Willy Wankerz

Found the new Willy Wankerz which had recently just opened its doors along North Bridge Road around the Kampong Glam neighbourhood — we had only chanced upon by establishment during a separate trip to the area to check out yet another F&B establishment that had recently made its move to the same neighbourhood. Taking over the former premises of a Mexican eatery (the shophouse it occupied used to also house the now-defunct MOTORWERKS), Willy Wankerz is an American diner-cum-bar that is set out to bring back the best of the 1980s; the space is being decked rather simply and mainly features black and turquoise walls and wooden furniture and fittings that are repainted with white paint — stickers adorning the walls, alongside a brightly-lit menu board on a wall closet to the entrance of the diner. The menu at Willy Wankerz is relatively simple — sectioned into Bites, Mains, Pizza, Pasta and Desserts, the emphasis at Willy Wankerz does seem to be more towards their beverages, which sees quite a list of alcoholic beverages being listed.

With most of the menu items listed being pretty much simple Western fare that seem to be positioned to compliment their selection of booze, we found ourselves going for the Wankerz Aglio Olio, which comes with elements such as bacon, mushrooms, onions and chill. Basic as it may sound, the Wankerz Aglio Olio was a really well-executed plate of pasta; something that had exceeded what we would have expected to come out of a kitchen of a gastrobar of its sort. Here, the Aglio Olio comes with ample bits of bacon and mushroom so you do get that slight hint of savouriness from the cured meat, as well as the earthiness of the bouncy mushrooms all caught in between twirls or the pasta. The pasta is tossed in just enough olive oil and garlic for flavour and a good, slurpy texture — the olive oil being there for aromatics and to provide for that textural aspect to the noodles, while the bits of garlic just gives the pasta a garlicky fragrance that gave some flavours contrast. The chili padi added to the Aglio Olio was totally on point though — gave the entire dish a fiery kick that tingles the tastebuds even for those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness; adds to the shiok factor of the dish. All in all, a dish that we found ourselves mopping up clean in no time.

Despite its quirky name, Willy Wankerz does seem to have exceeded our initial expectations that we have had in our head when it comes to such gastrobars around — we found their signature Wankerz Aglio Olio and Wankerz Burger (i.e. a “Juicy beef burger with special Wankerz sauce” as described in their menu) both very appealing options despite being somewhat items that does away with the unnecessary fusion factors; very simple, fuss-free food that is actually well-executed and even better than what some cafes could whip up. No doubt they seem to have a focus on being a watering hole, but Willy Wankerz might well be a spot for a simple dinner and drink even when spending the night alone after a day at work; you know those days where one just needs a well-made dinner without all the fluff, and perhaps maybe a pint of beer on the side whilst in solitude. A dining option that we would certainly not mind considering if we are out of options to go for whilst being in the Kampong Glam neighbourhood.