Halal Food in Singapore: Tipo Pasta Bar
I am so glad that we’re allowed to dine-in in phase two of the circuit breaker because I’ve been craving for Tipo’s smoked duck pasta for the longest time. I know, I know. I can order online and get them delivered. But let me be completely honest — I don’t like paying for islandwide delivery because I’m usually ordering for myself. $8 delivery charge + $15 for the dish = $23 for one plate of pasta…….
Anyway, at the start of the circuit breaker, they launched #TheBlackHoleDelivers, a 24 hours islandwide food delivery service, which I assume was a business contingency plan for their establishments. Unfortunately, there has been quite a number of negative tweets and reviews on their Facebook page from unhappy customers over the Mother’s Day weekend. They have since addressed the issue (pretty well I must say) but I’m not writing this blog post to talk about that. I have never ordered from them online and while I cannot vouch for their delivery program, I have always had a really good experience at their physical outlets. So…. today’s post will be from my visit to Tipo Pasta Bar!
785 North Bridge Road
Singapore 198753
Tipo Pasta Bar is the brainchild of The Black Hole Group, who also owns other famous conceptual cafes in Singapore like The Working Title, Mad Sailors, AfterWit, etc. Personally, I’ve always looked up to them because a) their branding is top notch, b) their website is very well done and c) their photos are always professionally taken. If I’m not mistaken, they started off with a hostel right on top of The Working Title, but then ventured into F&B and ended up opening several cafes with different concepts, and all within the touristy district of Bugis.
How to get to Tipo Pasta Bar?
Located just a short walk away from Bugis MRT and Sultan Mosque, it is pretty easy to get here via public transport. You can either walk from the MRT station itself or take any of the buses that stop opposite Stamford Primary. It shouldn’t be much of a hassle to get here. However, if you are driving, finding a vacant slot might be an issue, especially during peak periods or prayer times. We had to park near Zam Zam Restaurant and walk back towards Tipo.
THE NEW NORMAL
As amazing as it is to be able to dine in again, safety measures are still in place everywhere you turn. I mean, come on, it’s Singapore. Kiasu is key. And Tipo is no different, of course. Having to scan the QR code to check in and get your temperature taken is becoming a norm. We also made reservations beforehand, but due to the limited space, we still had to wait for a little while before being able to get a table. It was about 20 minutes and Fazwan fell asleep. Hahaha, he sleeps everywhere. But I realised, even the seats for the waiting area are placed a distance away from each other.
THE PASTA BAR
The unique selling point of Tipo Pasta Bar is in the name itself. They produce their own pastas and you have an option of either ordering from their house specials menu or build your own dish. I’m guessing that’s how it works at a bar? You get to build your own drinks concoction? I don’t know, I’ve never been to one. But this bar is halal certified, don’t worry. You can view their full menu with prices here.
Their pastas are freshly made daily and infused with different ingredients each time, so that means that there will be different types of pastas for you to choose from, for every single visit. I’m so used to the typical fusili / linguine choices from Pastamania so the first time I dined here last year, it was quite overwhelming because everything looked unfamiliar. But their staff are quite friendly, so I would advise you to ask if you need help.
All their pastas are served at 100g but I like how they provide an option of upsizing your pasta for those with a bigger appetite. I was handling customer reviews in my previous job so whenever I see a negative review for restaurants saying “the portion is very little” — I will roll my eyes a little. There was actually one on Tipo’s Google locations page as well but when I dined in, the serving was juuuuust nice for me but it was not enough for Fazwan. Thankfully, Fazwan upsized his dish. Portion is completely subjective, depending on who the diner is, no?
The space is quite squeezy, in my opinion. The furnitures are a little small, especially for a plus sized woman and a long legged man. I highly recommend you to make a reservation before coming down and I would not recommend large groups to dine here. Not that you can do that now anyway, with the circuit breaker and all.
What we ate at Tipo Pasta Bar:
Alright, I have been talking way too much (I’m sitting alone at Coffee Bean as I’m typing this so I guess I’m blabbering because I am badly in need of human interaction 😅) Time to show you guys the amazing dishes that my friends and I had!
Upsized Creamy Chicken Mushroom — $17.90 — Alfredo, pasta, white button mushroom, chicken breast.
Creamy Pesto with Prawns — $13.90 —Homemade pesto blend, alfredo sauce, sauteed prawns.
Crazy Carbonara — $15.90 — Alfredo, pasta, smoked duck, sous vide egg
Other than the main dishes, they also serve lots of side dishes and drinks. We didn’t get any side dishes this time but these Artisanal Sodas ($6.90 each) were really sweet and flavourful. I don’t know why I took so many shots of the drinks but they just looked so pretty under their lighting, so I guess why not, right.
What we liked about Tipo Pasta Bar
I looooved that they have multiple payment methods at the counter - specifically, GRABPAY. A meal for four might set you back by a hundred bucks but with Grabpay, you earn that amount back in points, which you can use for future expenses. And of course, I honestly loved the food. Yes, it is quite pricey so I wouldn’t have it on the daily but I’ve been here four times in my life and the quality has been consistent so far. We could really tell that they only used the freshest ingredients. Kudos to the kitchen crew. The service staff up front are also super friendly. We didn’t get their names but this dark skinned dude was exceptional, my whole group of companions were impressed with how consistent his customer service was with every single patron. Good job bro!
What we didn’t like about Tipo Pasta Bar
With the limited space, it can get pretty squeezy in there so once again, I wouldn’t recommend large groups unless you’re considering to book the entire venue for a private event. Also, the staff do bring the food to you but I think the service charge is quite high considering that we ordered through a QR code and have to take the cutleries ourselves. They use Oddle (if I’m not mistaken) for you to place your order. This might be a concern for people who are less tech savvy but I guess that’s not their target audience? Maybe. Lastlyyyy, I think you guys need to start replying to all negative and positive Google reviews :)
Whoa. Hahaha. It has been a long while since I last wrote a food blog review but that was pretty extensive. If you read up til this point, THANK YOU! Since you’ve read to the bottom, I’m gonna share a way for you to get your money’s worth here at any of The Black Hole Group’s food establishments. Simply sign up for The Black Hole Rewards for FREE and enjoy a $5 dine-in voucher upon registration. You can also enjoy cashback, vouchers and birthday goodies when you dine in. Shiok right? Not sponsored you know. Just sharing this because you read my blabbering til the end and I appreciate you being here.
Alright, that’s all for now! Let me know in the comments below if you have any requests or suggestions. Til next time!
This review was not written under any pressure, endorsement or sponsorship of any of the parties mentioned, and was written under my own initiative. All information displayed are accurate at the time of posting. All visuals and opinions here are as always, my own.
