Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore Tasting Session

Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore Tasting Session
833 Bukit Timah Road

39 Rochester Drive

77 Upper East Coast Road

30 Boat Quay

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11.30am - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm

http://www.pastafresca.com/

This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session, but I did pay the standard price during subsequent visits.
Attended with representatives from HungryGoWhere, SG Food On Foot.

An Italian Christmas Dinner

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 9
Value for Money: 8
Budget about SGD $50 ++ per person.

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To celebrate the festive season, Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore is offering a limited time, 5-course Christmas menu till the end of December 2013. Inspired by dishes prepared in South Italy, Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore imports only the freshest ingredients for this special menu.

Ambience at Pasta Fresca is designed to be rustic, comfortable and homely, making you feel as if you've just stepped into an Italian friend's home. Space is carefully laid out and the menu is planned to allow guests to socialise and linger over conversation.

Service at Pasta Fresca flows well with the homely theme, as staff are friendly and welcoming. Attentive and observant in their service, I especially liked that Pasta Fresca staff are unobstrusive, making sure that your dining experience is comfortable. I liked that they check, by feel of your water glass, whether you were drinking warm or cold water. This attention to details was evident throughout the meal.

Start the traditional way with some bread, dipped in olive oil or vinegar.

Bread

Bread Crumbs

The Tagliere Misto, from the regular menu, is a platter of cold cuts, including high quality pork salami and spek, with cheddar, goat cheese and whole olives. I loved the authentic taste of the cold cuts, the flavour of the meat really shines through.

Tagliere Misto

Tagliere Misto

The Zuppa Di Zucca E Crema Di Latte is the soup starter on the Christmas menu. A rich and creamy pumpkin soup is served in a cute mug, with cream and herbed croutons. I liked that the soup was well balanced, not too overpowering or underwhelming, and that you can taste the pumpkin flavour. You can also request for additional croutons.

Zuppa Di Zucca E Crema Di Latte

Zuppa Di Zucca E Crema Di Latte

The salad on the Christmas menu, the Insalata Di Rucola E Salmone Affumicato Con Funghi Trifolati, Noci, Pomodori Cilliegia E Parmigiano is a burst of freshness with fresh rucola leaves, sauteed button mushrooms, walnuts, cherry tomatoes, whole olives, parmesan shavings and topped with smoked salmon and a dash of balsamic reduction.

Insalata Di Rucola E Salmone Affumicato Con Funghi Trifolati, Noci, Pomodori Cilliegia E Parmigiano

Insalata Di Rucola E Salmone Affumicato Con Funghi Trifolati, Noci, Pomodori Cilliegia E Parmigiano

The Mascarpone is a White Pizza on the regular menu, with mascarpone cheese, parma ham, fresh rucola leaves and tomatoes on a well toasted crust of medium thickness. I liked the creamy mascarpone cheese paired with the vegetables and ham, but the base, being doughly, was quite filling.

Mascarpone White Pizza

Mascarpone White Pizza

The Risotto Asparagi E Salmone on the regular menu is a creamy salmon and asparagus risotto with onions and white wine. The texture of the risotto isn't authentic, being slightly thicker and with less bite than a true Italian risotto, but apparently, the chef has tweaked the recipe to suit the Asian palate.

Risotto Asparagi E Salmone

Risotto Asparagi E Salmone

The Linguine Al Nero In Salsa Gamberi E Peperoni from the Christmas menu has home made squid ink linguine with fresh cherry tomates in a red pepper sauce, which was excellent! Probably my favourite dish of the evening! The prawns were big and meaty, but slightly lacking in the crustacean taste.

Linguine Al Nero In Salsa Gamberi E Peperoni

Linguine Al Nero In Salsa Gamberi E Peperoni

The Al Funghi E Salsiccia, or penne pasta in a cream sauce with sauteed mushrooms and home made Italian sausage, is from the regular menu. Loved the taste of the home made sausage, and overall this dish is quite filling!

Al Funghi E Salsiccia

Al Funghi E Salsiccia

One of two mains on the Christmas menu, the Tacchino Al Balsamico Con Rucola E Pomodori Ciliegia Su Verdure Grigliate is the slightly weaker of the two. The grilled turkey breast was slightly dry, though the balsamic reduction did lift the flavour. The salad of fresh rucola leaves, cherry tomatoes, and grilled tomatoes, zucchini and eggplants were well executed, but the abundance of vegetables made this dish feel more like a salad than a main.

Tacchino Al Balsamico Con Rucola E Pomodori Ciliegia Su Verdure Grigliate

Tacchino Al Balsamico Con Rucola E Pomodori Ciliegia Su Verdure Grigliate

The other main on the Christmas menu, the Pesce Spada In Panura Su Salsa Alla Mediterranea E Verdure Saltate Al Burro E Prezzemolo features pan fried breaded swordfish fillets, with buttered broccoli and carrots in a pomodoro tomato sauce. I liked that you can taste the tomato is the sauce, a sign of freshness and made by hand, rather than from the canned variety. I also like the texture of the pan fried breaded swordfish fillets, semi-firm but yields to the bite.

Pesce Spada In Panura Su Salsa Alla Mediterranea E Verdure Saltate Al Burro E Prezzemolo

Pesce Spada In Panura Su Salsa Alla Mediterranea E Verdure Saltate Al Burro E Prezzemolo

The dessert on the Christmas menu, the Panettone Natalizio Caldo Con Gelato Alla Vaniglia E Salsa Di Cioccolato is a traditional Italian panettone, or sweet bread loaf, that is quite light in texture. Served with vanilla gelato and a thick chocolate sauce, this light dessert is perfect to end a heavy meal.

Panettone Natalizio Caldo Con Gelato Alla Vaniglia E Salsa Di Cioccolato

Panettone Natalizio Caldo Con Gelato Alla Vaniglia E Salsa Di Cioccolato

Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore can be considered a mid-range Italian restaurant, not too cheap, and not too expensive. But you can be assured of a good quality meal here, featuring clean flavours, as ingredients are treated with respect. I asked how Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore ensures the same level of quality across its outlets when the hand make ingredients, or prepare dishes. Apparently, the head chefs of each outlet, who are all Italian, meet regularly to ensure standards are consistent, as well as swap ideas and recipes.

Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore Christmas menu is only available till the end of December 2013, and this 5-course set meal costs SGD $39.90 per person. They also offer wine to pair with the dishes. The items from the regular menu are available at all their outlets.

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Paid another visit to Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore. I must say service is just as good!