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2013-07-18
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PastaMania at Nex always has a chill vibe, and it's rarely packed to the point where you barely have any breathing space to chat with your dining companions and it's quiet enough in the afternoons PastaMania currently has a Pacific Rim set meal from Mondays to Fridays, where you can choose from a range of pastas and pizzas, complemented by a drink (Italian sodas and coolers such as Apple Mint!), a soup and a scoop of gelato/an appetiser... All for $14.90 nett!We each ordered different pastas, s
PastaMania at Nex always has a chill vibe, and it's rarely packed to the point where you barely have any breathing space to chat with your dining companions and it's quiet enough in the afternoons PastaMania currently has a Pacific Rim set meal from Mondays to Fridays, where you can choose from a range of pastas and pizzas, complemented by a drink (Italian sodas and coolers such as Apple Mint!), a soup and a scoop of gelato/an appetiser... All for $14.90 nett!We each ordered different pastas, soups, drinks and gelato flavours to try!
The Clam Chowder was relatively watery and you can hardly consider this a chowder, but the taste was acceptable. It wasn't as creamy as we would have liked and it was more like a watered down cream of chicken with added clams. You do get what you pay for!
This is a Vongole with clams in their special broth (one can choose also a cream or tomato base but we agreed that this broth really brought out the flavour of the clams). My friend chose penne but I would recommend a pasta choice of linguini or spaghetti -the penne would go better with heavier sauces! While the broth was relatively tasty, we did agree that the clams were a little sandy.
The Chicken Cheese Salsiccia with a pasta choice of fusilli surprised me because it was surprisingly spicy when I had opted for it to be spicy. While the tomato base was generally tasty, with chunks of tomato and onions, it was slightly watery for me and a creamier/thicker sauce would really have done this dish justice. The 6 mini cheese sausages went well with the spiciness of the sauce and when eaten hot, it gives a comforting, homey vibe that makes you want to chow down the entire portion.The Minestrone Soup was as watery as its clam chowder counterpart, but we liked that the soup had sufficient chunks of vegetables inside, giving it texture. Add a dash of black ground pepper to give the soup a fragrant aroma!
The Chicken Sausage with Penne was a generally good choice. The penne held the (somewhat) creamy base well, and the thickness of the sauce wasn't overly cloying. When left until it was cold though, the cream started to thicken and the dish was best served hot! I like this dish with a dash of Tabasco sauce as the sharp spiciness really adds a dimension to the cheesy taste of the pasta. It's a safe choice of pasta and would sit well with cheese lovers.
The Passionfruit Soda had a distinct fruitiness of passionfruit although the initial sip reminded me of mango more than the lightness that passionfruit possessed. The strength of the initial flavour was a bit strong given that the tropical tastes of passionfruit are more subtle. Nevertheless, it was a refreshing drink -not too sweet too.
The Apple Mint Cooler is personally, my favourite. Presentation wise, this comes out tops! With mint leaves crushed right at the bottom, placed in a elongated jar/pitcher, it makes for a really pretty-looking drink. Taste wise, it was deliciously refreshing, subtle yet tasty. The apple didn't taste overly artificial and the mint brought out its essence. Highly recommend this!
The Lychee Soda tasted a bit more artificial than the rest and reminded me a bit of longans. The taste wasn't completely unpleasant, and the mix of the syrup and soda water was of a good ratio. Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of lychee but I'd rather have the Passionfruit or Apple Mint Soda anytime!We ordered 3 different gelato flavours to try: Chocolate, Vanilla & Pistachio
The Chocolate Gelato was surprisingly good -the texture wasn't overly dense to the point where it was powdery. We would have liked it slightly less sweet and a bit more bitter -that would have been perfect. The Pistachio is my personal favourite. There are nutty bits in the gelato and it tastes like Kinder Bueno's filling, only much less sweet, and with a more distinct taste of nuts. The creaminess did justice to this flavour! We recommend this flavour if you don't mind nuts. It's definitely worth a try.
The Vanilla Gelato was good -you can see the bits of vanilla pod scraped in with the blacks pecks all over the generous scoop of ice cream (UP for 1 scoop is $3.90 but you get it thrown in for the Pacific Rim meal!). It wasn't too milky nor too sweet. My only gripe is that it was slightly icy at some bits so it wasn't a smooth, creamy texture throughout.Overall, we would recommend Chicken Sausage and Chicken Cheese Salsiccia for the pastas. The soup isn't much to rave about as it's diluted and disappointing. The sodas however weren't too sweet, had adequate flavour and was delightfully fruity. We recommend the Apple Mint! The gelato is also decent, and they offer toppings as well as add ons for your scoop. Pistachio surpassed our expectations, but if you're not feeling adventurous or if you don't fancy nuts, you can go for the classic Vanilla or Chocolate.
Service is also warm and friendly -they take the time to explain what is included or excluded for the set meals, and they're patient with attending to your requests. Less olive oil, pasta choice, no olives etc. Ambience is also lovely for catching up with friends!
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