If you’re a fan of Italian food, you should be familiar with the hefty price tags that come along with authentic Italian cuisine. Pastaria Abate is a restaurant found along Craig Road, with prices which won’t make you break the bank.
This family-style restaurant is owned by Gino and Jemima, who aim to keep their prices low by encouraging customers to collect their food by themselves. Honestly, that doesn’t bother me at all because the food served more than makes up for it.
Pastaria Abate’s charm stems from the fact that most, if not all of the food items are made with love, using recipes passed down from Gino’s family. In addition to that, the majority of the pasta are made in-house, once every two days.
Before we get to the pasta, we’ll have to talk about the starters served here. We had the Portobello Fries ($8.80), which came with a side of roasted aioli.
The taste of the Portobello mushrooms was taken to the next level with the seasoned batter and garlicky kick in the aioli.
Another showstopper was the Fried Mozzarella ($6.80), which comes with strawberry sauce, but can also be served with Marinara sauce upon request.
The sweet strawberry sauce complements the slightly salty mozzarella well, with the slight tanginess that cuts through the rich cheese.
Not a big fan of sweet stuff? Then you should definitely try it with the marinara sauce, which is made with San Marzano tomatoes and boiled for around eight hours.
The savoury sauce really complements the melted cheese; tastewise, think pizza without the dough.
If you’re someone who’s always on the lookout for the best deals, go for their Antipasta 1/2 Board ($12.80), which features quality cold cuts for affordable prices.
Half the board should be enough for three people. If you want more, top up an additional $7.20 and get the full board.
To quench your thirst, choose from a variety of different Spritzs ($10) unique to different parts of Italy. These bubbly beverages are light and refreshing, perfect for sipping on as you await your meal.
Choose from a selection of about 16 different types of pasta to pair with 18 different sauces when you order at the counter.
As mentioned earlier, all of the egg pasta and special pasta flavours are made in-house, once every two days. That’s how you’re guaranteed the freshest plates of pasta.
We tried the Italian Meatballs Tagliatelle ($12.80), which comprises of two large meatballs perched on top of a hearty serving of pasta. The egg pasta was rolled out thin and were easy on the jaws.
We were told that the best way to eat the meatball pasta was to break the meatball apart with a fork, then mix in with the marinara. The juices from the large meatball mixed with the tangy marinara to form a sort of ‘loose meat sauce’.
Other than pasta, they also have amazing mains, such as the Steak Florentine ($15.80), which features a well-marbled steak seasoned simply with salt and pepper.
If you want to amp up the luxury factor, you can add an additional $8 to upgrade your steak to Australian Wagyu.
Our steak was on the medium well side, which would usually result in the steak being tough and chewy. However, that wasn’t the case at all for us. The knife cut through the steak easily and melted in our mouths.
My favourite dish would have to be the Martini Grilled Pork ($15.80); this one is a real winner in my eyes.
It’s basically two thin pork loins brushed with a sweet Martini reduction, which manages to keep all the amazing flavours of Martini and takes the alcohol out of the equation.
While you won’t get smashed from this main, you’ll definitely feel a little drunk on happiness. The pork chop was also pounded pretty thin and retained all of its juices.
It is one of the more tender grilled pork loins I’ve tried, and is a dish I’ll return for.
The best part about dining at Pastaria Abate is that they have such a wide variety of Italian dishes, which you can get at affordable prices.
The homey vibes of the restaurant make it a perfect place to visit with your family for your next gathering.
Expected Damage: $15 – $25 per pax
