The free main dish that I got with #burpplebeyond at @elevenstrands is this pretty plate of prawn basil pesto pasta (normally $23 before adding 10% service charge). It’s a simple dish, but the flavours are greater than the sum of its parts. ⠀
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Your choice of pasta done al dente is tossed in the noticeably thick, toothsome pesto paste composed of basil, olive oil & pine nuts. For the garnish, you get a smattering of grilled prawns & a light grating of parmesan cheese on the pasta, and it’s ready for devouring. The pesto paste is superbly savoury thanks to a perfect seasoning job, and the fragrant basil & pine nuts add a delightful herbal & earthy quality to the pasta.⠀
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My only bone of contention with this dish is the paltry amount of prawns in it. The prawns are diced up into small chunks, and there aren’t that many of them in the pasta. If you’re looking for a perfectly balanced (as all things should be) ratio of pasta to protein, this ain’t it chief. But if you’ve got an appetiser that’s not fries, soup or salad, then I reckon the pesto pasta is piquant enough to let it slide just this once.