Review: Hawker concept Casa Osteria at Chomp Chomp nails bistro-level pasta

I have fond memories of Chomp Chomp Food Centre from back when I lived in the northeast part of Singapore. Satay beehoon, barbecue wings, sugarcane towers (with plenty of lemons, please) were a regular supper staple.

It’s been a good four years since I moved away, so I relished the chance to return when I heard about a new pasta spot Casa Osteria at Chomp Chomp.

Of course, hawker pasta isn’t a novelty anymore. Over the years, stalls like The Fresh Pasta and Eightisfy, as well as the since-closed Swirled in the CBD, have built their own genre of quality pasta served at prices well below a proper Italian restaurant.

But the freshly opened Casa Osteria, which began operations in August, is still a welcome entrant to this wave. 

I stopped by for dinner earlier this week, and I have to say, besides being able to relive some of my Chomp Chomp favourites, the pasta at Casa Osteria was pretty great, too.

The backstory

Casa Osteria sits in the leftmost row of stalls at Chomp Chomp, right next door to Rolling Wok, another stall that’s also seen a bit of traction on social media.

The stall’s facade is easy enough to spot — a simple white signboard with its no-frills orange-black logo.

The whole operation is manned by two young chefs, with a self-service POS kiosk at the counter, letting them focus entirely on cooking rather than having to split their attention, which makes sense given how busy it can get at the hawker centre.

Each sauce on Casa Osteria’s menu is tagged to a city it’s inspired by: Roma carbonara or Napoli aglio olio, for starters, though you shouldn’t expect strict authenticity here. There’s even a Singapore-inspired flavour of — you guessed it — chilli crab. 

The idea behind the stall is its build-your-own format where you choose from one of its six sauces, a pasta shape (penne, spaghetti, or linguine), then your add-ons from a small line-up of proteins and extras.

These include items such as smoked duck (S$2.90), prawns (S$4.90), baby scallops (S$4.90), button mushroom (S$2), cherry tomatoes (S$1), and bolognese sauce (S$3.90).

The cheapest option, the Napoli aglio olio, starts at S$6.90 without additional toppings, with the Amatrice arrabbiata following closely at S$8.90. 

But the more substantial ones — the Roma carbonara, Singapore chilli crab, Bologna ragu, and Genova pesto — all start from S$12.90 before add-ons.

Our verdict

If I’m being really honest, Casa Osteria isn’t the budget hawker pasta concept I expected, unlike The Fresh Pasta where most if not all dishes on the menu were below S$10, at the point of my visit.

At S$12.90 and up for most of the other sauces, plus add-ons on top, a fully loaded bowl creeps closer to what you’d pay at a casual Italian bistro.

What justifies that price, though, is the impressive execution from a two-person kitchen, such as nailing the consistently perfect al dente texture (take note that this is dried, not fresh pasta) while dishing out a high volume of orders you typically get at a hawker with picture perfect plating no less.

None of these are an easy feat and just goes to show that Casa Osteria delivers good value for what you’re paying. 

The portions are generous enough, too — based on my own estimates and experience from having a good amount of pasta in my lifetime, it’s at least 150g to 160g of pasta per bowl — a proper serving by any regular restaurant’s standard.

What it’s good for

The Genova pesto (S$13.90) is my favourite of the lot. The sauce is nutty and fragrant with basil and pine nuts, well-emulsified so it lovingly coats every strand of linguine — the whole thing tastes creamy and almost buttery.

The chopped cashews also give a bit of crunch and textural contrast, while my add ons of cherry tomatoes (S$1) and smoked duck (S$2.90) also helped balance things out. 

The duck itself isn’t remarkably juicy or smoky, but it’s a tasty protein and a generous enough portion with six fairly thick slices given the price I’m paying.

The Singapore chilli crab (S$12.90) is just as strong. This is a proper chilli crab sauce with real crab meat throughout, not a watered-down rendition. It’s sweet, tangy, tomatoey, and piping hot when it lands in front of you. 

Like the previous bowl, the spaghetti is cooked to a perfect al dente with a good bite.

I added some prawns (S$4.90) for good measure, and my bowl came with three fairly large prawns which were fresh, plump, and vibrant, and even had its legs removed so the tail and head are easier to manage, especially in a hawker setting. 

This is a spicy dish, but in the kind of way that keeps me wanting to dig in for more. Yum, full stop.

The Roma carbonara (S$12.90) is rich and delicious, even if it’s not strictly authentic. 

Casa Osteria may use heavy cream rather than the traditional egg yolk, cheese, and pasta water emulsion, but its version doesn’t fall into that common trap of tasting like cream and nothing else. 

In fact, this is properly seasoned throughout — think smoky strips of fried bacon, sharp nutty parmesan, a good spattering of black pepper, and just the right amount of savoury cream. 

My pasta of choice, penne. holds the sauce well, though I’d imagine any other pasta shape would do the job, too.

I also ordered the Napoli aglio olio (S$6.90) for good measure. 

Casa Osteria’s version leans closer to a Singaporean western-stall interpretation with an aggressive garlicky punch and quite a bit of oil, as opposed to a traditional Italian version with a more delicate starch emulsification and more gentle garlic flavour with sliced garlic.

Then there’s the fact that I ordered this spicy, which saw the chefs adding fresh red chillies (rather than dried red pepper flakes you’d get in a strictly Italian version) and from the burning sensation in my mouth, I reckon there’s a little bit of chilli padi in there as well. 

It’s enjoyable, and probably better suited to the Singaporean palate anyway.

I added on white butter mushrooms for S$2 — simply sauteed with garlic and good enough as a vegetarian option.

Stuffed to the brim but wanting to try more of its offerings, I takeaway a Bologna ragu (S$12.90), with penne, to see how well it holds up when you have it to-go.

Judging by the number of takeaway orders waiting to be collected on the table, however, it appears I needn’t have doubted its durability because this is clearly a big part of how Casa Osteria operates. 

The ragu sauce comprises slow-simmered beef, rich and hearty, with a good tangy backbone and a savoury depth that suggests it’s been reduced down for some time. 

Even after the trip home, the sauce stayed glossy and properly coated the pasta rather than pooling at the bottom.

I ordered it spicy, which in hindsight wasn’t the best choice. It delivered some real burn rather than the gentle heat I’d assume from a spicy pasta.

Perhaps next time, I’ll go with the regular version for its meaty, tomatoey depth rather than opt for a chilli hit.

What it could improve on

The wait time is my main issue, making Casa Osteria more of something you make time for, rather than a grab-and-go order (unless of course, you order a Grab Pick-up in advance. 

22 minutes for two bowls of pasta at a half empty hawker centre after 8pm on a Tuesday night is a tad long of a wait, and I can’t imagine it’s any better on a weekend during dinner time with delivery orders streaming in. 

I headed down a second time at 5.30pm on a Thursday with three pasta orders, and it took around the same time (just under 20 minutes). 

That said, the wait is really the only thing holding Casa Osteria back. The pasta is good enough that I’m willing to make the trip back to Chomp Chomp when I’ve got more time to spare.

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? Chomp Chomp’s open-air setup keeps things breezy, though expect it to get squeezy and loud during peak hours.

Is a reservation necessary? Walk-ins only, or place an order on Grab if you’re picking it up yourself to avoid too much of a wait/.

How to get there? Chomp Chomp Food Centre is a 15 to 20-minute bus ride — on bus numbers 315 or 317 — from Serangoon MRT, or about a 20-minute walk from Lorong Chuan MRT.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

For more hawker finds, check out Vic’s Mini Lava Cheesecake at Hong Lim, and Mee Cik Ling, a halal-certified concept selling fish soup and ban mian.