Pastamania

I'm not exactly a fan of Pastamania because I think the pasta here is pretty much standard and ordinary. Still, since everyone was looking out for something less heavy on the wallets, Pastamania turned out to be a natural choice for a group dinner.


Daphne remarked that the latest promotion is meant to deal with the sudden price hike and to get customers back. I would think so too, especially since Shokudo Pasta is just a few steps away and they are priced as competitively as Pastamania's. It's good to have competition, because the customers will benefit!

Minestrone Soup: 1/10


What is this?! Anyone could tell how disgusted I was after a few sips of the soup. It was bland and pretty much tasted like tomato-flavoured water. I don't even know what exactly are those bits of stuff floating around in the soup (I would suppose they are tiny chopped up pieces of vegetables). Dipping the garlic bread (which was way better in terms of taste) into the soup didn't help.

Beef Bolognese: 7.3/10


I was contemplating if I should just go back to basics and order this. Contrary to my expectations, it was not too bad, and actually had pieces of beef that I could eat (rather than those that just have a glob of paste), and I like the fusili that they used, even if you may argue that it could be bought at the nearest supermarket.

Arrabiata: 6.7/10


Daphne had this for herself, but chose not to have the set meal as she wasn't too hungry. She liked it hot and spicy, though this may not be the same for everyone else. Taste is subjective remember! =)

Pastamania could have done better by having an "upgraded" recipe for Arrabiata by adding ingredients to the pasta, but at the same time maintaining its spiciness. This pasta was plain except for the sauce and "chilli padi" (really spicy small chilli).

Basil Chicken Pizza


Jiayang had this very thin and rather small pizza. I'm sure it didn't fill him up much, but he said it was worth the money when combined with the soup and bread. He found the pizza normal. You can choose to have your pizza folded into half like a puff if you like.

Al Funghi


Jocelyn had this for herself. Ingredients are quite scarce, just the few slices of mushrooms, though this pasta would fit those who like their pasta creamy.

Service
They try, but don't get me started on Chinese nationals as service crews. I don't think I'm expected to speak Chinese just to get my message across in my own country.

Price
$7.90 for the set meal, which includes soup and garlic bread
$5.20 for the arrabiata
$2.10 for a small drink

Place
Level 2 Orchard Cineleisure