Casual Italian Cuisine from Pasta Brava

It was the usual "Where do we want to go for dinner?" question after our Saturday evening run. "Not places that needs a dress code.", exclaimed W and J who were in berms and sandals. "What about Deli France or Pasta Mania", I retorted jokingly. I noticed looks of disgruntle.

I suggested Pasta Brava as I knew from the last visit that it was a warm, casual dining place located in a shophouse along Craig Street in the Tanjong Pagar area. We called for reservations quite late but managed to get a table for 4 (and a pram) at 9.15pm.

Inside Pasta Brava ......

Pasta Brava has a warm and cosy ambience for casual dining,

I bet the background noise from all the people chatting can be more

than 50 decibels. Lining the walls are some awards from the

Wine & Dine magazine (the plates hanging on the walls)

Doodling with chalks ........

This is how casual the place can be. Doodling is allowed on the white sheets of

paper provided on every table. It helps keep the kids occupied and I can

attest to it that Pasta Brava was baby friendly too! Chef Luceri came and help

parked Vic's (W and J's little princess) pram as we entered the front door.

Antipasti (Appetizers)

Funghi Trifolati Alla Romana (S$15.00)

Portobello mushrooms sauteed with

olive oil, garlic and parsley

HY ordered this dish to share after we saw

this appetizerserved to neighbouring tables

"Looks good huh. Let's order the mushroom", exclaimed HY.

We were all impressed by this dish. The mushrooms were

were flavourful yet not heavy. It was a real appetizer!

Zuppe (Soup)

Zuppa Amalfitana (S$9.00)

Seafood soup in a light tomato base

W and J had a "crush" on the Italian Seafood soup ever since
their last visit to Italy. J thought it was bang for the buck. "Only S$9.00
and so much 'liao' (means ingredients in Hokkien)" exclaimed J.

Pasta Fatta In Casa (Homemade Pasta)

Stracci Ai Gamberi E Capesante (S$21.00)

Thin pieces of fresh pasta with scallops, prawns, green

peppercorn, white wine, with saffron cream sauce

When this dish came, it looked impressive but .......
"The scallop taste like the frozen one you cook" - HY
"The prawns got a funny taste" - W
"I had a bit of it already." - J who refuse to eat more of it.
I thought that the prawns and scallops tasted like they've been
frozen for a long time and lost their natural sweetness.

Ravioli Con Carne Di Manzo Al Gorgonzola (S$21.00)

Square pillow-shaped pasta filled with minced beef

served wit a light gorgonzola cheese sauce

W, a cheese lover, ordered this for his mains and liked it.

Some blue cheese was added to the cheese based sauce.

Secondi Piatti (Mains)

Gamberoni Con Prosciutto, Al Vino Bianco

Gratinati Con Mozzarella (S$28.00)

King Prawns with prosciutto ham,

white ham, mozzarella oven glazed

The King Prawns were covered with prosciutto ham

that add some savory flavour to the sweet prawn meat.

With the Mozzarella topping, this made my killer dish.

Filetti Di Pollo Alla Senape (S$25.00)

Fillets of chicken pan fried flavoured

with mustard, mushroom creamy sauce

HY went for this chicken dish and was nodding with approval.
I took a few bites, but the heavy flavours of my mains
nullified my taste buds' ability to appreciate this dish.

Costata Di Manzo Stile Fiorentino (S$29.00)

T. Bone Steak Florentine Style

J was the most petite one on the table but she went
for the T-bone. W and J thought that the beef was good
but went on to grumbled about missing Morton's steak.

Dolci E Gelati (Desserts and Ice Cream)

Tiramisu al Mascarpone E Caffe (S$10.00)

Traditional Italian Cake with

mascarpone, flavoured with coffee

Unanimously, this tiramisu triumphed to be the best we have eaten
for a long while. We liked it that the Lady Fingers (Savoiardi)
were well soaked with coffee.

Torta Di Miele Al Mascarpone E Ricotta Con Gelato (S$10.50)

Apple pie with mascarpone and ricotta,

served with vanilla ice cream

Apple crumble with a very soft crumble. So soft
that HY was able to feed J single handedly
while J was busy feeding Vic her milk.

Sorbetto Di Limone (S$6.00)

Sorbet of lemon

Refreshing lemon sorbet helped suppress

the feeling of diminishing utility from

devouring the other 2 sweet dessert

The service was good and all the waiters (except for one which was quite straight faced) being friendly and warm, played well to the tune of Pasta Brava. This is a restaurant that I'll come back for another gathering of friends. Even the noisy ones can be accomodated!

Address : 11 Craig Road, Tanjong Pagar.

Tel : +65 6227 7550

Pasta Brava Website

Country : Singapore