The French Garcon Review: Build-Your-Own Pasta In A Box Found In Ngee Ann Poly

Visit The French Garcon for a cheesy fix

Inspired by TheSmartLocal’s YouTube series “Search For The Best Poly Food”, we headed down to Ngee Ann Polytechnic to check out The French Garcon, which is located in the Food Club at block 22. This is a no-frills hidden food gem which only offers one kind of food – build-your-own pasta in a box.

Food at The French Garcon

As easy as one, two, and three, you get to make your own pasta here at The French Garcon. Though customising your food is something that we have seen before, building your own pasta still had a breath of novelty for me. The pasta here is not merely assembled, like a salad or sushi roll, but prepped and cooked upon order.

Step one: choose one of two carbs, elbow macaroni ($2) or fusilli ($2).

Step two: select your choice of sauce base. Cheese lovers can opt for the cheese sauce ($1.20) and convert the pasta box into a mac and cheese, while those looking for a classic pasta dish can opt for creamy white sauce ($1). We were down on our luck as they ran out of their third option, truffle oil ($1.20), that day.

Step three: take your pick of toppings! They have meats such as bacon, chorizo, roast chicken, ham, and Spam bits at $2 per serving. Vegetables such as broccoli, potatoes, roast carrot and corn, garlic confit, and sun-dried tomatoes go at $1 or $1.50 per serving, and premium toppings such as mushroom, braised beef, and pork cost $3.50 per serving. If, like me, you love all things cheese, ask for an additional serving of mozzarella, feta, Gruyere, or Parmesan at $1.20.

We ended up getting two pasta boxes. The first was a mac and cheese combination of elbow macaroni, cheese sauce base, Spam bits, and roast carrot and corn, with an additional scattering of mozzarella cheese.

The mix of cheese sauce and mozzarella wasn’t as jelak as I expected. The sauce clung onto the macaroni evenly from the inside and out, but was thinner than what we anticipated it to be. There was also a lack of #cheesepull which we were preparing for with our phones out and ready.

The star of the dish was the Spam bits. Deep-fried before being added into the mac and cheese, not only did the crunchy bits give a better mouthfeel, it also exuded a salty flavour to each spoonful.

For the second pasta box, we got fusilli with white sauce, potatoes, and chorizo. What stood out for me was the roast potatoes. Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, each cube added a delicious tinge of sweetness to the pasta. They were also generous with the chorizo slices – when we hit the bottom of the box, there were still loads of them left.

Ambience at The French Garcon

You can find The French Garcon at the basement of block 22 at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. We were here at 1pm in the afternoon and were greeted by a crowded Food Club full of students. Despite being there at lunchtime, it did not take too long for us to get our food.

The verdict

If you’re looking for a filling carb fix I would recommend giving The French Garcon a try. Even though it is on the pricey side, the handy takeaway box makes for a quick, sneaky meal during lecture. However, if you’re not a student in the area, I suggest heading elsewhere for heartier mac and cheese instead.

If you are a student waiting for payday to come, check out our list of cheap food around town, or Bugis hawker food below $5. If this review has set your mac and cheese cravings on fire, check out our list of unique mac and cheese dishes to try.

Address: 535 Clementi Road, Block 22 Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore 599489
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am to 2pm
Tel: 9173 8650
Website

Photos taken by Chan Hui Wen.
This is an independent review by Eatbook.sg.