The Providore

After years of saying I’ll try this eatery, I finally had the opportunity this afternoon with my mum.

Given that it was the middle of the lunch period, I was impressed with how efficient the service was. We were seated immediately and it didn’t take long for our food to arrive after we ordered. Making the payment at the end of our meal was equally swift.

To be honest, after browsing the menu, the breakfast options looked rather appetising! However, that’s only available until 11:30am on weekdays so the main menu was what we ordered from. They had a good range of sandwiches but my mum and I both went for a pasta dish.

I had the Crab & Chili Linguine, which was delightful for many reasons. Firstly, the linguine was cooked al dente, which is just how I like it! Secondly, there was a very generous amount of crab meat in the dish – large chunks as well as smaller, crushed up morsels. Thirdly, the fragrance was amazing! I could smell the garlic the minute the plate was placed on the table and the smell of the olive oil drizzled on top really came through with the heat of the freshly cooked pasta. Additionally, there were wilted basil leaves hidden inside this mountain of pasta, which added an extra layer of flavour. Overall an excellent choice!

My mum went for the Beef Ragu Parpadelle, which was equally well done! There were large chunks of beef and mushrooms, the stew was made to a good consistency, she enjoyed the addition of wilted spinach in the dish, and there was the perfect amount of parmesan grated on top – enough to bring out the other flavours in the dish without overpowering the intensity of the ragu.

The atmosphere was average, though I did like the interior set up of the place. They had shelf of their products displayed near where we were sat and interesting combination of metal and wood textures with their furnishings. I liked that they also had a takeaway counter with drinks, freshly baked goods, sandwiches, and even salads to go! It was rather loud inside the restaurant since it was prime lunch time and the air conditioning could have been a little colder. It was a pretty hot and sunny day, and with many people crowding inside, the temperature was definitely slightly higher than I think it would be at other times of the day.

I’ll definitely be back but perhaps to another branch that isn’t as bustling and loud during meal hours and for their breakfast/brunch menu.