Pasta and Italian food is one of the mainstays in most culinary agenda. And in Singapore, we have many potential candidates for best in town. Pasta Brava, tucked in a little corner shophouse in Craig Road is one candidate, and has been around for a long time...longevity must mean they are good...or are they?
The interior is quite beautiful, comfortably decorated like someone's home...with children drawings hanging on the wall...but those are not children's drawings...they are those of the diners who can draw, doodle on the paper table coverings with chalk provided. I guess the best ones are selected and hung...which explains the somewhat random shapes of the paper...I guess cut to exclude stains from the food.
I do love a plate of real squid ink pasta...by that I mean the sauce is made from squid ink, not those where the pasta is made with squid ink, and the sauce just a simple cream sauce. And they do serve a fine example here.
So dark, the spaghetti is totally blackened. And within are morsels of prawns, squid, clams, mussel and half a small crayfish. The sauce is as it should be...black as hell...and fragrant with a wonderful aroma only freshly made squid ink can provide. The other seafood is marvelously fresh, sweet, succulent. Magnificent dish. I will return for many more of this.
We also had the risotto, which is another reported favourite
And indeed, it too was fantastic. The proper slow cooking method, of dishing out stock ladle by ladle, slowly allowing the flavours to infuse into the rice is paying dividends. The rice was very nice, flavourful. Absolutely mouthwatering. And very satisfying. The mushrooms complimented perfectly. One of the best risottos in town that we have tasted. Very nice.
And a slightly unusual dish in Singapore...I think fairly regular on the menu in Venice, but this is the first time I have seen it here...a bavette pasta, with crab.
Looks like mee pok...but this is a very unusual pasta in Singapore...somewhat like spaghetti, but flat and with a slightly convex shape, the pasta was perfect al dente. The bits of crab was very nice and sweet. I love that the pasta (both this and the squid ink above) is served Italian style...with just the right amount of sauce, not like some places in Singapore were after eating the pasta, one is confronted with a small pond of pasta sauce. The sauce is supposed to be dished out just in the right amount, and the pasta cooked just so that it allows the sauce to stick to it, giving it maximum flavour.
We also had the time and tested tiramisu
I loved it too...though truth be told, this is not the best I have tasted...not in Italy or Europe, but not also in Singapore. The old La Forketta served a better version...I haven't eaten tiramisu at the new La Forketta (at Dempsey) to tell if this has been dethroned. But the mascarpone cheese is wonderfully light, and creamy. I cannot quite make out what alcohol was used, but it was quite nice and complimented the sweet and richness. The cocoa powder, though de rigeur, adds a touch of depth, as did the chocolate sauce.
One of the better pasta meals I have had in Singapore for a while. Beautiful ingredients, cooked nicely. Recommended.
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