Pasta

While the supply of prawns was blessed and bountiful, the piquant and notably sweet chilli was more Baby than Scary Spice, and the peas stood around awkwardly like Malayan Sun Bears at Joo Koon MRT station. 3.4/5

Awesome prices and value, though.

Essentially firm, full-bodied locks of linguini dressed in a wickedly spicy, gooily eggy and voluminously thick chilli crab sauce. Elsewhere, only some crabs turned up, but you know how these elite toolbox school kids are. 3.8/5

Essentially soft baby hat dumplings stuffed with juicy, mushy meat, sitting pretty in a fragrant jacuzzi pool of ayurvedic massage-enthusiastic Brand's Essence of Chicken consomme. 3.7/5

This was a hosted meal, courtesy of Open Farm Community.

The well-cooked pasta was professionally and evenly lubricated, with the tantalising aroma of oink notably present in the proceedings and (as I asked for extra spicy) a wicked, searing chilli padi heat, so delicious that the prawns admittedly tasted a bit deflated and self-conscious amidst all the aglio olio swag. 4/5

http://secretlifeoffatbacks.com/2015/10/spicy-aglio-olio-with-prawn-fresh-fruits-lab/

Essentially a most scintillating extra-marital jungle romp between instant noodle curry powder, mee rebus and green curry…if you request for it to be more spicy. The picture on the menu showed sliced red chilli in this dish, but said chilli was missing when the pasta was served. I tried the pasta anyway, and subsequently asked if I could add the chilli for an extra spicy kick in the pants. They added the chilli and more, and the pasta went from hmmm to HELLOOOOOOO. 4/5

http://secretlifeoffatbacks.com/2015/10/pasta-x-curry-x-green-curry-som-tam/

Essentially the now classic French concept’s laksa linguine pasta version 2.0 after some saviour of the souls of great food used Revive, Life Shrooms, Phoenix Down or similar revival item. This is by no means as good as the original – aside from the clumpier pasta and less magnetic lead actor(s), the distinctive Nissin-esque flavour is noticeably weaker, with the dish going for a more unequivocally numbing approach – but it’s a good step in the right direction, and proves that The Fickle Mussel still has it in them to deliver a smash. 4.1/5

This was a hosted meal, courtesy of The Fickle Mussel.

http://secretlifeoffatbacks.com/2015/09/laksa-linguine-pasta-the-fickle-mussel-2/

Despite sharing equal conceptual billing the Peranakan sweet and spicy paste, all smouldering and sensual in its acupuncturist roleplay with your tongue, carries the pasta dish alone in manner of minister in a GRC while the less scholarly prawns only barely justify their parliamentary seats by virtue of them being coated in the aforementioned ministerly goodness. 3.9/5

This item is part of the “Modern Bibik” Blackboard Special menu, available during the month of September. This was a hosted meal, courtesy of Epicurious.

http://secretlifeoffatbacks.com/2015/09/udang-chilli-garam-epicurious/

Rather serviceable and perfunctory. Apart from being as memorable as a secretary’s story told in the elevator about how her mother prefers Hockhua antelope’s horn to other vendors in the Toa Payoh area, the seafood was curiously cut up to small chunks almost as if you were of the age that required chair-stacking before sitting. Hmmmm. 3.4/5

http://secretlifeoffatbacks.com/2015/09/gamberetto-roots-kitchen-bar/

Essentially what happens when macaroni-esque pasta and nicely salty bacon bits (with a few random ‘roomies) party it up in a creamy butter factory. 3.8/5

http://secretlifeoffatbacks.com/2015/08/orecchiette-in-italy/

Surprisingly generous in its prawn serving and the pasta does what it says on the tin just fine, but the intriguing moniker oversold things – for alla Singaporeana, this could definitely do with some chilli padiana – and the proceedings ultimately felt as inspired and memorable as the syllabus and contents of a PETS textbook. 3.5/5

http://secretlifeoffatbacks.com/2015/08/squid-ink-spaghetti-alla-singaporeana-in-italy/

One of my favourite crab pasta dishes around – the generous quantity of happily salty crab bits provide substantial bite and the linguine is firm, springy, and slathered with a fragrant spicy oil in the same gratuitous manner as a Banana Boat enthusiast with suntan oil at Yishun Swimming Complex. I asked for extra spicy and phwoar, if you follow in my footsteps your butts had better be prepared for that pleasurably wicked searing flare. 4.3/5

http://secretlifeoffatbacks.com/2015/08/crab-aglio-olio-canopy-garden-bar/

What you get if one of those glamorously-blinged, big-permed aunties chopping meats behind the hanging carcasses and greasy partition decides to marry an angmoh chef – the roast pork (sio bak) is sweet, fatty and lean all at once with each piece offering you a most crucial crackling moment and the pasta itself, which excitingly has absorbed some of the oinkiness, is suitably well-oiled and ready to padi. 4.2/5

This was a hosted meal, courtesy of Old Boys Gallery.

http://secretlifeoffatbacks.com/2015/08/roast-pork-aglio-olio-old-boys-gallery/