Pasta Grove

One of the establishments that we have learnt of its existence through scrolling through social media recently was that of Pasta Grove — these folks are pretty new to the local F&B scene, having taken over the remaining lease of the now-defunct Paradise Pizza & Elixir Coffee and Wine within the commercial / F&B units within the Parksuites condominium development situated along Holland Grove Road. These folks can be found along the row of shops that faces out towards the playground and towards Holland Grove Road — they have occupied quite a decently-sized shop unit for a F&B establishment. Jumping straight into operations are taking over the lease from its former tenants, Pasta Grove has done a little bit of work to the space to make the space theirs; whilst most of the interior layout and fittings remains largely the same as the days where the space used to be Paradise Pizza & Elixir Coffee and Wine, Pasta Grove did change out the dining furniture and opted for the use of cushioned seats with wooden accents with tables that mostly features grey table tops; there is a communal table that one can find in the middle of the entire space, while there is also a table located just right in front of the windows where patrons can view out of the shop unit whilst enjoying their meal. White paint takes over the fittings that previously came in a shade of terracotta, though Pasta Grove did retain the cork-filled feature wall with some posters hung over it to give a slightly different vibe. Tables at Pasta Grove are configured to accommodate diners visiting in pairs or groups of four (4) pax, while the communal table is able to fit in groups of ten (10) pax maximum. The food menu at Pasta Grove is segmented into sections such as Starters, Pastas, Mains and Sweets — there is also an entire section that is dedicated to children named “For The Little Ones” as well. Beverages available at Pasta Grove includes a selection of alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages, with the non-alcoholic beverages comprising of tea sourced from Antea Social, espresso-based specialty coffee and canned drinks.

Skimming through the menu, the Raviolo with Ricotta & Yolk was an item that was listed in the Classics category in the Pastas section of the menu that caught our attention very early on — we are always on a lookout for good Raviolo, and that the menu does describe this item to come with ricotta, egg yolk, and brown butter sage sauce; brown butter and sage being elements that we absolutely enjoy having our Raviolo with typically. This was actually one of the first few dishes that came to our table during our meal at Pasta Grove. Rather than being a few small pieces of Ravioli, the Raviolo with Ricotta & Yolk came as a single large-sized pasta that encases the ricotta and egg yolk within in the middle; the brown butter sage sauce being drizzled above the Raviolo itself. We had sliced down the Raviolo down in the middle where the molten egg yolk reveals itself; eagerly oozing the golden goodness which we had spread all around the pasta. As we dug into the pasta, the pasta does come a wee bit thicker than what we had experienced from some other establishments; that being said, it does hold up very well against the fillings that it came with. While the egg yolk provided everything else with a silkier texture, we liked how the ricotta had added a different texture whilst being mild-tasting to provide some depth of flavours for the pasta; all that whilst the brown butter sage sauce adds a savoury and almost-umami note that we found so familiar and loved. An item that looked simple on first sight, but definitely big on flavour whilst nailing the textures of the dish just about right.

Considering how Pasta Grove also does offer a line-up of Fusion pasta that forms the Fusion category within the Pastas section of the menu, we thought it would be best to also check out one of the items here to experience what Pasta Grove is all about. Amongst the variety of pastas listed in the Fusion category, we made the decision to give the Caramelised Pork Belly and Scallion Oil a go — this item is described in the menu to be a dish that is their “take on Chinese Scallion Noodles, inspired by Char Siu). Featuring spaghetti as the type of pasta that comes with the Caramelised Pork Belly and Scallion Oil, one can notice that the pasta here is a little more broader than the typical commercially-made spaghetti that is retailed as dry pasta in supermarkets here. Done till al-dente, the spaghetti has a bouncy consistency whilst being all slurpy — tossed in scallion oil but also does hint of the slight sweetness from the Caramelised Pork Belly which we found to be immensely fragrant and gave the dish a familiar Asian twist that was still pretty refined nonetheless. The portion of Caramelised Pork Belly was also pretty generous considering the price point of the dish — it is interesting that Pasta Grove seem to have went the way of serving the Caramelised Pork Belly more tuned towards Japanese-style Char Siew, though we liked how there is still a very light hint of sweetness coming off at the start while the pieces of Caramelised Pork Belly didn’t carry the undesirable porky stench; we also liked how the Caramelised Pork Belly didn’t turn out to be completely gelatinous and came with sufficient lean parts to add a bit of bite as well.

During the same visit to Pasta Grove, we had also managed to give the Golden Cauliflower in the Starters section of the menu a go. These do seem to have been seasoned or marinated with turmeric and seemingly deep-fried to achieve that golden-brown hue — the florets of cauliflower were crisp yet carried a soft crunch; matches especially well with their house-made spicy aioli that is creamy and a little garlicky. The level of spiciness for the spicy aioli is actually rather manageable for most — something that those whom are tolerable to lesser than moderate levels of spiciness in general. We also ended our meal at Pasta Grove with the Chendol Panna Cotta that is listed under the Sweets section of the menu; this is an item that is described on the menu to come with elements such as a Pandan-infused Panna Cotta and Gula Melaka Granita — there is also red beans that is added to the dessert. We actually quite liked the Panna Cotta itself where it is smooth and didn’t feel particularly gelatinous; very creamy and perfumes of a note of Pandan fragrance whilst being sufficiently milky and reasonably sweet. The Gula Melaka Granita can be described as shavings of frozen concentrated Gula Melaka that helps to add an earthy sweetness to the Chendol Panna Cotta as it melts atop the panna cotta; the red beans adding another dimension of earthiness to the dessert whilst also seemingly being unsweetened. We weren’t a fan of what seem to be replicating that of the typical pandan jelly in the usual Chendol; coming in a shade of neon green, the jelly does seem to be a little too dry and comes without a distinct flavour — something which we would have felt that the Chendol Panna Cotta can do without.

Pasta Grove felt like an establishment where one can definitely see the sincerity behind their work — the dedication that they have brought to the creation of Pasta Grove can be felt both in their service and through the food that they have served up. For an establishment that had opened its doors not too long ago, these folks do seem to know what they are doing — the food arrives the table relatively quickly; the wait staff also do seem to be sufficiently educated about their menu to properly make recommendations to their guests. The hospitality provided by the wait staff also can be felt where they genuinely care about the patron’s dining experience through every interaction, whilst making them feel warm and welcomed and not forgetting to also obtaining feedback about their experience at the end of the meal as well. The strengths of Pasta Grove is really in their pasta offerings — there is definitely the showcase of the team’s skill and finesse in both execution and combination of flavours here through both their Classic and Fusion pasta offerings; the pastas in the Fusion category providing new perspectives to pasta with an Asian twist unique to Pasta Grove. Items on their Mains and Pastas section of the menu are priced within the range of $17 to $28 each — the lowest priced item being both the Raviolo with Ricotta & Yolk and Caramelised Pork Belly Pasta that we have had, while the priciest would be the Braised Beef Cheek with Mash in the Mains section of the menu. Despite being off the beaten path with some perhaps finding them a little difficult to get to, Pasta Grove is a spot that we would wholeheartedly visit again; a spot that serves up great pasta that would definitely appeal to the pasta-lover, family dinners or even as a date night spot for couples worth making the trip for — reservations recommended. A name within the local F&B scene to look out for!