Home-based business in Bukit Batok by former fine dining chef sells doughnut burgers, Angus beef pasta and more

Run by a former fine dining chef and his wife, Dirty Pasta serves restaurant-style pasta and burgers from their HDB kitchen window.

Dirty Pasta is run by former fine-dining chef Clement Goh and his wife, Shaf. (Photos: Dirty Pasta)

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There’s no hip shopfront at Dirty Pasta. Instead, customers pick up their orders of restaurant-style pasta and quirky doughnut burgers through the kitchen window of a first-floor Bukit Batok HDB flat.

Behind the stove is former fine-dining chef Clement Goh, 33, who runs the home-based business with his wife, Shaf, 30. Their menu stars hearty pasta dishes topped with everything from tiger prawns to Australian striploin, with prices starting at S$14.90 and going up to S$25.90.

Goh handles the cooking full-time, while Shaf, who works at a local fashion brand, oversees the branding. They have two daughters, aged six months and two years.

Clement Goh as demi-chef at the now-defunct one-Michelin-starred French restaurant La Dame de Pic at Raffles Hotel. (Photo: Dirty Pasta)

After almost a decade in restaurant kitchens, including Michelin-starred establishments, Clement Goh quit the industry at 26 due to burnout.

He spent nearly four years in corporate food sales before finding his way back to the stove – this time, at his parents’ HDB flat.

Dirty Pasta started when Goh, who cooked pasta for his family almost every night, decided to try selling his dishes on Grab.

What began as a side hustle has since become a full-time business. Most orders come through Grab, while nearby customers collect their food from the kitchen window.

He started cooking professionally at around 18, first at Carl’s Jr, before moving on to restaurants including Izy Dining & Bar.

Around 2018, he joined the now-defunct one-Michelin-starred The Kitchen at Bacchanalia as chef de partie.

He later became head chef at three Club Street establishments, including Nutmeg & Clove and Chinese-American restaurant Zui Hong Lou.

But he missed hands-on cooking, having spent much of his time as head chef developing menus and training staff.

Hoping to get back behind the stove, he joined French chef Anne-Sophie Pic’s now-defunct one-Michelin-starred La Dame de Pic at Raffles Hotel.

Clement Goh preparing a dish at Dirty Pasta. (Photo: Dirty Pasta)

The move proved gruelling. Goh said he sometimes worked up to 20 hours a day for relatively little pay.

“I was burnt out,” he recalled.

After just a few months, he quit restaurant kitchens and moved into corporate food sales.

Ironically, after the change in career, he missed cooking again.

“I was talking to chefs and business owners as a corporate sales executive, and I missed cooking nice meals for people,” he said. “I like seeing people smile eating my meals.”

That eventually led him to start Dirty Pasta.

While Dirty Pasta’s menu starts at S$14.90 for an aglio olio, some dishes cost up to S$25.90 – prices that have raised eyebrows online, via comments from some netizens.

“But you get what you pay for!” Shaf insisted, referring to the higher-quality ingredients they use.

The couple admits they could earn more by using cheaper ingredients, but Goh isn’t keen on cutting corners.

“I would rather keep the quality of the ingredients than cut corners just to bring prices down,” he said.

Some of the dishes sold at Dirty Pasta. (Photo: Dirty Pasta)

Dirty Pasta’s menu includes Tiger Prawn Aglio Olio (S$18.90), Whole Leg Duck Tomato Rigatoni (S$25.90) and Beef Ragu Pipe Rigate (S$18.90), made with slow-cooked Angus beef ragu, spicy tomato sauce and cheese.

One of the pricier offerings, this features medium-rare Australian grain-fed beef striploin atop buttery spaghetti.

The couple even factor in how the meat continues cooking during delivery.

“We drizzle it with resting jus, allowing the residual heat inside the takeaway box to slow cook the meat during delivery!” Shaf explained.

Angus Beef Striploin Au Smoked Butter Spaghetti. (Photo: Dirty Pasta)

For something more unusual, That Dirty Clucker Donut Burger (S$18.90) swaps regular buns for glazed doughnuts.

The sweet-savoury creation is stuffed with fried chicken, cheddar and jalapenos, then slathered with hot honey and chipotle mayo.

“It’s meant to be fun and a little unexpected and honestly, it’s really addictive to eat,” Shaf said.

That Dirty Clucker Donut Burger stacked with fried chicken, cheddar and jalapenos. (Photo: Dirty Pasta)

For now, the kitchen window of Goh’s parents’ Bukit Batok flat doubles as Dirty Pasta’s takeaway counter.

Shaf’s recently retired mum also helps hand orders to customers.

The couple hopes to eventually open a physical shop and hire staff to ease their workload.

“My carpal tunnel and back pain have come back because of the volume of orders,” Goh admitted.

Still, he said running Dirty Pasta has been more fulfilling than his previous jobs, especially as it allows him to spend more time with his two young daughters.

“I feel more fulfilled now because I get to build something of my own and see my girls all the time,” he said. “They’re both daddy’s girls, so they mean the world to me.”

Dirty Pasta is at 220 Bukit Batok East Ave 3, #01-194, Singapore 650220. Open Thur–Fri and Sun–Tue 10am–2pm & 4.30pm–9pm; Wed 4.30pm–9pm.

This story was originally published in 8Days.

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Dirty Pasta 由一位前高级餐厅主厨和他的妻子经营，从他们的组屋厨房窗口供应餐厅风格的意大利面和汉堡。

Dirty Pasta餐厅由前高级餐厅主厨Clement Goh和他的妻子Shaf共同经营。（图片：Dirty Pasta）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

Dirty Pasta 没有时髦的店面。顾客们需要透过武吉巴督组屋一楼厨房的窗口领取他们订购的餐厅式意面和奇特的甜甜圈汉堡。

掌勺的是33岁的前高级餐厅主厨Clement Goh，他和30岁的妻子Shaf一起经营着这家家庭式餐厅。他们的菜单主打丰盛的意面，配料从虎虾到澳洲西冷牛排应有尽有，价格从14.90新元到25.90新元不等。

吴女士全职负责烹饪，而就职于本地时尚品牌的莎芙女士则负责品牌推广。他们有两个女儿，分别六个月大和两岁。

Clement Goh曾担任现已歇业的米其林一星法国餐厅La Dame de Pic（位于莱佛士酒店）的副主厨。（图片来源：Dirty Pasta）

在餐厅厨房工作了近十年后，包括米其林星级餐厅，Clement Goh 因工作倦怠，于 26 岁时退出了餐饮业。

在企业食品销售领域工作了近四年后，他又回到了厨房——这一次，是在他父母的组屋里。

Dirty Pasta 的创立源于 Goh 几乎每天晚上都为家人做意大利面，后来他决定尝试在 Grab 上出售自己的菜肴。

最初只是兼职，现在已经发展成全职事业。大部分订单通过Grab平台下单，附近的顾客则可以从厨房窗口取餐。

他大约 18 岁就开始从事专业烹饪工作，最初在 Carl's Jr 工作，之后又在 Izy Dining & Bar 等餐厅工作。

大约在 2018 年，他加入了现已倒闭的米其林一星餐厅 The Kitchen at Bacchanalia，担任厨师长。

后来，他先后在 Club Street 的三家餐厅担任主厨，包括 Nutmeg & Clove 和中美餐厅醉红楼。

但他怀念亲力亲为的烹饪工作，因为他担任主厨期间的大部分时间都花在了制定菜单和培训员工上。

他希望能重回厨房掌勺，于是加入了法国厨师 Anne-Sophie Pic 位于莱佛士酒店、现已歇业的米其林一星餐厅 La Dame de Pic。

Clement Goh正在Dirty Pasta餐厅准备一道菜。（图片：Dirty Pasta）

事实证明，这项工作非常艰苦。吴先生说，他有时一天要工作长达20个小时，但收入却相对较少。

“我当时筋疲力尽，”他回忆道。

仅仅几个月后，他就辞去了餐厅厨房的工作，转行从事企业食品销售。

具有讽刺意味的是，职业转变之后，他又开始想念烹饪了。

“我以前是企业销售主管，经常和厨师、企业主交流，但我怀念为人们烹饪美食的感觉，”他说。“我喜欢看到人们吃我做的饭菜时脸上洋溢的笑容。”

这最终促使他创办了 Dirty Pasta。

Dirty Pasta 的菜单起价为 14.90 新元（蒜香橄榄油意面），但有些菜肴的价格高达 25.90 新元——这一价格在网上引起了一些网友的质疑。

“但一分钱一分货！”沙夫坚持道，他指的是他们使用的更高质量的原料。

这对夫妇承认，如果使用更便宜的原料，他们可以赚更多钱，但吴女士并不愿意偷工减料。

他说：“我宁愿保持原料的质量，也不愿为了降低价格而偷工减料。”

Dirty Pasta餐厅出售的部分菜肴。（图片：Dirty Pasta）

Dirty Pasta 的菜单包括虎虾蒜蓉橄榄油意面（18.90 新元）、整只鸭腿番茄通心粉（25.90 新元）和牛肉肉酱管状通心粉（18.90 新元），后者由慢炖安格斯牛肉肉酱、辣番茄酱和奶酪制成。

这道菜价格较高，特色菜是鲜嫩多汁的澳洲谷饲牛里脊肉配黄油意大利面。

这对夫妇甚至考虑到了肉类在配送过程中如何继续烹饪。

“我们会在肉上淋上静置的肉汁，让外卖盒内的余热在配送过程中慢慢地把肉煮熟！”沙夫解释道。

安格斯牛里脊配烟熏黄油意面。（图片来源：Dirty Pasta）

想要尝试一些更特别的？那就试试“脏鸡甜甜圈汉堡”（18.90 新元），它用糖霜甜甜圈代替了普通面包。

这款甜咸口味的美食内馅是炸鸡、切达奶酪和墨西哥辣椒，然后涂上热蜂蜜和墨西哥辣椒蛋黄酱。

“它的设计初衷是带来乐趣和一些意想不到的惊喜，而且说实话，它真的会让人上瘾，”沙夫说道。

那款名为“脏鸡甜甜圈汉堡”的汉堡，里面堆满了炸鸡、切达奶酪和墨西哥辣椒。（图片：Dirty Pasta）

目前，吴先生父母位于武吉巴督的公寓的厨房窗户被用作 Dirty Pasta 的外卖柜台。

Shaf 最近退休的母亲也会帮忙把订单交给顾客。

这对夫妇希望最终能开设一家实体店，并雇佣员工来减轻他们的工作负担。

“由于订单量太大，我的腕管综合征和背痛又复发了，”吴女士坦言。

不过，他表示，经营 Dirty Pasta 比他以前的工作更有成就感，尤其是这份工作让他有更多的时间陪伴他的两个年幼的女儿。

他说：“我现在感觉更有成就感了，因为我可以建立属于自己的事业，而且能经常见到我的女儿们。她们都是爸爸的掌上明珠，所以她们对我来说意义非凡。”

Dirty Pasta 位于新加坡武吉巴督东 3 道 220 号，#01-194，邮编 650220。营业时间：周四至周五及周日至周二上午 10 点至下午 2 点，下午 4:30 至晚上 9 点；周三下午 4:30 至晚上 9 点。

本文最初发表于《8Days》杂志。

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