March 2010, Singapore – I was invited to review Pasta Inc which is located in a refurbished shophouse right in the outskirts of the city at 279 Jalan Besar. Not very easily accessible and not where I would usually go for lunch so I decided to take a cab down. If I had driven, then parking would have been a problem too.
Founded in 2008, 29 year old Keith Lee the director who has formerly worked in an Italian Restaurant and Hotel for 8 to 9 years before joining as an aircraft technician as a regular for 6 – 7 years. So after his contract ended with the Airforce, he wanted to start his own business and chose a location for his Italian restaurant at Jalan Besar as the rent was low and so he could give this savings back to his patrons. He was sympathetic to the plight of young wage earners like himself, so he saw the opportunity in the downturn for affordable fine Italian dining.
He keeps his overheads low by maintaining a 7 person setup. With all the energy and passion to run this restaurant, no wonder a very eligible Keith is still an available bachelor. Keith makes it a point to refresh his menu once every 6 months so that his patrons would not get tired of his authentic Italian food. Despite the small setup, service is excellent and attentive. The ambience is clean and the furnishing acceptable.
Pasta Inc comfortably seats 40 people and I was quite surprised at the affordability. I wouldn’t be paying the expensive Italian restaurant prices. A 3 course meal is priced at an average of S$28 – S$38 per person. Very reasonable! The chef is also quite generous on his apportionment of food.
Appertiser
The menu offers you quite a good spread of antipasti to select from. 3 pieces of Garlic bread costs $3.20 and the most expensive antipasti is the Fritto Misto – which is assorted seafood coated in Pasta Inc’s secret recipe batter served with a side of Pasta Inc’s special cocktail sauce. I didn’t try this, but it does sound rather appertizing.
Check out the tantalizing appertizers below.
There are also 4 types of salads for you to choose from. You also have a choice of either the tomato based seafood soup or the creamy homemade assorted wild mushroom soups.
Mains
I had the Ravioli Con Carne Di Manzo Di Pomodoro. In simple English, that’s just Ravioli filled with minced beef served with light gorgonzola sauce. The cheesy creamy taste from the gorgonzola cheese sauce complimented that of the minced beef. It is rich so if you’re sharing this with another person, that’ll be great. You can then pair it off with the lamb chop which is flavoured with balsamic, red wine, rosemary and fresh mint. Well in the menu, that’s called the Costolette Di Agnello. Being a big fan of squid ink, I tried the assorted seafood Spaghetti in squid ink based sauce. (Spaghetti al Frutti Di Mare e Nero Di Seppia). It was done to the way I liked it in terms of taste and texture.
I would give Pasta Inc two thumbs up.
Pasta Inc is located at:
279 Jalan Besar Tel: 62977515 Operating HoursLunch: 12pm – 230pm Dinner: 630pm – 11pm
I had the opportunity to have lunch at Pasta Inc after shopping for home renovation items. Missed the restaurant the first time round as I was driving and arrived at 2.30 pm on the dot. I had to ask my lunch companion, HK, a home ergonomics consultant to check if the restaurant was still serving as it was past their operational hours. I was pleasantly surprised with a positive reply and I was also lucky to get a parking spot right in front of the restaurant. The ambience was pleasant and we were warmly greeted by the restaurant manager, Alvin. The bruschetta is a must try item with generous servings of olive oil. We had 4 pieces instead of 3 on the plate as we told the restaurant manager we were sharing. Total cost of the meal came to $80 with an order of appetizer, 2 anti-pasti and 1 main including drinks. My lunch companion enjoyed the food and the ambience. A discovery to check out —-> their wash basin; one of a kind! Do remember to wash your hands before you eat:)
I had the opportunity to have lunch at Pasta Inc after shopping for home renovation items. Missed the restaurant the first time round as I was driving and arrived at 2.30 pm on the dot. I had to ask my lunch companion, HK, a home ergonomics consultant to check if the restaurant was still serving as it was past their operational hours. I was pleasantly surprised with a positive reply and I was also lucky to get a parking spot right in front of the restaurant. The ambience was pleasant and we were warmly greeted by the restaurant manager, Alvin. The bruschetta is a must try item with generous servings of olive oil. We had 4 pieces instead of 3 on the plate as we told the restaurant manager we were sharing. Total cost of the meal came to $80 with an order of appetizer, 2 anti-pasti and 1 main including drinks. My lunch companion enjoyed the food and the ambience. A discovery to check out —-> their wash basin; one of a kind! Do remember to wash your hands before you eat:)