Fusion Food

I recently tried the fan favorite of Surrey Hills Grocer, the king prawn laksa linguine! The portion was very generous and frankly quite huge - this version of the dish offers a more dry laksa take, rather than the thick coconut-ty sauce of other laksa linguines.

It was fairly nice, with quail eggs and taupok (like any usual laksa), but I still prefer the thick laksa sauce of Cherki (see other review on Cherki food). This really depends on a person’s individual preference for either dry or “wet” laksa!

At $29, the price of this laksa linguine is also quite steep. Cherki’s laksa crab linguine is $20 for their lunch set, which comes with side dishes and a drink, so I couldn’t help but compare the two. However, this king prawn laksa linguine was still worth a try!

Was introduced to this place by a foodie friend, and three of us had the lunch set (price starting at $20; to add extra for certain sides and drinks, and also dessert!)

The laksa crab linguine and the sambal crab fried rice were recommended by the waiter, and with good reason. The laksa was thick and substantial; the linguine texture was pretty good too, although it was a bit hard to taste the crab in the dish. The sambal crab fried rice was pretty special too! Very well-recommended as we could get two sides + 1 drink per lunch set - worth it!

We also had the famous truffle duck popiah; it was a large portion but very, very good. I’ve visited this place again recently with another friend, and will be back next time :)

(To note: Only the a la carte mains, not the a la carte specialities, apply for the 1-for-1 main course deal on the Entertainer. If the specialities were applicable, we would have gone for the lobster laksa linguine instead!)

We ordered the carbonara and tonkatsu sando - this is my second time having this at Baristart, and I’m pleased to say that it tasted just as good this time round again! The portions may be just slightly smaller than other places, but they make up for it by tasting exceedingly divine.

The tonkatsu meat is tender and succulent, and well worth ordering; that’s coming from someone who doesn’t even usually like tonkatsu. The carbonara is creamy and a little thicker, but I would say this is the 2nd best carbonara in Singapore I’ve ever tasted (the first being the carbonara at Marmalade Pantry).

We also had the affogato and mango pudding, both of which were so good and had us scooping up at every last bit to ensure no wastage 😬

Prices at Baristart are a bit steep - to defray the costs, you can sign up as a member to get a 10% discount for the first time visit + a 10% discount on your birthday month. Would save this place for special occasions since it’s pricey but it’s certainly worth visiting!