Thanks to K Ki, which I’m a fan of, I got to know about Providore when they worked together to produce artisanal desserts. So when I was shopping at Raffles City, I hopped on the chance to dine here.
Crab Linguine Pasta is oh-so rich, luxurious and simply put, delicious. Luxurious part comes from generous serving of blue swimmer crab that gives lots of umami, essence of the sea, to this dish. Sun-dried tomatoes mixed in helps to add hints of tangy sweetness to refresh the palate. Bird’s eye chilli and basil introduce the exotic taste, making it exciting and different from other pasta dishes. This dish is that good. Worth a special visit for this.
Ambience wise, the place’s full panel windows face a row of heritage buildings, giving an old-world charm to it. The interior is of up-market cafe/brunch place, making it a great place to chill out.
But here’s the thing: notice that I didn’t write about desserts here, despite being lured to here by K Ki, a dessert place. That’s because I didn’t order any here. The reason is as simple as the service staff telling me in a pretty unfriendly tone that I can order desserts later. Okay, fine. Throughout the meal, I do not feel welcomed, there is an air of snobbery, lack of smiles and I was ignored most of the time. Yes, I had to walk up to the counter to get someone to take my orders. So by the time I had finished the pasta, I just wanted to get of there ASAP. So I just paid up and left. A blessing in disguise, since I went on to find a nice, rustic, old-school cafe, Keong Saik Bakery, to lounge at.
I’m torn about Providore. I love the pasta, I mean, where else can one gets that much crab meat in their pasta, with the right combination of condiments? The quality of ingredients is evident too. But the service standard pushes me away. Maybe the branch at Mandarin Gallery may be better, but checking out that place got to wait since I still have lots of other restaurants to explore. Yup, with good pasta and also good service.
Thoughts: Excellent Crab Linguini Pasta. But the service …
Note: This dining experience occurred few months ago, so the staff may have been changed already.
