When I first telephoned the Back Alley Pasta to enquire whether there were still available seats for the evening, I sensed an air of aloofness in the maitre d’s voice. He put me on hold, presumably to check the restaurant’s reservation, and luckily I was informed that there was a table available for us that evening. I thought to myself, given his slight pause in answering me, that this place must be popular with its own legion of fans, and therefore often fully booked. However, given its 3.7-star rating on Google, my expectations were not high.
As we walked through the glass doors, we were welcomed with bright smiles and a warm greeting of
‘hello’ by Jawed, the head waiter. As I understood from a social media video I watched previously, Back Alley Pasta was strictly non-halal before. However, the restaurant is now pork-free, although they do still serve alcohol to patrons who want to enjoy it.
Without wasting time, we briefly scanned the menu and proceeded to place our order. We did ask
Jawed what was their specialty and Ben decided on Tiger Prawn Aglio Olio as his mains, while I
decided to try the Dry Aged Salmon Tagliatelle. We both agreed to try out the Burrata for starters,
and I do recall that just by looking at the menu, our mouths salivated in anticipation of what was to
come.
One novel thing about Back Alley Pasta is that they have an open kitchen. Patrons can, if they
choose, sit at the bar savouring their delicious meals in full view of the cooking activity taking place,
and perhaps even be able to have a lively conversation with the chefs. That was one thing that we
both missed on this visit to the restaurant, as we had chosen to sit on one of the tables and enjoy
our own company instead.
The Buratta came without much fanfare, although the dish was rather eye catching. At the centre of the round Burrata, there was a swirl of shiny ruby vinaigrette glistening over the cheese an ornamented by chips and cherry tomatoes on the side. I took the first bite of the cheese, its slightly salty taste tingling at the tip of the tongue. I found that it was a bit too cold for my liking and was therefore rather put off by it. Admittedly, I am not an expert in Italian food, so perhaps it was meant to be that way – a cold cheese antipasto to ignite the senses and then downed by a sip of wine. Perhaps that is how this appetiser is meant to be savoured.
Then, the star of the show arrived. The Aglio Olio was served with three huge jumbo prawns, succulent to the bite, and freshly sweet to the taste. The pasta was sufficiently seasoned with an arching taste of garlic that encapsulated the essence of a good aglio olio dish. Ben loved it.
The Salmon Tagliatelle came next and it was my turn to dig in. According to Jawed, the salmon, with its woody flavour and an orangey flesh, was smoked in house. The fish was well-smoked, moist, and seared well without it being overdone. The dish was the perfect medley of flavours, the pasta mingling with its lemon, herb and butter sauce. Biting the wayward bits of capers gave me that briny tang, a contrast to the acidic taste of the lemon-butter sauce.
It struck me that the reviewers on Google were probably too harsh on Back Alley Pasta. With its food well presented and tasty, the warm welcome and gracious service, I would have given it a higher rating. As I was taking notes of the dinner in plain view of the servers and chefs, I must have looked rather conspicuous, but I was treated courteously as they would any other patron.
At RM196.90, the bill did not do too much damage on the wallet. Overall, the meal was reasonably
priced given the high-quality ingredients and the artistic style of cooking. The Back Alley Pasta deserves another visit, and perhaps next time we will opt to enjoy the open kitchen experience.
Food:8.5/10
Price:8.5/10






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