Hawker Sells ‘Secret Menu’ Of Gourmet Handmade Pasta Like Squid Ink Prawn Tagliatelle In Evenings

These pasta dishes aren’t listed on his main menu – Cheng Kai posts them as ‘daily specials’ on his social media pages, which only his regulars know to check. 

He tells us he’s been whipping up this ‘secret menu’ shortly after 8days.sg first visited Eightisfy back when it opened in 2022. Cheng Kai tells us he has since managed to recoup his investment. 

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Very limited portions available every evening

Cheng Kai sells about four types of handmade pasta every evening, and a minimum of six servings of each kind. He says he can’t make too many as it’s “very strenuous” for him. He will however, try to whip up more plates if the demand is high. 

Why the super limited portions, though? He laughs: “When one batch finishes, the next batch will take some time to do up, and I don’t want to disappoint my customers. My own regulars will see what specials are on my Instagram for the day. If I promote [the pastas] too much, it’ll be a burden to me”. The hawker spends 1.5 hours making his pasta dough from scratch daily.

He begins the process by rolling fresh dough made with semolina flour in an automatic pasta machine, before cutting it into strips of varying thickness to form fettuccine, linguine, etc. 

For his stuffed pastas, Cheng Kai then adds filling to the rolled dough before hand-moulding them into different shapes. Versus the cheaper store-bought dried pastas that he serves on the all-day menu, he says it takes “10 times” the preparation work for his handmade pasta.

What you’ll always find on the ‘secret menu’: Truffle Gnocchi ($17.80) handmade from scratch with mashed potato, flour and eggs then mixed with truffle paste, Pappardelle Duck Ragu ($18.80) and Squid Ink Tagliatelle ($18.80) with tiger prawns. He says the duck ragu is the most time-consuming to make – Cheng Kai begins by slow-roasting the bird with herbs, before simmering it in tomato stew spiked with Belgian beer. The entire stewing process takes roughly eight hours. 

The hawker also serves other more unusual pasta on rotation. For example: Oyster Cappelletti All’Arrabbiata ($19.80), dumpling-shaped parcels similar to ravioli, stuffed with Korean oysters and homemade ricotta, Fettuccine Pistachio Pesto ($17.80) and Lemon Ricotta Scarpinocc ($17.80), the latter a stuffed pasta that resembles old-fashioned wooden shoes. 

Though his handmade offerings aren’t exactly cheap for a hawker setting, Cheng Kai says a good number of customers are willing to pay for it, and he makes a “sufficient amount [of profits]” from his handmade pastas alone. 

“Initially they’ll find it expensive, but after they eat it, they’ll understand why it costs so much,” he explains. “They also find that it’s more worth it than what they can find in restaurants. Some people do find it too expensive as well, but that’s when my regular menu comes into play”. His more affordable all-day menu includes simpler dried pastas like Mushroom Aglio Olio ($7) and Pork Lard & Bacon Carbonara ($8).

Handmade pasta inspired by those he used to make at restaurant Cicheti 

According to Cheng Kai, his Truffle Gnocchi and Squid Ink Tagliatelle are a “similar style” to what he used to cook at restaurant Cicheti. The SHATEC-trained chef worked for seven years under The Cicheti Group, where he was part of the opening team for pasta joint Bar Cicheti in Chinatown, and sous chef at the defunct Italian restaurant Caffe Cicheti in Beach Road.

At Eightisfy, Cheng Kai says his pastas are more value-for-money. “In Cicheti they sell it at over $20 to $30 a plate, but I sell a larger portion at almost half the price,” he explains. 

He adds that he doesn’t scrimp on ingredients either: “The ingredients I use for my pastas are quality items. I don’t buy any store-bought sauces. All of them, including my pistachio pesto, are homemade. These sauces are what I used to make in restaurants, and I’ve brought it over here,” he says. The only thing he does differently? He tosses his pasta in a wok to finish them because “using a wok burner is faster than using a stove” thanks to its more intense heat. Moreover, some customers say this step adds welcome wok hei to the pasta.

Not looking to upgrade stall to a restaurant

Besides handmade pastas, Cheng Kai says he’s also willing to prepare other dishes not listed on the menu upon request, including burgers and steaks. If you’re looking to try any of these specials, or reserve your pasta orders in advance, you can contact the chef via his Facebook page. 

Though he enjoys serving fancier artisanal pasta at his hawker stall, Cheng Kai says he’s not looking to upgrade his biz to a restaurant. “Wah, [I have] no money lah! I’m already satisfied with my own stall here, this [stall] is already my personal goal,” he laughs. 

Eightisfy is at Maddox Canteen Bar, 3752 Bukit Merah Central, S159848. Open daily except Sun, 11am-2.30pm; 5pm-9pm. More info via Facebook.

Photos: Alvin Teo, Eightisfy, Glyn Seah

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