Mission Im-pasta-ble

This, my fellow foodies, have got to be the best pasta I've tasted! Read so much reviews online about this dish and I already came with high expectations and yet, it went above and beyond. Was initially surprised to see it as a starter instead of a main, seeing as to how it's a $88 pasta. The chef have very kindly helped us split into sharing portion for easier consumption and boy, on the first mouth, I was speechless and could only stare at my dining partner with joy. This angel hair, scallop and sea urchin truffle emulsion pasta is such an indulgence. The coldness from the chilled pasta surprising you as you slowly warm it up in your mouth, the whiff of truffle fragrance permeating the air, the taste of the ocean from the uni and scallop lingering in your mouth, ahh, heavenly. Da Luca is a gem of a place, which can be classified as neighbourhood dining, considering the slew of bars and cheap finds surrounding it; but can also be promoted to the 'atas' restaurant level instantly, considering the quality of ingredients used here. The service provided here was warm and friendly, and the food feels homely. In fact, I was seated at a quiet corner, with Italian (?) music serenading us during the meal, it was a very Lady and the Tramp moment. Clearly, I'm the lady. I might have just found my favourite pasta restaurant ✨

Equally tasty is their Cajun Chicken Curry Pasta, a flavourful plate of linguine served with tender, cajun spiced chicken thigh. ⁣

And the seasonal menu doesn't just end there! A spinoff from their signature Tom Yum Seafood Pasta, CBTP has come out with the different rendition with this Tom Yum Seafood Baked Fusilli which was a pan of cheesy madness comprising of shrimps, squids and clams. Just look at that cheese pull :)

An extremely disappointing bowl of vongole which tastes more like aglio olio, with a lack of the briny juices from the clams which was suppose to give this dish more flavour. The ambience made up for the food though.⁣

For my mains, I chose the Homemade Linguini, which was pretty value for money. Served thick and creamy, one does get jelat after a while and I cannot bring myself to finish the dish.⁣

An all time classic of soft macaroni with cheese fondue, shredded mozzarella, cheddar and Grand Padano. My only qualm was the portion seemed a little small but I understand why because if you were having it alone, you’d probably feel jelat after a while. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Aglio Olio with shrimps was great! Drenched in the classic dressing of hot olive oil, garlic, spanish olives, umami broth, chili pepper and parsley, this was absolutely fragrant and flavourful, with the shrimps giving much crunch to the bite.⁣⁣⁣

Hae Bi Hiam Conchiglie was decent, but I guess my palette got confused with the pairing, what with hae bi mixed in with pasta. The pasta was also a little tough to the bite too, so, meh. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

The Sun Dried Tomato Pesto pasta was a little underwhelming, with the chef opting for conchiglie mixed in with seasonal tomatoes, sun-dried tomato pesto, sprinkled with burrata and basil. I'm sorry but the conchiglie used looked more like maggots than seashells 🙈

The highlight of the meal has got to be this Truffle Carbonara. Tagliatelle cooked with truffle paste, smoked pancetta, parmigiano, topped with egg yolk and truffles, this was an absolute delight to have! The pasta was creamy and rich in flavours, trapping every bit of the sauce in between the strands of dough. Finish it quick though, as it gets clumpy and less delicious the moment it turns cold. ⁣⁣

Their Penne Mushroom Cream could have been better had they cooked their penne a little longer. It was served rather stiff and can get jelat after a while with all that cream going on 😶. ⁣

I got the 2 piece Grilled Prawn Aglio Olio which was really impressive. The prawns were huge and fresh, cooked to a nice char without being overly dry. The pasta wise, it was al dente and the fragrance was further amplified by the infusion of coriander. Coriander haters, you might wanna steer off their aglio olio hahaha