I will start off by saying that I am married to an Italian burger boy and my mother-in-law makes the best pasta in the whole wide world. Yes I am bias but both mine and burger boy's family will vouch for this bold statement. Every two years, burger boy's family makes the tomato sauce from scratch in our Uncle Paul's garage and the recipe of making the sauce for my mother-in-law's signature Pasta Meatballs involves 12 hours of cooking and over a kilo of meat! So going to Solo Pasta my first word of advice to burger boy was not to order anything his mum or I can make...
burger boy went against my advice and was pleasantly surprised by the tomato based pork and kale meatballs and the classic pasta which was completely different to his mum's in a good way.
I had the tomato based chorizo, chilli, garlic and fried shallots (minus the olives) with the spinach pasta. We both just went the standard dish of pasta which was 3 metres and was impressed that this was only $18 for fresh pasta made daily on the premises!
The share platter for two ($22) was also amazing, in particular the arancini balls...
As was the swiss cheesecake with hot chocolate ganache ($9.90) which I've been craving everyday since I had it.
Keep reading for more details as my writer Tania describes everything she experienced and tasted at the Solo Pasta's launch. My only parting note is the advice we were given by the Solo Pasta team is to pick our sauce first and they can recommend best pasta to match it with rather than following the steps of the menu.
-
If you love Italian food but are looking for a restaurant that offers creative cuisine, then Solo Pasta on Beaufort Street, Mt Lawley is the one to visit. For the launch, tables and chairs were cleared out and brightly coloured cushions adorned comfortable bench seats for those who wished to relax and eat in comfort. Otherwise the polished floorboards soon filled up with patrons up on their feet and eager to eat.
A glass of red wine was the perfect starter as I perused the menu. There are three steps to ordering here. First is to select a flavoured pasta; beetroot, spinach or classic. Then you decide how many metres you'd like (standard dishes include three metres of pasta) this allows you to make the choice to suit your appetitite, followed by your choice of sauce.
As we entered the venue, we were greeted with this huge strip of bright crimson home-made beetroot pasta that was wrapped around us like a scarf. Managing Director, David Caro tells me that in order to create the vibrant colours, the vegetables are boiled first and then mixed in with the dough to ensure all the nutrients remain. He says it is an excellent way for children to eat their vegetables without realising but it can end up messy!
The kitchen was under seige as items disappeared off trays as soon as they appeared. Our starter was bruschetta. Bite sized squares of bread topped with tomato, aubergine, butternut pumpkin and feta, were so moreish I possibly ate more than my fair share.
Waiters then brought around variations of Solo Pasta home-made pasta with sauces made fresh that morning. Please note the bamboo serving boats featured here are just samples of the pasta passed around so we could try a bit of everything at the launch, the actual standard pasta dish is 3 metres as featured in Michelle's intro. We actually eat with our eyes, so I'm not surprised everything was devoured as soon as it was spotted. All the dishes looked spectacular. The first I tried and my favourite of the all the dishes was the olive green spinach pasta with a tomato sauce. This was closely followed by classic pasta with pumpkin and bocconcini. The pasta was thicker and a little chewier than the packet noodles I boil at home. The al dente pasta dishes were bursting with flavour.
After the combination of tastes, this crunchy cabbage salad with apple, roasted pine nuts, feta, fresh herbs and vinaigrette was very refreshing and definitely cleansed the palate.
The last food item we were enticed to eat was a creamy, chocolate mousse. The light dessert was a fitting sweet treat to finish on.
David co-owns Solo Pasta with his best friend, Mei, pictured below with husband and Head Chef, Gil Lewkowicz. The restaurant only opened early March 2017 but the trio have over six decades of combined experience to draw from, having owned restaurants overseas. It was Gil who came up with the metre long concept. Only time will tell if it's one Perth can come to grips with!
Solo Pasta can be found at 628 Beaufort Street in Mount Lawley. They are open Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 11am - 10pm and Monday - Thursday from 5 - 9pm. Disclaimer: foodie cravings was invited as a guest of Solo Pasta.
