Pasta Craft

Got this at a promotional price of $6.90!

Smokey, with a slight wokhei to it and pleasantly seasoned quite well!

It’s a little bit salty, but I felt like it fit my tastebuds just nice(or maybe I tend to like my stuff abit saltier.)

The spice was good, not numbing and just nice too.

Would come back again for a second time, but just to taste another dish tho.

Not sure about how things would go from here, but it relies seem that there are quite a number of quick service pasta eateries that have been opening around the Central Business District in recent times — the last year has seen establishments like Twyst in Food Garden at Asia Square and Tangled at the basement of Ocean Financial Centre. We had also written about the new Swirled that had opened their doors at Market Street Food Centre at CapitaSpring not too long ago as well. It seems that there is yet another new quick service pasta establishment again in the Central Business District — this time round being Pasts Craft that is located within the air-conditioned food court at China Square; the same building also housing establishments such as a dine-in outlet of Phat Fingers Korean Fried Chicken and an outlet of Super Simple (i.e. a salad kiosk). Taking over the space of an oddly positioned stall within the food court that is located on the opposite side of the rest of the other stalls there, Pasta Craft primarily serves up pasta dishes on their menu — much like most of such establishments in the Central Business District, there is a choice of patrons to “Create Your Own Pasta” where one picks and choose their preferred “pasta base” (referring to the cooking style rather than the type of pasta; think Aglio Olio, Marinara Sauce, Cream Sauce etc.), as well as meat and non-meat ingredients to go along. Those looking for something fuss-free can go for the items under the Signature Pasta section, which features pasta with fixed ingredients. Those looking for something to share around the table can opt for sides such as the Mentaiko Chicken Pops as well.

Wanting to go for something that is more straightforward, we skipped on the “Create Your Own Pasta” section of the menu and skimmed through the items that they have to offer in the “Signature Pasta” section of the menu instead. The various Signature Pasta offered are pretty conventional combinations that can be found in the menus of other establishments — we eventually went for the Creamy Smoked Duck Pasta which seems to speak to our cravings on the day of our visit. The Creamy Smoked Duck Pasta is describe do the menu to come with elements such as that of smoked duck, bullion mushrooms, garlic, Italian herbs and parmesan cheese. There is only one type of pasta that is offered at Pasta Craft — the pasta being the usual spaghetti which we found was done particularly well with its al-dente texture; would have been especially fitting if had as an Aglio Olio. Coming in sufficient cream sauce, there is no doubt that the Creamy Smoked Duck Pasta comes as creamy as the namesake suggests; made a bit more savoury from the parmesan cheese that is sprinkled atop as a finishing touch, while the bullion mushrooms adds a bouncy texture and an earthy note to the dish. The chili powder adds a subtle hint of spiciness that helps to cut through some of the heaviness of the cream sauce, though we did note that the Creamy Smoked Duck Pasta was not that particularly jelat to begin with. The smoked duck was pretty much a crowd-pleaser; no different to that of those packaged chilled smoked duck breasts that is easily obtainable from supermarkets and groceries, the smoked duck breast helps to add a savouriness typical of cured meat — a great substitute to bacon that carries more bite as well.

If anything, we thought that one thing that Pasta Craft could likely improve in would be in the aesthetic appeal for the items that they serve up. For a start, the use of disposable ware isn’t quite up our fancy, though understandable considering the type or establishment it is — it is quite the norm for such quick service restaurants in the Central Business District to use such wares. That being said, the white cardboard boxes lacks any branding and creates a rather generic feel; a sticker bearing their name could most probably help them with this. The plating of our Creamy Smoked Duck Pasta also feels a little haphazard here, though these would not likely pose too much of a thing to pick on for office crowds whom are more concerned with a quick grab-and-go than having a pretty-plated lunch in a takeaway box. Overall, the quality of the pasta at Pasta Craft can be said as pretty decent, though there is no surprises on the various Signature Pasta dishes that they have to offer — probably taking the direction of serving comforting pasta dishes to the average office folk rather than to create an impact. That being said, we would have a preference on Swirled at Market Street Food Centre than Pasta Craft — the former, despite its higher price point, does seem to be the more inventive establishment of the two. Whilst prices of the Create Your Own Pasta dishes are highly dependent on what the patrons opt for, the prices of the Signature Pasta are actually pretty wallet-friendly with all items being listed at $7.90 (we paid $6.90 for the Creamy Smoked Duck Pasta due to an opening promotion that was ongoing during our visit). Yet another rather affordable lunch option that one can consider going for especially for those who are looking to get something decent below $10 in the Central Business District.