Pasta Fresca, Ho Chi Minh

Date visited : 30 March 2017

Xin Chào! 

And that means "Hello" in Vietnamese.

This time, my recommendation comes all the way from Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

Due to insufficient lighting in this place, I can't get many nice shots here using my Samsung S6. So please forgive me for the "not so nice" food shots.

This place was introduced by my friend who is recently became an expatriate in Vietnam. Being a foodie himself, he too explored the city for good food and this is one of them.

Pasta Fresca... a simple, authentic Italian Restaurant tucked away from the hustle bustle of Ho Chi Minh city and it's located in District 2. It's a small but cozy, open air eatery. You are encouraged to make a reservation in advance to secure a table for your party as there are very limited tables.

I didn't understand what most of the items on the menu were as their names were so fancy and Italian. We just ordered different items on the menu for trying.

Let's start with the starters that we've ordered...

This is the Italian Classic Meatballs. The meatballs are hand made and they're so juice, tender and delicious. It comes in a serving of 3 meatballs.

This dish is called Zucchini Flowers In Italian Pastella. I think it's easier for me to describe it as an Italian styled zucchini tempura. It's delicious when eaten while it's still hot.

These 2 black ball dish is called the Black Ink And Nut Mag Palloncini. When I Google Translate the word "palloncini", it means balloons in English. I'm not sure how to describe the taste of this dish but it's slightly chewy with a "tapioca"ish taste. Try this for something different.

Now this dish has a very long name... Pumpkin And Rosemary Fried Gnudi With Arrabbiata Sauce. In case you don't know, gnudi are gnocchi-like dumplings made with ricotta cheese instead of potato, with semolina... (that's what wikipedia said). To me this dish is just ordinary.

This is the last starter dish we ordered... Porchetta In Fennel Aroma. Porchetta is a savoury, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition...(thank God for Google!)

Now it's time to introduce the pastas. Their pastas are freshly made every morning using a professional imported machine from Italy. There are 5 types of pastas and 5 types of toppings to choose from. I ordered the Penne Rigate in Burrata Sauce (I didn't know what Burrata was and I thought the white thing on top was an egg).

This dish was a let down because the penne was a bit undercooked, dry and plain for my liking. I didn't finish my dish because I was busy trying out other's pasta.

This is the Tagliolini in Meatball Sauce. The meatballs served in this dish are the same ones we ordered for starters... so it's equally yummy. The texture of the tagliolini is simply amazing.

And this one is Tagliolini in Creamy Mushrooms. If you are someone who prefers a white sauce pasta, this is the best choice for you... or rather the only choice for you. Don't get me wrong, I think this dish is delicious as it's not overly thick and creamy.

This is the Spaghetti in Spicy Atlantic Tuna With Black Olives. The spaghetti is so soft and tasty. The spicy sauce adds a delicious twist to this dish.

Now this pasta is new and not yet listed in their menu so I'm not sure the name for this... I'll just call it Black Ink Pasta. So this is the Black Ink Pasta in Spicy Atlantic Tuna With Black Olives. I think this is the most delicious choice of pasta among the 5 that we've ordered. The pasta itself is made with black squid ink, not the topping. So, you don't have to worry about your mouth stained with black sauce.

By the time we finish our own pasta dish, we were too full to order dessert. We'll have to keep dessert for next time.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 5/5
Service : 4.5/5
Food Quality : 4/5
Price Range : $$

Status : Non Halal

Other information:

Address : 28 Thao Dien, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Contact No. : +84 169 451 3422
Email : saigonpastafresca@gmail.com

Business Hours : 11.30am-2.30pm / 6pm-10.30pm (Daily)

Transaction : Cash & Credit Card

Links : https://www.facebook.com/Frescatogo/