Basil Pasta Bar Review

FN and I were looking for a convenient place to have lunch while in Yaletown and I remembered that I wanted to try Basil Pasta Bar for a while. So we headed off in search of a cheap and tasty lunch.

 When we got here, it looked like a very simple cafe where you order and look for a spot to sit. They then make your order and take it to your table when it is ready. The wallpaper was comprised of a variety of interesting pasta-related pictures so we decided to take a seat close to the wall. =P

They allow for customization of meat, vegetables, sauces, and pasta, and also combos with garlic bread or pop. However, since neither of us were quite adventurous that day, we stuck with their provided choices.

Spaghetti Carbonara
Although this originally came with spaghetti, FN wanted to change it for penne since she claims it is easier to eat. She thought her pasta was well made and very fresh but when I had a taste, I felt it was a little underseasoned, since I feel that spaghetti carbonara should be creamy, and smoky and salty for the bacon.
 

Pesto Shrimp Linguine
Because my pasta diet at home is generally limited to either tomato or cream based sauces, I decided to try the pesto since it sounded tasty. The pesto cream had a nice balanced flavor and wasn't too creamy or pungent with herbs. Surprisingly, the parmesan cheese was not the typical grated cheese sprinkled on top but was actual slices, which I felt greatly enhanced the overall flavor.

The portions here are very big and we were pretty full when we finished. Basil Pesto Bar is an affordable place to just grab a bite and I definitely will visit again to customize my own pasta.

Food: 3.5/5

Service: N/A

Cost: $

Ganache Patisserie Review

When we were around the neighbourhood after lunch at The Flying Pig, both Essy and I remembered that we wanted to try Ganache Patisserie. They have a few tables here for people who want to buy and eat their cakes here, but I decided to buy some home instead.

A picture of their beautiful wedding cakes =)

Matcha-Exotique

Matcha is normally one of my favourite flavors for many different foods or drinks but this cake wasn't especially strong, but it was nicely fruity since it was paired with both lychee and passionfruit gelee. It's almost like drinking fruit teas were you don't get much of the tea flavor but the fruit flavor really stands out.

3.75/5

Chocolat-Banane

Although this is one of their most well-known products, I found this was my least favourite out of all four. Since chocolate and banana seem to be a good match in many things such as crepes or muffins, so I expected this to be a great combination. The banana portion was weirdly textured as it wasn't thoroughly mashed but they weren't completely solid either. Also, this was a little sweeter than I expected the cake to be.

3.5/5

Opéra à la Noisette

This cake is not overly sweet and contains a perfect combination of the creamy buttercream, crunchy praline and soft biscuit. It had a coffee taste that wasn't too strong and didn't overpower the chocolate. The only downside of the cake of the lack of layers as I envisioned an opera cake having multiple layers and I wish they had more layers in the cake. ( I forgot to take a picture before it was too late =P)

4/5

Passion et Chocolat

When the cashier recommended this when I asked for a "fruitier" choice, I originally thought it would be overly sweet since passion fruit is known for being very sweet. When I tried this, the passion fruit cream inside was not overly sweet and was nicely complimented by the chocolate cake. The glaze really enhanced the flavor of passion fruit as it contained a nice contrast of sweetness and tartness.

4.25/5

Since there are so many cakes that I have no tried yet, this definitely deserves another visit and possibly even for birthday cakes for friends as they sell both 6 inch and 8 inch cakes.                

Food: 4/5

Service: N/A

Cost: $$