Located in NTU Alumni Club building in One-North. Serves cocktails and Italian cuisines, with main dishes ranging from $15 to $25. Cosy and dimly lit ambiance. Cool spot for a casual hangout or a romantic date. Guests can play at the pool table and dart machines. There's another Pen & Inc. located in NTU serving Tex-Mex and Southwestern dining experiences.
Disclaimer: This is a paid partnership post.
While the National University of Singapore (NUS) boasts Bar Bar Black Sheep as a cool hangout spot, Nanyang Technology University (NTU) offers Pen & Inc. There are two Pen & Inc. restaurants in Singapore, one on the NTU campus and the other at the NTU alumni house, each serving different cuisines: the NTU location specialises in Tex-Mex and Southwestern cuisine, while the NTU Alumni House spot focuses on Italian cuisine. It's worth noting that the NTU campus restaurant is closed on weekends.
In celebration of Valentine's Day, my partner and I decided to dine at Pen & Inc. in the NTU Alumni House. While there are plenty of seats available, it's advisable to make a reservation through their website beforehand. The restaurant's ambiance is cosy and dimly lit, making it ideal for a romantic dinner date. Additionally, guests can enjoy a pool table and two dart machines. While the pool table is free to use, the dart machine requires payment. We didn't play, so I suggest checking with the friendly staff for the exact prices.
Wild Mushroom Soup - $8.00
Shimeji, pure white mushroom, shiitake, cream, truffle oil, toasted garlic bread
I love mushroom soups, especially when they're made with real mushroom bits and has a thick, creamy texture. Extra points are given if the soup is enhanced with a drizzle of truffle oil and served with garlic bread. Pen & Inc.'s Wild Mushroom Soup meets all these criteria for a delicious mushroom soup, though I'm torn between ranking it higher than the one at Poulet (perhaps I'll write a review for that restaurant too!).
However, the texture of the soup at Pen & Inc. might be a tad too thick; I doubt I could finish a serving on my own without needing plenty of water afterward. Nevertheless, I prefer a thick texture to a thin one (I've attempted making mushroom soups before, but mine never turned out thick enough), so I still highly recommend trying the mushroom soup here.
Smoked Duck Carbonara - $14.00
Linguine, smoked duck, onion, egg yolk, cream, parmesan cheese
The carbonara's texture was perfectly creamy, and the linguine was cooked to al-dente perfection. Often, carbonara pasta from other restaurants becomes somewhat overwhelming by the end of the meal, but that's not the case here. The combination of creamy white sauce, runny egg yolk, parmesan cheese, and pasta is just right. However, my partner and I agreed that it could be better with a touch more salt.
Slow Cook Beef Cheek - $24.00
Braised beef cheek, red wine sauce, sauteed vegetables, mashed potatoes
Having never tried beef cheek before, I decided to give the Slow Cooked Beef Cheek a chance as it's a popular dish. The beef cheek's texture was astounding — we marveled at how soft and tender it was, practically melting in our mouths. The blanched vegetables served alongside were well-seasoned, and the mashed potatoes were creamy and flavorful. It was delectable for the first half of the dish; however, we found it slightly too salty and had to pair it with the Carbonara Pasta, which, thankfully, was slightly undersalted. Overall, it was still a fantastic dish that I highly recommend, especially if you've never tried beef cheek before.
Strawberry Lemonade - $6.00
In need of a refreshing drink to complement our hearty mains, we opted for the Strawberry Lemonade, which offered the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess.
Lava Torte - $8.00
Chocolate cake, summer berries compote, vanilla ice cream
To conclude our meal, we ordered a chocolate lava cake for dessert, but unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. Look, I love the 7-Eleven Microwavable Chocolate Lava Cake for its moist exterior and creamy chocolate filling. However, the chocolate cake here had a disappointingly dry surface. The vanilla ice cream wasn't very impressive either, but the summer berries compote - a sweet sauce made with berries and possibly citrus zest - complemented the sweet chocolate filling and vanilla ice cream nicely. However, I wouldn't recommend this dessert.
🍴
Wow looks amazing! what a hidden gem! Definitely going to give them a try!