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Mama mia! There is a lot more to PastaritO than just flavourful pasta as its menu is packed with a variety of traditional Italian dishes.
The Al Azzam Group Italian-based restaurant is located on the third floor of the Bahrain City Centre and has been serving up savoury, saucy meals for the past four years.
Its interior is as bright and inviting as its servers and chefs. The colourful orange and green chairs are complimented by an artistic Italian collage backdrop, an open-planned Al Forno pizza oven and station as well as unique decorative pieces such as a larger-than-life fork and spoon.
The kitchen team is headed by Indian chef John Basan who specialises in Italian cuisine and has seven years of experience under his belt. Not only did he help launch the restaurant, he now also oversees Al Azzam Group’s other venues including Medcafe and Rice Bowl. Also under the Al Azzam umbrella is Tutti Fruti, the popular frozen yogurt retailer, Little Caesars pizza and Al Sultan Grill.
Basan said: “Our menu is authentic as we have two Italian chefs who regularly visit us to ensure the produce remains authentic. I’ve also come to notice that our customers particularly favour our ravioli and gnocchi for its freshness and taste which is not surprising as we make a new batch daily from scratch.”
The menu is comprehensive and Wael Basta, the restaurant manager, was quick to outline the venue’s best-sellers and he definitely delivered with his selection of suggestions.
While I waited for my food to arrive I sipped at a sweet and sour juice called island fresh which was made up of a combination of kiwis and strawberries. I was surprised by how beautiful the juice looked and blown away by how refreshing it tasted. It reminded me of a lemon and mint drink I fell in love with in on a trip to Jordan. I couldn’t get enough of it.
The appetisers were devoured as quickly as they were brought to the table. I had arancino di riso – crispy fried risotto balls – and I cannot begin to express how good they were.
The mozzarelinza fritte (fried mozarella) was marvellous and the mouth-watering eggplant parmigiana known as melanzane alla parmigiana, which I almost turned away because I thought there was too much food, was well worth sampling. I’m so glad I listened to Mr Basta and kept the parmigiana as it was memorable.
Since I was told how popular the ravioli was with regular customers I decided that I must try it too. I couldn’t decide between the mushrooms and spinach but Mr Basta told me I could get both in one dish alongside a mushroom sauce. It was also cheesy but stayed true to its ingredients. The spinach really tasted fresh and would have brought a smile to Popeye’s face.
Mr Basta explained that PastaritO has a mix-and-match menu so all the recipes can be made with the customer’s choice of pasta and sauce. There are eight types of pasta and 20 sauce combinations.
I also tasted the carnivore pizza which was made up of sundried tomatoes, beef and peppers. If you’re looking to get super full then the pasta is an ideal choice but if you have a long work day ahead and want to stay awake, then I suggest the pizza is an ideal alternative. It’s light and tasty and oh so very right.
Try both and you’ll need a long rest before you can even think about venturing out for your next meal!
I would have tried their risotto as it looked tasty but frankly I was already too full to even look at it.
And for those that want to steer clear of the carbs PastaritO also has a salad section, steaks and a seafood menu cooked the Italian way.
I completely forgot that Mr Basta ordered a dessert for me too and when I saw it I was filled with mixed emotions – of joy to see the beautiful creation and fear as where the heck was I going to put it?
The house specialty is a must-try … the botta di vita is a mixture of mascarpone cheese and chocolate spread freshly-baked in a calzone. Oh my goodness, I could have just melted away and all you Nutella lovers know exactly what I’m talking about.
If you happen to be stuck at work reading this in and around Bahrain’s banking and mall district and are feeling peckish there is no need to worry. PastaritO has launched a lunch box menu offer costing a mere BD3.8 which is delivered around the Seef area.
The bento-style box will feature a salad, main course, cake of the day, drink and a side dish too. This lunch offer is also available at Medcafe and Rice Bowl.
