Pastamania ( Bishan Junction 8 )

Like all Pastamania outlets, this one was a little cramped, and very crowded during lunch hour when we visited. Tables are arranged so close together that getting out of your seat involves coordinating with other diners in your area. Not a good place to take someone on an intimate date! The staff were very pleasant and welcoming, and immediately helped to get us a table at the far end of the restaurant. Because the restaurant was getting quite busy, it was about ten minutes before another server came to clear and clean the table we were assigned.

Our first order was a Spaghetti Basil Chicken Aglio ($6.90) which was very nicely done. The chicken was well-seasoned with natural basil flavours and tossed with an appropriate amount of minced garlic and fresh chilli slices. The pasta was in need of a little more olive oil, and turned out quite dry and hard to swallow. As the restaurant uses minced chicken, it tends to fall between the pasta and end up on the bottom of the dish, so diners should toss as they eat. Very healthy choice of pasta service.

Our second dish was the popular Spaghetti Creamy Chicken ($8.50) which was sinfully lovely to indulge in. Unfortunately, the cream sauce was quite thin and lacked in any seasoning at all. This was quickly remedied on our won accord by adding copious amounts of parmesan cheese (and pushing the dish further off the diet scale!) which thickened the sauce and gave it a bit of saltiness. The pieces of chicken were unusually large and ungainly, making this dish a little less elegant.

For a lighter choice, we recommend ordering just one pasta dish and upsizing it (add $2.20) to share. Then round-off the meal with a combo (soup, garlic bread or soft drink from $3.20) for each person.

For a unique dessert, we ordered our favourite Banana Dessert Pizza ($3.90) which features a mini-sized pizza with banana slices and a sprinkle of chocolate on top. Also available is the Apple Crumble Pizza ($4.30) which is another mini-sized pizza with tart apple slices, topped with cinnamon crumble. Heaven!

The dining experience at this outlet was very casual and enjoyable. The service was prompt and attentive, and the servers were attentive enough to move around, checking if we had received all our orders. My only comment was the cashier's apparent lack of information when asked if we could tone down on the chilli in our aglio pasta dish, to which she immediately replied "No, cannot, it is pre-mixed" ... Someone needs to brief her ...