visually, it's simple but oh-so-appealing, topped with a perfectly fried sunny-side-up egg – yes, gooey yolk and all. And the ingredients work really well together, toeing the line between hearty and light, with the salted kelp adding slightly more depth to an otherwise uncomplicated, home-style dish. For something a little more unconventional, order the pork and mushroom pasta, where the fatty, rich flavours are brightened up with yuzu kosho, our favourite Japanese condiment of fermented chilli peppers, yuzu peel and salt.
At launch, Sio Pasta also offers three eight-inch pizzas (from $14.80) in flavours like Teriyaki chicken and cheese, blue cheese with maple syrup, and even a dessert-style pizza with toppings of gelato, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Speaking of desserts, no meal is complete without pudding and cream, priced affordably at $3.80. The kissaten-style dessert features a balanced caramel sauce that's neither too sweet nor bitter, finished with a dollop of fresh cream. Other dessert items include the matcha gelato with raspberries and vanilla gelato with olive oil and sea salt ($5.80 each).
Time Out's rating: 4/5
There are one too many restaurants in Singapore that charge upwards of $20 for bowls of pasta that are average at best. With that in mind, it's hard to find fault with Sio Pasta, which offers freshly made pastas crafted with intention, at a fraction of the usual cost – $13.80 is a price to beat in today's economy. Everything, from the flour to the portion sizes and flavour combinations, is deliberate and precise. And while the dishes aren't mind-blowingly good, they are executed well, offering flavours that are comforting and familiar, yet slightly elevated to differentiate them from regular home-style cooking. Overall, Sio Pasta is a place we'd easily return to when the Japanese-Italian craving hits – if the queues are manageable, that is.
Sio Pasta is open daily from 11am to 10pm at 252 North Bridge Rd, Raffles City Shopping Centre, #B1-16, Singapore 179103. Find out more about Sio Pasta here.
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