Guiding you to good food & best restaurants in Singapore

The opening of New Bahru has certainly seen some waves in the local F&B scene during its initial phase of opening — New Bahru is after all home to several locally born and bred names that have enjoyed varying success in their own right even before setting up shop within New Bahru; such establishments would include the likes of The Coconut Club, One Prawn Co., Artichoke, San Shu Gong Chao Yue, Dearborn, One Fattened Calf, PPP Coffee etc.; just to name a few. ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15 might be a lesser known name in the local F&B scene — these folks didn’t previously exist as a dining establishment, though ÁTIPICO is quite a familiar name in the local private dining scene. In fact, we have previously been exposed to a few of ÁTIPICO’s offerings through some pop-ups that they have set up during events previously. ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15 is situated in between Odem and the outlet of The Coconut Club that is located there — they should be relatively easy to find; the shop facade is being painted in a shade of red, while the interior of the shop comes decked in a rustic and industrial yet modern design theme. The decor features elements coming in a raw wooden accent matched with metallic furniture and fittings — all that tastefully matched with stone surfaces; the indoor dining tables featuring tables configured to accommodate to those dining in pairs as well as for groups up to four (4) pax. The food menu at ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15 is split into sections dedicated to All Day, Lunch, Sweets and Bakery — it is worth noting that items listed on the Lunch section of the menu are available on Tuesday to Sunday, while some items listed on the All Day section of the menu are available are only available on Saturday and Sunday. Beverages available at ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15 would include espresso-based specialty coffee, cold-pressed juices, and tea that is sourced from Dammann Freres — this is apart from the alcoholic beverages such as the various wines and beer that they have to offer.

One of the dishes that had caught our attention whilst skimming through the list of dishes that they have to offer in their Lunch menu would be that of the Pumpkin Ravioli. The Pumpkin Ravioli stood out to us considering how we have been quite into raviolis and other handmade pastas for quite a while ever since our visit to South Union Park years ago; we also found the composition of the Pumpkin Ravioli here to be pretty similar to what we have previously had at South Union Park back then that creates a very deep impression with us that we couldn’t forget. The menu describes the Pumpkin Ravioli to come with elements such as roasted pumpkin, toasted hazelnuts, sage butter and smoked ricotta. The Ravioli comes with a pasta that is smooth, soft and silky; the insides being filled pumpkin puree that is earthy and sweet. The smoked ricotta does seem to form the sauce base here; aptly savoury without being overwhelmingly salty — creates this sweet-saltish medley of flavours with a slight buttery fragrance together with the sage butter when had altogether. The inclusion of toasted hazelnuts provide an element of crunch and nuttiness that further adds on to both textures and flavours of the dish.

We also managed to give the Confit Onion Speck Fontina Roll that is being listed on the All Day section of the menu a go – the menu describes the Confit Onion Speck Fontina Roll to come with elements such as sweet French onion confit, Fontana cheese and speck; all featuring a flaky laminated dough. The Confit Onion Speck Fontina Roll is shaped in the same format as a scroll much like a Kouign Amann — the pastry base itself being a pretty well-executed danish that is light, flaky and buttery, whilst it also comes slightly sweet from the addition of bits of confit onion, the pastry also features short strips of crisp bacon that adds on to the savouriness of the Danish for another contrast of flavours. The soft Fontana cheese that is shaved atop further brings all of the elements together, binding the savoury and the slightly sweet notes with its inherent saltishness that does not overwhelm the entire pastry.

One of the desserts which we had been hearing quite a fair bit from ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15 would also be the Gateau St. Honore — this was also the item from the Sweets section of the menu that caught our attention given our usual love for cream puffs. The menu at ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15 describes the Gateau St. Honore to come with elements such as caramelised feuilltage, choux puff, vanilla pastry cream and mascarpone chantilly. This does feel like a deconstructed version of a cream puff where the vanilla pastry cream and mascarpone chantilly now sits outside of the choux puff rather than within; all sitting above the caramelised feuilltage that resembles the pastry that one will find in a Mille Feuille. The pastry comes all flaky but with also has a firmness to it, while the vanilla pastry cream carries a soft, light yet creamy texture that hints subtly of a fragrance whilst the mascarpone chantilly provides a bit more depth in terms of both textures and flavours. The choux puff does come with a layer of hardened caramelised crust over the top that adds a textural contrast to the spongey and airy puff pastry. During our visit to ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15, we decided to go for the Piccolo to pair up with the various dishes and bakes that we had went for. The Piccolo comes with an earthy flavour profile with a medium body; pretty much a cuppa that one can go for as a weekday perk-me-up. We also found the cuppa to be pretty decently-pulled; this is especially considering that the cuppa as pretty smooth and creamy for the most part.

ÁTIPICO had always consistently left a mark with us every time that they have set-up pop-up stalls at weekend markets in the past — in fact, there has been pop-up events that we would purposely make a visit to after knowing that ÁTIPICO is part of. Whilst our last time having anything served up by ÁTIPICO was quite a number of years ago, ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15 still seems to embody the spirit of what we recalled ÁTIPICO to be — these folks have always placed an emphasis on the execution of their dishes that always makes it gastronomical with the use of premium produce whilst being especially inventive at the same time. Whilst seemingly opting for dishes which seem to be largely more predictable this time around, we still left ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15 more than impressed and satiated with how they have paid so much attention in detail to all aspects of their dishes to achieve that consistency that they intend to showcase to their patrons — not missing out on how the dish had been conceptualised as well. Prices of the food at ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15 is being priced in the mid-tier; slightly pricier than that of artisanal cafes that are part of the third-wave coffee movement with the items listed on the Lunch section of the menu ranging from $22 to $42 for individually-sized mains — the lowest-priced being the Ricotta Tartine while the priciest being the Beef Cheek 2.0. With all that being said, ÁTIPICO | ROOM #15 is still worth a visit to check out what they are all about!

A refreshing take on mango sticky rice! The black glutinous rice was super soft and had a great chewy texture and the coconut milk was creamy but not overwhelming. The mango cubes were a little sour but in a refreshing way that balanced everything out. The sago added a nice pop of texture and the grass jelly was a cool, light touch. Overall, it’s a fun and satisfying dessert especially if you’re looking for something less sweet but still really delicious 》$4.50

The pork chop came with bones, which made it more tricky to eat than I’d like. The noodles were alright, nice and chewy, but the sauce felt too mild and lacked the rich, punchy flavour I was expecting. Overall, it just didn’t come together as I thought it would 》$9.20

Was hoping for more from this. The wanton skin was way too thick, making each bite feel heavy and doughy. The vinegar and chilli oil were there, but the flavours still felt muted. Without that punch of heat and tang, the whole dish ended up feeling pretty underwhelming 》$8.60

Crispy on the outside, bursting with flavour on the inside. The pan-fried bun platter features two signature pan-fried crispy pork soup buns and two prawn pan-fried buns.

The pork soup buns are bursting with rich, delicious broth (bite carefully to catch every drop). The prawn buns offer a lighter, subtly sweet contrast, still juicy but with a bouncy bite. Both deliver that golden, crackly base that makes pan-fried buns so irresistible. Best enjoyed fresh and piping hot 》$8.60

The star wasn’t their chocolate desserts, I must say their chocolate Bundt (bottom in pic; $4) Flourless Chocolate Cake (top in pic; $5). The former lack the lava chocolate ooze it claimed it have, and the latter was a tad too dry. I also tried the earl grey hojicha ($3) which was dense and uneventful. But their blood Orange sponge cupcake using yogurt was enticing for more than a bite.

*Note: my taste palate leans towards dark bitter chocolate at a sweet spot of 65%-72% cocoa and a truffle-like texture. So please use that as a gauge of my taste perspective.

Tender, fall-off-the-bone pork ribs, deeply infused with a rich, savoury braise that makes an absolute highlight of the dish. The noodles were perfectly cooked with a satisfying springy texture, tossed in a well-balanced, flavourful sauce that paired beautifully with the meat.

The queue says it all. By 11am, the smaller portions were already sold out, leaving only the bigger bowls for order 》$6

Was really looking forward to this but it fell short of expectations. The carrot cake was missing the depth of flavour that made it special in the past. The signature curry powder aroma that used to make it stand out is now missing too. It’s still a passable plate but it no longer has the same character or depth that made it memorable 》$2.50

One for one pasta — the portion is great.
The taste is pretty average but the portion does make up for it.

Chicken schnitzel and cubano:
Such a good portion and cool plating. The sandwiches are great — portions are great and the sourdough base is soft.