Affordable Rooftop Restaurant & Bar At Suntec - True Cost Restaurant Sells Food at Cost Price

True Cost aims to bring restaurant-quality food at a reasonable price — only pay for ingredients and… a cover charge. 

Have you not eaten enough this year?

Well, if you haven't, here’s another restaurant for you to check out. 

Enter True Cost, a hidden rooftop restaurant tucked away at Suntec City’s Sky Garden, which aims to serve you “fine delicacies at affordable rates”. 

Pay only for raw ingredients

As the brand is all about providing quality noms without burning a hole in your wallet, you can expect to pay a similar cost akin to buying your own ingredients and cooking the meal at home. 

When I was first introduced to the dishes of this restaurant, it looked intimidatingly expensive. 

But when I took a peek at the menu, the bargain hunter in me started to get excited — the prices of these dishes seemed too good to be true. 

Drinks cheaper than those at coffee shops, mains from S$7.95

Don’t believe me? Take a look at True Cost’s menu. 

Whether it is the starters, mains, desserts or drinks, everything on the menu is pretty affordable in my opinion. 

The Hokkaido Heh Style Scallop costs only S$10.55, while appetiser Burrata With Dried Grapes costs S$12.95. There is also Beef Cheek at S$12.75, and Crab Pasta going for S$12.75. 

A glass of wine starts from S$5.70, and S$33 by the bottle, while non-alcoholic drinks such as orange juice start from S$1.30, making it on par or even cheaper than buying drinks at the coffee shop. 

However, there is a catch — you’ll have to pay an entrance fee

Alas, you can’t just have your cake and eat it. 

You have to pay a cover charge to enter the restaurant, which can cost anywhere between S$5 for a lunch, up to S$10 for dinner. 

50% will be knocked off the entrance free should you choose to sit at the bar counter.

Want to save even more money? Come between 3pm to 5pm — you don’t have to pay a cover charge at all. 

True Cost Restaurant’s entrance fees and cover charges

The food

We decided to head down to True Cost on a weekday afternoon to try out some of their recommended dishes. 

First up, we had Hummus with Kimchi Cucumbers (S$6.55). 

This cold appetiser was very affordable, and most importantly, tasted delicious. 

We were told that the pita that came with the dish was imported from Greece; it matched well with kimchi cucumber, and whetted our appetites for the next dish. 

Next, we were served Burrata with Dried Grapes (S$10.95). 

If you think about it, burrata already costs around S$9 for 250g, making this dish is very value-for-money. 

Now, I’m not much of a food writer, but cheese paired with the grapes made for quite a savoury appetiser. 

Another cold appetiser we had were oysters, which costs a very reasonable S$16.50 for six pieces and S$31.50 for 12 pieces. Seafood lovers will enjoy this!

The hot appetisers we had consisted of Grilled Eggplant Miso (S$6.55) and Bone Marrow with Chilli, Pita and Parmesan Mousse (S$14.85). 

Bone Marrow with Chilli, Pita and Parmesan Mousse

Grilled Eggplant Miso

Special shoutout to the bone marrow dish — the melt-in-your-mouth flavour was a winner for us, and might just be our favourite dish of the lot.

Despite the dish being topped with chilli, it was not spicy at all. We thoroughly enjoyed it and wished we could have seconds. 

We were quite full after those dishes, but were presented with four more mains:

Baked Cabbage with Gorgonzola Sauce and Walnuts (S$7.95)

Grilled Chicken with Curry Corn (S$9.85)

Boston Lobster with Creamy Curry Sauce ($39.95)

The drinks

Those looking to pair your meal with drinks will be glad to know that the drinks at True Cost are pretty cost-effective as well — each cocktail costs less than S$15, with the most expensive spirit being the Macallan Triple Cask at S$12.94.

If you’re feeling fancy but don’t want alcohol, mocktails such as go for as cheap as S$3.20. 

Non-alcoholic drinks start at S$1.30 (orange juice).  

Yay or nay — True Cost Restaurant

Even if you add the entrance fee, we still think that dining here is quite affordable — it’s especially great for dates without burning a hole in your pocket. 

We will personally come back, but optimally during 3pm to 5pm when there is free entrance. 

Besides the noms, we loved the chic and casual vibes of the restaurant. For those who are looking to take photos for the ‘gram, you’d be delighted with the abundance of natural lighting and aesthetically pleasing interior. 

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