Cosy dinner at Pastamore Italian Restaurant (Renamed Mezza Italian)

Pastamore Italian Restaurant (renamed Mezza Italian) is listed as part of Rochester Mall in Buona Vista, near the more famous Star Vista. But this tiny single-storey structure lined with traditional red bricks is a stand-alone building and dwarfed by the modern and sleek Rochester Mall building. It looks like it was an auxiliary building to one of the colonial bungalows nearby. A small family-run Italian restaurant such as Pastamore Italian Restaurant looks like an appropriate tenant for such a quaint space. We had dinner there on a dark and stormy night recently.

The Pastamore Italian Restaurant has a small indoor dining space and a larger alfresco area. The decor is simple but the structure of the building and the country styled lighting and curtains combine to make it a rustic, cosy place to dine in.

The menu contained the usual Italian restaurant dishes, with comprehensive pizza and pasta selections. Here are portions of their menu.

We selected a grilled vegetable starter ($18), a tenderloin steak ($$38) and a linguine vongole ($22).

The grilled vegetables was an outstanding dish. There were many types of vegetables piled up on the plate but the grilled egg plants and peppers were memorable. Best dish of the day!

The tenderloin steak was a good sized one, probably more than the 250 g indicated in the menu. It seems well prepared with just a hint of charred edges. But there was not much flavour in the meat.

The linguine vongole was prepared with a light tomato based sauce. it contained large clams which look attractive because of their streaky patterns on the shells. Taste-wise, we liked the pasta and the sauce but the clams had a tough chewy texture.

While we had mixed feelings about the food at Pastamore Italian Restaurant, Rochester Mall, we did have a positive dining experience the night. The Italian owner and the staff were very friendly.  We did enjoy some warm Italian hospitality, helped no doubt by the fact that the restaurant was experiencing a quiet night because of the rain. The restaurant is also BYO friendly, charging $15 corkage for the 2007 Tignanello that we had brought along.

Cin Cin!

Ratings:
Food: 3
Service: 5
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs  

PASTAMORE (renamed Mezza Italian)
39 Rochester Drive
Singapore 138641

Tel : +65 6684 8414

Opening Hours:
Mon. – Fri.
Lunch 11AM – 3PM
Dinner 6PM – 11PM
Sat. & Sun.
Lunch 11AM – 3PM
Dinner 5PM – 11PM

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