Pastaria Abate — Restaurant in Singapore

Been here once 3 years back and had the carbonara & vongole (sadly no photos were taken then). This time round, came back for the Mac & Cheese that is being raved on social media, and had the Prawn & Gorgonzola Ravioli.

Gorgonzola ($32) was fine, giving the ravioli a slight pungent kick from the blue cheese. Was not getting the nutty-taste from the burnt butter sauce and maybe it would have been slightly mainstream to add sage into browned butter sauce, but it was lacking a form of aromatics to it. Prawns tasted weird, or at least for us, though definitely not spoiled but it was just off-putting.

Stove-top Mac and Cheese, ordered the Bacon version ($29) since why not, its bacon. Not entirely wow-ed or amazed, and was a little put-off by the bacon. There is an extremely strong, porky/gamey flavor from the bacon and it was cooked into the entire pot which made the whole dish a little unpalatable. I am normally fine with the porky flavor when eating, but that boar-taint flavor from the bacon was too strong for me.

Atmosphere wise, cozy definitely and can be quite cold. The only ick was there were so many empty tables and seats for the night (their reservation timings were close to when we ended) and we had reservation as well, but we were seated next to the fire hose(?) which was already a slightly bad start to the dinner. This particular table was behind their display shelf which meant it was extremely difficult for the service staff to notice us, without having to come out all the way.

To make things worse, I am not too sure if that particular staff is the famed Faith or another employee but she was very dedicated to her service of one particular group of diner (family of 5, 2 kids) that were sat in the couch seats beside us. Extremely dedicated and attentive, to the point she was playing with the 2 very rowdy boys and her back was facing us majority of the duration. There was a good 10min when my mouth was just creamy gamey flavor in my mouth with the pungent blue cheese but we couldn't even get a service staff to help refill our water, since there is one service staff in our area just that she was too focused on one table and her back was facing us the whole time.

For this price point, not an extremely picky person but I don't think it is worth be it for food or for service (well, unless you are the preferred...

After seeing mostly positive reviews (especially from their Craig Road days), decided to make a reservation for an anniversary dinner. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite live up to expectations.

Good: They pride themselves on their homemade pasta, and indeed, the pasta was excellent. We also got hot wings as a side, which tasted decent as well

Not-So-Good: Basically everything else

Ambience - We came in the evening, so we did not expect a well-lit setting, but the lighting was extremely low, much darker from other photos shown on their Instagram or Google photos. Without a small tableside lamp provided, we would probably be unable to see our food clearly. I don't know if this is a trend now, but it felt impractical

Seating - Despite having a reservation, we were instead ushered to a cramped 2-seater towards the back of the restaurant, near the washroom entrance. Throughout our meal, there were two 4-seater sofa seats that remained empty. It really felt like we were just treated as walk-in customers. Another couple who were seated beside us also felt uncomfortable and left shortly after coming in

Cost - The prices are on par with upscale Italian restaurants, but the service and aforementioned ambience do not seem to match; for a place with a more casual instead of classy feel, if the quality of service felt above and beyond, I could better justify the prices. But aside serving the food and one check-in to ask if the food was fine, there wasn't much warmth or attentiveness. The 'homely' vibe mentioned in older reviews was certainly missing. Also, seemed weird that the appetizer was served after the mains

Special Occasion? - Despite indicating this was an anniversary dinner, there was no acknowledgement whatsoever, not even a simple "Happy Anniversary". I think a small gesture, such as a complimentary dessert or drink would have gone a long way

Payments - It seems strange that in 2025, a downtown restaurant does not accept credit cards, only cash, NETS or PayNow. Some reviews mentioned them making exceptions for tourists, but with the added caveat of paying a surcharge? Pretty off-putting

Overall, if you're in the area and craving some good pasta, this place might be worth a one-time visit. Personally however my experience will not...

Authentic Italian food not to be missed! 🇮🇹✨

Relocated from their previous location at Craig Road, this is a cozy 2-storey restaurant serving classic homestyle Italian flavours made with fresh ingredients.

🌟 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝘇𝘇𝗮 ($𝟮𝟴.𝟴𝟬) Freshly made daily, this flavourful pizza impressed us!✨ Enjoyed how the savouriness of the homemade sausage balances well with the sweetness from the caramelised onions. Would recommend 👍

🌟 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗮 ($𝟮𝟵.𝟴𝟬) Topped with pepperoni, mushrooms, ham, olives, artichoke and mozarella, this signature pizza is also well-received 🍕

🌟 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮 𝗣𝗶𝘇𝘇𝗮 ($𝟮𝟵.𝟴𝟬) We also tried their chef recommended and signature dish. This variation of pizza came with freshly roasted pork belly (porchetta), mozzarella, basil, rosemary, rockets and homemade balsamic glaze 🐷

Next, for pastas we tried... 🌟 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲 ($𝟮𝟬.𝟴𝟬) Cooked in white wine, the pasta is tossed in anchovies, sardine, caramelised onions and pine nut 🥂 We also found juicy raisin that soaked up all that flavour 🥺 Compared to mainland Italian food, Sicilian food is generally bolder in flavours. And this Sicilian pasta dish truly reflects that.

🌟 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝗼 (𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹) If you are a serious pasta fan, you would be happy to hear that they use only Di Martino pasta (made with 100% Italian flour) 🍝 This squid ink pasta is cooked al dente and they are not stingy when it comes to the ingredients 🐙 No wonder we finished every strand of this and we even had the massive portion (since we came in quite a big group).

🌟 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂 ($𝟭𝟬.𝟴𝟬) Can't leave without trying their homemade tiramisu dessert. Soft and creamy, this is a must get! 😩

We also had other dishes, including portobello fries, marinated oysters, fried mozzarella, sicilian pizza, fresh baked focaccio and cheese & garlic breadsticks. My favourites among these are the portobello fried and foccacio which is made with organic cherry tomatoes that are planted right by their doors! 🍅

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