ALT PASTA BAR — Restaurant in Melbourne

Revisited for the pasta omakase menu which is a tasting course consisting of three bite size snacks, four pastas, Japanese A5 wagyu, and dessert. The snacks were solid; favourite was the corn snack, didn't think corn can be made to taste this good. The handmade pastas were all cooked perfectly al dente. Highlight for me was the first pasta, followed by the last one. The tagliolini has a light savoury soy foam and a delicately cooked kingfish, and the pickled artichoke added a sweet acidity. The mushroom sfoglia was silky smooth, and underneath was some soft and tender shredded chicken, paired with a clear celeriac broth which was clean tasting. However couldn't really taste the mushroom and the black pepper was a bit overpowering. The prawn ravioli was paired with a citrus flavoured beurre blanc which was unique; not bad but felt like it was drowning all the other flavours rather than complementing the ricotta and egg yolk. The reginette was cooked in a white ragu which was creamy and savoury, topped with freshly shaved black truffle which enhanced the richness of the pasta. There was also some pickled vinegary walnuts which I think was better without as it added too much complexity to the flavour profile of the pasta. The A5 wagyu was grilled with a nice crispy char; and the meat was rich and marbled with an intense beefy flavour; tasty but wish there was more. Dessert was an affogato which was nice; not too sweet with the espresso. Overall enjoyed the variety and combination of flavours offered in the pasta omakase. Service was good.

2023 - Came here for dinner and ordered a number of dishes. Started off with complimentary sourdough bread which was paired with mushroom butter. Bread was baked fresh and served warm; it was soft with a nice crust; very tasty. Tried three different snacks, favourite was the wagyu tartare; meaty with a crispy brioche base. With the lobster tart, you get a lot of cream in the bite and towards the end you can feel a bit of the lobster meat. Zucchini flower was filled with soft pasty chickpea; sweet and savoury. For entrée, had the cooked scallop which was served as a cold dish. Really like the texture of the scallop and it goes well with the sweet citrus flavour of yuzu ponzu. Would be even better if the Jerusalem artichoke chips were served crispy rather than having it soaked in the ponzu. For main, had the spinach fettuccine which was cooked perfectly al dente and the sliced abalone was soft with a nice bite to it. The nori seaweed sauce was full of umami flavour and the capers and salmon roe added a salty savouriness to the dish; a very delicious fusion pasta. Also had the potato terrine on the side, crispy layer and smooth and soft inside; the brown butter was reminiscent of béarnaise sauce. For dessert, had the tiramisu which was served chilled so the mascarpone was thicker; it was rich and creamy with a nice strong coffee taste. The addition of the sweet chestnut paste on top was...

Had a really dissappointing experience with this restaurant. We had the table booked at 8pm, we came in 20 mins earlier than the actual booking time. The front of house staff checked us in and said the table will be ready in 10mins, we said its fine we’ll just wait outside until the table is ready. We came back in after 10mins, there was another female staff standing at the front to check us in. I told her we have a table booked in at 8pm, and at the time it was 7:50pm, she responded to us in a very demanding manner ” the table won’t be ready until another 10mins”… The other staff who checked us in before was coming from behind and said the table is ready now. That was just the first part of the unpleasant experience we had tonight. While ordering the food, the same staff that greeted us before was in charge of our table. She came and started taking order. There were some food that I couldn’t pronounce the name correctly she responded to us like” what? what did you say with a very annoying facial expression” Honestly, I have never been to a restaurant that has this kind of poor customer service for staff to serve to customers even the most casual dining ones. We ordered 3 starter dishes, 1 small and 3 mains. The starter and small dishes were quite good. The pastas are not as tasty as what we expected. The 3 pasta dishes we had were all undercooked. The sauce was too salty and bitter. I would rate the food 3/5 overall. Here’s most dissapointing part. As we were still finishing our dishes, the same staff came to ask if I wanted some dessert I said no we’r all good for now. And as we were still going with our food, She quickly cleaned up the table, brought out the bills and placed it on our table without saying a word then just walked away as she was try rushing us to leave. After that, We had just finished the food and was waiting to rest for a bit before we leave. A few mins later, the staff came back and putting the eftpos machine right in front of my face with the amount that we need to pay ready on the machine. I was thinking how the hell on earth this is called a customer service??? and in a moment I totally forgot that I am having a dinner at a restaurant that is up to Australian standard. I felt really unrespected and embarassed thinking as I was getting kicked out by the staff. I would probably come back for the food but definitely never tollerate being treated in that poor manner. The restaurant definitely needs to work on training their...

ORDERED: 🦪  Oyster, appelation rock, pastrami vinaigrette ($6.00 each) 🦞 Lobster tart, curd, kafir lime, fennel ($13.00 each) 🌮 Wagyu Tartare, duck fat brioche, charcoal mayo ($13.00 each) 🐙  Octopus, miso bernaise, fermented chilli ($27.00)

🍝 Gnocchi, 'cacio e pepe', fennel, pecorino romano ($38.00) 🍝 Spanner crab, squid ink fettuccine, pastrami ($43.00) 🍝 Abalone, pappardelle, seaweed, chervil ($43.00) 🥔  Potato terrine, garlic, brown butter ($16.00)

I spent $77.75 here.

REVIEW: I appreciate that Alt Pasta didn't charge us the card surcharge  👏. Alt Pasta is great for people who want something that's literally an alternative to the usual. It's taken heavy inspiration from Italian food, and provided its own spin. So if you're into more interesting food, as opposed to benchmarking it against usual Italian joints, this would be good for you.

Our top 2 favourites were the abalone with seaweed pappardelle and the lobster tart. The lobster tart had me licking my lips. So many colours, textures but retains its lightness in one piece. It's refreshing and a great entree because it gives you a taste of the deliciousness of what's to come. In the main there's this gorgeous umami taste from the seaweed that translates really well across the palate. I love how Alt Pasta came up with this, and has given us the opportunity to try this magic out! ✨

When you don't follow the formula, there's so much risk! I thought the 'cacio e pepe' gnocchi strayed too far from the traditional. It was missing too much pepper and cheese. If you asked me to blind taste tense it, I wouldn't have picked the cacio e pepe sauce at all. However, I appreciated the attempt. My friends liked this, but this wasn't quite for me.

On the other hand, the potato terrine was close to the formula. A crispy edge, and a creamy middle, it's pretty much the right texture. However, I was (secretly) hoping for a crispy potato throughout, but it was just the edges. 😗

Service was friendly, and they were very kind to fit a last minute person on (3 to 4). They made it work without fuss, so very grateful! They aren't the most responsive on mobile phone, but texting seems to be the preferred way to contact them with any changes to...