ART Assumption Pathway Restaurant

Problem
Where to find a cheap, quick meal? Where to find a catering college restaurant?

Answers
In Singapore just across from Cashew MRT station on the Downtown line you'll see the Assumption Pathway School, a Catholic institution started decades ago as the sign on the interior wall tells you. The school is run for those not able to attend mainstream schools and includes a restaurant as well as a bakery department underneath.

The restaurant is open Monday to Friday in term time, for lunch from 12-3 and for tea.

Story
We went there for the second time in January 2017. We had tried to phone but got an answering machine. When we arrived at the gate to sign in the security guard assured us that the restaurant was open. The restaurant is large and we had no problem getting a table as late as 1.45.

We were seated straight away and given the menu. The set meal consisted of a starter - mushroom soup, a main course (four choices) and a dessert. The vertical triangular information display on the table says they aim to welcome you with a smile and to deal with you within one minute.

We ordered our meal immediately because it was late for lunch and we could see straight away that we did not want the sandwich nor the vegetarian option and we wanted one of each of the other two options. However, the disadvantage of ordering straight away was that we had no time to check out any drinks.

Hot bread, a steamed white bun with a sweet glaze, came with a pat of salted butter to melt on top. I really liked the fact that the bread was hot, and the sweet glaze. My companion was less enthusiastic and said it was like a McDonalds bun.

We tried two different dishes, fish, and boneless chicken. The chicken came with mushrooms in sauce. Both meals included carrots and mashed potato. The fish was good, tasty with a nice sauce.

The chicken was fine, a kind of pate of lumps pressed together, good for me as I hate fighting to get chicken off the bone and I do not want to upset my delicate teeth nor fillings on a chicken bone.

I like mashed potatoes. I thought the carrots were too hard but my companion loves crunchy vegetables and thought they were good. (You can't please everybody.)

Highlight of the meal was the dessert. Ostensibly a little cup cake, with a scattering of walnuts. This was the one dish of the three which had a design. Also the little cake contained ground walnuts which matched the walnut pieces on the plate.

Coffee or tea was included. The filter coffee came up with hot milk in a mini-jug and wrapped white or brown sugar sachets.

A three course lunch is quite filling. They keep the same menu for about three months. The main course has four choices, although one is only 'a sandwich'. If it's the sandwich shown on the deli counter, it's more like a subway roll than a triangular sandwich. I wonder whether the sandwich can be heated. Not that you want hot food in Singapore.

Afterwards I looked at the take away counter next to the till. I spent a dollar on a crumble cake. I could have bought pineapple rolls in a plastic container, a traditional Chinese New Year delicacy, for S$20 (twenty Singapore dollars).

The room is large and bright. With season decorations. Toilets at the back through an automatically open door with a push button on the wall.

You walk in through the school cafe with benches. Then up a flight of stairs. Not for the disabled. The place seems geared up for the mentally challenged but not for anybody physically challenged. There may be another way up, but it is not obvious.

Notice the herbs growing in troughs outside the front door of the restaurant. I missed them on the way in but noticed them on my way out. The herbs are labelled with their names.

Who Or What Is This Place Most Suitable For?
Budget meal. Fast meal. Supporting local, Catholic school.

Who or What Is This Place Least Suitable For?
Anybody who can't cope with stairs and wants an obvious, nearby lift.
Anybody who wants to sit and linger over lunch.

Tips
They say last orders at 3 pm. After that you will soon be able to order tea.
In addition to the lunch, you can buy a slice of cake to take away.
You can order cakes including one design of birthday cake with Happy Birthday on it. They require five days' notice for a birthday cake.

ART
Assumption Restaurant For Training
Lunch 12 noon-3 pm. Tea from 3pm to 5 pm (last order at 4.30pm)
30 Cashew Road, Singapore 679697
The ART tel +65 6892 6187 (during operating hours)
APS tel +65 6879 3900 (during office hours)
Website http://www.aps,edu.sg/theart
Facebook https://www.facebook.com?APStheART
email the.art.aps@gmail.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Books on Amazon and lulu.com

(Photos being added shortly.)