So, I’m totally aware that different quisines are prepared differently in different countries. Chinese food in the U.S is not going to be the same as in China and neither is Indian food going to be the same as in India in for example the UK. Simple and understandable. With that being said I’m coming from a European perspective having had really good Italian food and having vsited Italy several times (yes, I’m using the “I’ve been to Italy”card).

What I love about Italian food is the simplicity. It makes it very hard to cheat with the quality of the produce and hide the bad under a cover of a lot of spice as well as still managing to be very flavorful. Nothing beats a fresh al dente pasta dish and this was also what I was hoping for when I arrived at Goldo di Napoli in Santiago. So, let me start with the positives.

Service – I was attended as soon as I arrived and got to order in less than five minutes. The waiters were very attentive and solution oriented.

Ambient – It is a busy place and the ambient is buzzing and nice even if you, like me, dine solo.

Venue – Simply but nicely decorated with images from Italy, yellow walls, and rustic furniture, giving a very genuine "Italian" feel.

Portion sizes – are huge. I would say that one dish easily feeds two people. I saw several guests leave half the portion which you of course can take with you in a doggy bag.

Unfortunately, that’s about it. I was recommended this place and when I arrived many people were queuing mainly for take away. Like any Italian restaurant they offer pizzas and pasta dishes with a limited dessert offer, of course including tiramisu. I was looking forward to a flavorful and filling pasta and ordered the Arrabiata with fettuccine. I was very disappointed.

Cold food – when the food arrived the top layer as well as the sides were cold and I had to ask the waiter to reheat my food. Right there and then I lost hope of having some good Italian food or just good pasta.

Texture – personally I’m used to and prefer my pasta to be cooked al dente, which means not fully cooked. The pasta here was very soft and, in my opinion, way overcooked. The fact that it was bathing in watery tomato sauce didn’t help in any way. The bacon was soft like boiled ham. I would suggest frying it to make it crunchy and add some texture as well as flavor to this otherwise very bland version of Arrabbiata.

No seasoning – Simple food doesn’t mean spiceless. The only flavor in this dish was a mild canned tomato scent. No garlic, no pepper, no chili, no basil, no sweetness, and definitely no salt. I tasted the tomato sauce before eating the pasta and it unfortunately tasted like straight out of a cheap can. And this is where I mean that you can’t cheat with ingredients. It’s very noticeable in a dish like this. Start using more, better and well prepared seasoning please.

Wrong cheese – The cheese was some type of shredded mozzarella type and was not melted properly basically adding zero flavor. I see this too often in restaurants that are not good with flavor but adding more cream and cheese does not mean more or better flavor.

I ate a couple of bites before I asked for the bill. The waiter asked if I didn’t like the dish and offered me a new one. I kindly declined as the dish wasn’t the problem, the produce and the preparation was. Although the pizzas might be better than the pastas I cannot recommend this place for the food experience I had. It was just really bland and badly prepared so don't waste your money unless you're craving a sloppy "pasta" dish for when you're hung over.