Cacio e Pepe is a deceptively simple sounding pasta. How could a pasta that only requires Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly ground black pepper and pasta go wrong? Well, you’d be shocked, as cacio e pepe seems to be something of a tricky one to get right. Fortunately, @picolino.sg certainly nails it with their magnificent Mafalde Cacio e Pepe ($18++, additional $8 for a hamburg steak on top).⠀
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Mafalde is the curlier brother of the straight laced fettuccine, and the little crevices of the curls are the perfect trap for peppery cheese sauce that coats the pasta. The mafalde is soft with a decent bite, and each strand is amply coated with the rich, cheesy sauce that’s born out of the marriage of Pecorino Romano cheese and starchy pasta water in a hot pan. The sauce was charmingly cheesy, remarkably rich and slightly tempered with the heat form the freshly ground black pepper.⠀
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Due to the fact that this sauce is essentially just hot liquefied cheese, you gotta dig in the minute it is served. Unfortunately, we took far too long to take photos, and it ended up going cold. Still, the Cacio e Pepe was tremendously tasty, and the mafalde was a treat to eat. The fried egg added extra decadence to the already luscious pasta, which wasn’t needed but was still fully welcomed. I’d skip the hamburg steak though, as it was notably dry and not particularly well seasoned.⠀
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Thank you for the invite, @burpple & @picolino.sg!