Italian Coffee Lab

Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari has been one of those places that we had been thinking of making our way down to check out ever since we had first came across their social media accounts. An establishment that is a collaboration of two brands, Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari is a concept that had only recently opened its doors at 100PP in Pasir Panjang. For those whom are unfamiliar with the location of 100PP, 100PP is an office building situated at 100 Pasir Panjang Road — itself being a short walk away from Mapletree Business City and Pasir Panjang MRT Station; the same building also houses the original outlet of Uncle Ho’s Tuckshop which serves Vietnamese fare as well. Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari is oddly located at the third level of the building; the existence of a cafe at the unit in which it occupies can be said as a stark contrast against its neighbours. Irregardless; Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari exists as a collaboration between two concepts — one being Italian Coffee Lab, while the other would be Alimentari General Store. The latter of the two runs the Italian grocer of the concept, while the former runs the cafe operations. As one walks into Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari, they would be greeted with the wide array of wines, sauces, snacks etc. that Alimentari General Store has in stock; walking in further leads to the clean and functional dining hall of Italian Coffee Lab together with its espresso bar and counter. Opened only between 9am to 5pm on weekdays, it is pretty difficult for most to drop by Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari — the menu being split into Breakfast, Lunch and a section that is dedicated to its Pinsa offerings. The Lunch menu revolves around their pasta and salad offerings, while the Pinsa is essentially a style of pizza dough that is similar to that of a flatbread. Those looking for light bites like pastries can also refer to what they have on display in the display chiller at the counter. For beverages, Italian Coffee Lab offers a variety of espresso-based specialty coffee as well as some rather rare European-style coffee on the menu; the beans being from sourced from a local microroastery named Florentinus Coffee, whilst also serving up a variety of organic teas as well.

Dropping by Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari on a weekday during lunch hours, we decided to give one of the pastas on their Lunch menu a go. It is actually noteworthy that all of Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari’s Pasta offerings are actually vegetarian-friendly — a rarity considering how most establishments serving up pastas would usually include some form of a meat element in a wide range of the pasta dishes that they have to offer. Skimming through the various pasta offerings which they have to offer, the Tagliatelle Sundried Tomatoes & Pistachio Sauce was the item that seem to have caught our attention a little more than the others. The Tagliatelle Sundried Tomatoes & Pistachio Sauce is described on the menu to come with elements such as tagliatelle egg pasta, sun dried tomatoes, pistachio, extra virgin olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Considering the composition of the Tagliatelle Sundried Tomatoes & Pistachio Sauce, we weren’t expecting much from the dish given how simple it sounded; that being said, it did turn out pretty impressive — something not too complicated and comforting, yet is big on flavours and likely something which one would probably find being prepared as a simple meal in an Italian home. The tagliatelle egg pasta is done al-dente; comes with a good bite without being anywhere near brittle, all that whilst being tossed in a pesto-based sauce that provided a good, light tang with some nibs of sun-dried tomatoes for just that bit of a refreshing burst of flavours. The shaved parmesan cheese helps to enhance the flavours in the dish; gives the elements a bit of a heavier note from its inherent savouriness, while the crushed pistachio nuts provide a slightly salted and nutty contrast that compliments all that which is going on with the pasta — the extra virgin olive oil further bringing all the elements together. Overall, a pasta dish that is simplistic in terms of the elements it comes with, yet bold in its flavours with great execution that speaks to the soul.

Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari is quite a fun spot to hit; while there are some grocer-cum-cafe concepts that operate all across the island, the experience at Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari is undoubtedly immersive. Perhaps this might be due to the lack of other patrons around during our visit, as well as the proximity between the grocer section and the dine-in seating of the cafe — this did allow us to casually snoop around the grocer whilst waiting for our food items to be prepared. For those whom are curious, we did end up purchasing quite a number of their snacks and other items which Alimentari General Store has to offer. Meanwhile, the food at Italian Coffee Lab is set to impress; the Pinsa which we have had was totally on-point as well. An Italian pizza that features a flatbread-style dough, the Modena Pinsa also came with elements such as mozzarella, pancetta and parmesan. Simple as it may sound again, but we could definitely tell the effort that went into the making of the dough of the Pinsa — it is fluffy and airy with a good chewy bite, but was also one where it did not feel particularly dense or heavy as well. There is also quite a bit to be discovered when it comes to their specialty coffee offerings as well; the Cuccuma being a Italian-style pour-over that comes with a distinctively-shaped pot to pour the drip coffee out from, while the Bombon was an interesting concoction featuring espresso, milk foam and condensed milk. It comes with a heavy body with a roasty flavour profile, yet well-balanced from the sweetness of the condensed milk — think of it as a milkier concoction of Vietnamese-style drip coffee with milk that sees a Piccolo Latte as the base beverage rather than drip coffee instead. Italian Coffee Lab + Alimentari is all about bringing a slice of Italy closer to the masses, be it by the items on retail via the grocer at Alimentari General Store or through the hearty mains and special concoctions of coffee that Italian Coffee Lab has to serve; definitely an interesting spot worth noting to hit at Pasir Panjang!