Taste of Italy: City’s hand-crafted pasta bar ‘pasta’ test

Impasta, Chennai’s hand-crafted pasta bar is located on a quaint street in Nungambakkam. The owners, Alagu and Aarnav who are seasoned chefs, are passionate about their craft and the proof of this is the curation of their delicious and authentic dishes. The eatery is aesthetic and perfect for a date. They also have an extended outdoor seating area, but beware of the blood-thirsty mosquitoes!

For starters, we tried their fried ravioli. The ravioli had a cheese filling with gremolata, cream, and herbs and was deep-fried and drizzled with parmesan cheese. The ravioli was plated with chipotle mayo. Despite, not being big on the spice scale, the ravioli was perfect. The crunchiness and the cheese filling with the sauce were an exciting combination. Pro-tip, the best way to eat this fried ravioli is by hand and not fork and knife.

We also tried their chicken bolognese fritters, this bite-sized chicken wonder had perfectly minced meat and really contributed to a great palate feel. The bolognese fritters were plated with pesto aioli, which again was perfect with the dish. The sauces/dips have been very smartly paired to complement and amplify the flavours in the dish.

We tried their best-selling Jerry’s oh my-lo milkshake. The quantity, unlike fancy cafés, was good and was definitely a sweet treat. It somehow was able to wash down the fried ravioli very well without altering the taste. This chocolatey Milo drink will most certainly not disappoint you.

Even though the pasta at Impasta is handmade, its consistency is perfect and boiled to perfection. One might assume that machine-made pasta is more precise in size and thickness. While it’s true, this eatery does not fail to deliver precision.

Gaining inspiration from the chilli oil trend, their chilli oil Aglio e olio pasta absolutely lived up to their claims of it being spicy. While this dish is amazing for spice aficionados, this can get a little overwhelming for someone with an average palate. The tagliatelle pasta was fiery, oily and phenomenal. It also had the flavours of your typical Italian cuisine. This is a must-try if you love spicy food.

We also tried their mushroom cappellacci stuffed with cheese and herbs. This white sauce pasta was pretty decent and had little to no mushrooms in it, which was a put-off. The texture of the sauce is nice and creamy. People with a gentle palate can opt for this dish.

To finish off the meal, we tried their tiramisu. The quantity is very generous and can comfortably be shared by two. This creamy delight had an interesting texture and was also flawlessly layered.

On the whole, you should definitely visit this place for an authentic taste of Italy. The quantity of the food does not seem like much but is filling. The place is really good value for money. Buon appetite!