Twyst at Jem brings a personalised pasta experience to the heart of Jurong East. Halal-certified, nett-priced and executive chef curated, the counter is built around six unique house sauces — Aglio Olio, Creamy Alfredo, Laksa Olio, Tomato Pomodoro, Gochujang and Miso Butter — that combine with your pick of toppings into more than 210 possible bowls. The tagline says it plainly: sinfully good pasta at half the guilt.
The menu leans into classics and confident fusions. The Laksa Olio translates the Singapore laksa experience — a tinge of spiciness, rich coconut milk flavour — into a pasta bowl, while Gochujang and Miso Butter nod to Korea and Japan. Jem is also one of only two outlets (with Metropolis) serving the fuller sides line-up of Mac & Cheese, Beef Bolognese, Fries and Karaage. There are no reservations; walk in daily from 10.30am to 9.30pm, with last order at 9pm.
Tucked into the basement of Jem on Jurong Gateway Road, Twyst is where Jurong East goes when the group can't agree on what to eat. The idea behind the counter is simple enough to fit on its signboard — "sinfully good pasta at half the guilt" — and open enough that two people in the same queue rarely leave with the same bowl.
Twyst is a pasta brand with outlets across Singapore, spanning the business-district crowd at Raffles Place, Asia Square, Guoco Tower and Metropolis as well as heartland malls like Northpoint City, Sengkang Grand, White Sands and SingPost Centre, with its newest counter at ION Orchard. The Jem store is one of the brand's heartland anchors — and one of only two outlets carrying its fuller sides line-up. Every store, Jem included, is halal-certified, lists nett prices and cooks from an executive chef-curated menu.
The concept is a personalised gastronomy pasta experience. Instead of a fixed list of finished dishes, Twyst hands you six unique sauces and invites you to twist it your way — choose your base, add your toppings, and work through more than 210 ways of personalising a single bowl. The kitchen does the tossing; you make the decisions.
The classics are treated with respect. Aglio Olio is the timeless Italian classic, tossed in flavourful garlic sauteed in olive oil with crushed chilli. Creamy Alfredo arrives as a rich and creamy bowl of the savoury classic. Tomato Pomodoro is the herb-infused option, blending garlic, basil and fresh tomatoes into a sauce that is sweet and rich in flavour.
It is the kind of menu that rewards indecision — regulars treat each visit as a fresh experiment, and the six-sauce framework keeps even the boldest combination anchored to a proper plate of pasta.
What keeps people coming back, though, is the fusion side of the menu. The Laksa Olio is the headliner: the Singapore laksa experience translated into a pasta bowl, with a tinge of spiciness and the rich flavour of coconut milk. Blogger Eileen of @eatdreamlove puts it simply: "Their pasta is value for money and delicious. The laksa olio is quite spicy and flavourful."
There are detours to Seoul and Tokyo as well. Gochujang is the Korean-inspired sauce the menu describes as a tantalising explosion of spicy, sweet and savoury flavours, while Miso Butter blends the umami depth of miso with butter in a Japanese-inspired special. Michelle of @yummymich adds that customers can choose their own toppings and calls the result "tasty and pretty spicy... fragrant and legit."
A few plates on the Twyst menu are reserved for select outlets, and Jem is one of the lucky two. Mac & Cheese, Beef Bolognese, Fries and Karaage are served at the Metropolis and JEM stores only, which makes this the Jurong East stop for a karaage-and-pasta spread. Paninis, on the other hand, stay with the Raffles Place, Metropolis, Guoco Tower, SingPost Centre, Plaza 8 and Century Square outlets.
For those who'd rather let the kitchen decide, the menu also carries a section of Chef's Signatures alongside the build-your-own line-up.
The Jem counter runs daily from 10.30am to 9.30pm, with the last order at 9pm — a generous window by mall standards, covering everything from a post-shopping lunch to a relaxed weeknight dinner. There are no reservations; you walk in, order and eat. Larger gatherings and corporate orders can be arranged in advance through Twyst's order channels, and questions can go to [email protected].
Between the halal certification, the nett pricing and a menu that can be bent into more than 210 shapes, Twyst has quietly become one of the easier group decisions in Jurong East. Come with a plan or come blank — either way, the bowl that lands on your tray is yours.