Platypus Test Kitchen @ Bugis Junction

Many thanks to Nicholas for the invite and generosity!

*** GIVEAWAY AT THE END OF POST!***

signage

I patronised their Cifford Center outlet sometime back and did not get to try their pastas so happy was me when the invite came.

Platypus Test Kitchen first started out in 2010 at Clifford Center after a series of lifechanging events for Nicholas Lin. An ex-consultant-turned cook book writer turned entrepreneur decided to take CBD by storm with his pocketfriendly handmade pasta dishes. Frustrated with overpriced food, here he is with the third outlet of Platypus Test Kitchen at Bugis Junction hoping to provide diners with food made with heart, plenty of sincerity at economic prices. For sure, their dishes are made with top ingredients – caviar, truffle shavings not truffle oil and crab claw meat to name a few.

This replaces V8 café – cues the memories of university days where we were all pig tailed, pimple skinned and fresh looking despite the stress of A Levels. I digressed, the point being, I do not remember V8 being anything spectacular apart from the fact that it is a movie themed café with average food. For diehards, Platypus Test Kitchen has retained their famous dishes in their extended menu – V8 chicken roulade, pork belly and seafood stew for nostalgia’s sake. 

Here's a virtual tour of the place.

interior

Clean, chic and cosy!

table

Word has it, this came about because Nicholas did not have enough budget to create a signboard and IKEA came to the rescue with affordable furniture. Creativity struck when he sawed the table and chair in half - the birth of Clifford Center's signboard.

lamps

Lamps to adorn.

dining promos

Soft launch menu!

cutlery

Totally ready for a gastronomical meal.

truffle mash

Truffle Whipped Potatoes ($6.90)
Chives, parmigiano reggiano

They ran out of truffle shavings so it was replaced with truffle mustard which provided both the tartness and fragrance of a truffle infused dish. Whipped potatoes unlike others was thicker than usual in consistency which can cause the hunger to be quelled rather easily if eaten too much of.

crab cake

Crabcakes ($12.90)
Large crab claw meat, served with lemon

Breaded and gorgeously deepfried till golden brown, these were stuffed with a generous portion of crab and potatoes. A squirt of lemon and dab of lemon sauce, refreshing appetizer!

breaded

Risotto Balls ($8.90)
Mozzarella stuffed balls of risotto, breaded in panko and deepfried, served over pumpkin puree

risotto balls

The mozzarella tasted more like cream cheese which deducted a couple of satisfaction points from the dish. Yet creativity is accorded when due - a different way of presenting risotto.

salad

Wild Rocket Salad ($7.50)
Balsamic vinaigrette, parmigiano reggiano

fresh mozzarella

Parma Ham Rocket Salad ($13.50)
Parma ham, rocket salad, fresh mozzarella balls, balsamic vinaigrette

A 6 buckeroo top up for a generous portion of parma ham and fresh mozzarella balls spells more than value for money.

prawns

Garlic Shrimp ($8.50)

I tend to shun garlicky dishes because of the attack they do to the breath yet these were appetizing enough for me to disregard the consequences. Crunchy crystallized well seasoned prawns for a steal!

soups

Roasted Pumpkin Soup ($3.90)

Made from scratch, this sweet soup tasted really earthy and wholesome.

soups top

Wild Mushroom Soup ($3.90)

Made more commercialised for the Bugis diner palette, the one at Clifford Center is purportedly earthier. I likened this to a better version of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom. Garlic bread should be there to go with this!

Chunky Tomato Soup ($3.90)

The least favourite of the lot – too tart for me. 

risotto

Pumpkin and Peas Risotto ($14.90)
Vegetarian pumpkin risotto tossed in peas, topped with pepperoncino

Beautiful colours all in the same plate would describe this quite aptly, the yellow splash meets green and red, just like a traffic light. The risotto was a tad soft and underflavoured in the face of the rest, yet a commendable effort for Playtpus Kitchen bringing affordable risotto to the masses!

mushroom

Truffle Carbonara Taglitelle ($16.90)
Double smoked bacon and mushrooms in truffle egg yolk sauce

Creamy delight that was thankfully not cloying.

squid ink

Squid Ink Scallop Ragout ($16.50)
Seared bay scallops, light garlic sauce

Screams personal favourite tons of times over. Unlike most squid ink pastas where by the squid ink is stirred into the pasta, theirs is hand rolled whilst making. One zesty pasta dish with refreshing flavours – citrusy finish without being acidic. 

pasta

Spicy Diablo Crab and Prawn ($18.50)
Egg Tagliolini with prawns, crab claw meat, spicy egg sauce

Yet another favourite with the creamy finish attributed by the spicy egg sauce. Very generous portions of crab claw meat that got us all so spoilt by the end of the meal.

angry chicken

Angry Chicken Ragu ($15.50)
Spicy chicken arrabiata ragu, parpadelle pasta

The dish could do with a bit more flavouring but otherwise, loving the chicken arrabiata ragu - saucy meat chunks!

ravioli

Lobster and Crab Ravioli ($17.50)

Little pockets of lobster and crab meat stuffed pasta – easy to eat!

pork belly

Pressed Pork Belly ($19.90)
Braised apples, garden vegetables, honey and clove apple glaze

A huge chunk of pork belly, well seared and retaining much of the bite. The apple puree was a tad too sweet for the pork belly though. 

caramel cake

Seasalt Caramel Slice ($6)

The dessert I was looking forward to the whole meal! Multilayer seasalt caramel dessert with sponge cake, caramel, popping candy and peanut shavings. Loved the novelty of popping candy and the sweetness of sticky caramel. 

hearts

A heart to remind of the tender loving thoughts put into presenting the dish. 

italian chocolate

Italian Hot Chocolate

A denser version of hot chocolate – think jell-o. The biscottis that came with it were such a huge chunk, I would have stuffed myself silly just snacking on these crunchy nibbles.

The beverages available are a mind boggling range too!

coffee art 

Latte

coffee

Coffee with homemade biscotti

tea

Tea to end the meal on a light note.

Here comes their list of beer infused chillers.

chillers

Passionfruit

chillers

Lemon with a dash of greens, reminds me of a mocktail mojito.

more chillers

Grapefruit for the super health conscious!

and more

Lychees!

Handmade pasta unfortunately cannot be like pasta done al dente, it tends to be softer than the latter and the dishes featured here had flash moments of mee pok or mee hoon kuay. Nothing to fault really, it’s handmade pasta with heaps of passion. The generosity of ingredients and portions are too good to be true – value for money screams at the end of every dish and truly, this is one place that stretches the budget further than expected.

What's more, the dishes are presented the way they are photographed - what you see is what you get. 

tartufo

Platypus Kitchen also has a range of ingredients that will go down well with home cooks - how about some olive oil?

champagne

A sneak peek of their future collaborations - some bubbly for brunch or valentine's?

Here’s what I managed to find out from Nicholas that night;

With the exception of Mediterranean Bouillabaisse, everything else on the menu is before $20. He kindly shared his future plans for Platypus Test Kitchen and amongst them is a wider dessert selection alongside with a Valentine’s Day set for couples going budget!

The menu will change every six months and favourites will most likely last for that period. Literally eat it whilst it lasts! 

books

For the home cooks.

nicholas

Nicholas with his best seller.

bachelor's banquet

This was a Kinokuniya Chart Topper when it was launched in 2010. For my dear readers, simply comment with your details (email address and name) to win a cookbook! There is only ONE up for grabs so first come first served, quick hurry! Closing date for this is 28 January 2013. Psst, one lucky winner will walk away with an autographed copy too, hurry!!

Platypus Test Kitchen
Bugis Junction

Comments

  1. hello! (:

    would like a chance to win the cookbook, thank you!

    cheers,
    li tying
    (nglitying@gmail.com)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Name: Jade Chen
    Email: tequilafloor@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like to win the cookbook too!!!

    Name: Tong Hui Wen
    Email: huiwen14@yahoo.com
    Contact number: 96529920

    Thankssssssssssss

    ReplyDelete
  4. Name: Shirley
    Email: shirleylee2102@yahoo.com.sg

    ReplyDelete
  5. Name: Esther Lim
    Email add: wikil0v3@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. thanks for all the support! congrats Li Tying for being the first! :) Until the next giveaway~~~

    ReplyDelete
  7. Perhaps I have a picky mouth, but it was still ok, and just nice for a white collared meal :) http://foodesteem.blogspot.sg/2013/08/platypus-test-kitchen.html

    ReplyDelete

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