Discover pasta your way at Al Dente.
Food
I love a good bowl of pasta, so when I heard about a new pasta bar in Norwich where you can basically make your own dish, I was keen to try it out.
Husband Matt in tow, we headed over to St Giles where the Italian restaurant can be found on the corner of St Giles car park. While it may not be an idyllic setting, once you step inside you very quickly forget the cars coming and going.
The decoration is vibrant, with a combination of colourful chairs and wooden bench seating in the back section, and high tables with stools along the windows towards the front. I can imagine these are the perfect spot for lunch or a coffee, watching the world go by. There's also plug sockets with USB ports, ideal for topping up your phone or laptop during a working lunch using the free wifi.
The menu offers a good selection of 'Little bites' as starters or sides, five 'Specialita di pasta' dishes, as well as the make-your-own options.
We decided to create our own – it is the restaurants USP after all. There are so many combinations you can make from the pasta, sauce and topping options, and the waitress told us that she's had some very unusual choices.
I went for linguine pasta with al salmone sauce and king prawns, while Matt chose fresh egg tagliatelle with primavera sauce and king prawns. We also ordered some garlic bread to share.
We could see the chef busy in the open kitchen, which is always nice. The pasta was served in nice bowls and the pictures don't really do them justice. Put it this way, we were eager to tuck in – and we weren't disappointed.
My dish was creamy, with a lovely taste of smoked salmon complemented by spring onions and cherry tomatoes. The king prawns were a nice addition.
Matt was equally impressed with his dish and the garlic bread was crisp and perfect for mopping up every last bit of sauce.
We then both had a scoop of pistachio gelato – I was a bit surprised by the light brown colour rather than bright green, but it was delicious – and a caffe latte.
Drinks
Lovely coffee and a good selection of soft and alcoholic beverages.
Ambiance
It was very relaxed, with a clientele of families with young children as well as couples.
Service
The waitress was very friendly and helpful and the chef and owner were very visible, chatting to diners.
Loos
Really clean and nicely decorated in keeping with the rest of the restaurant. Good baby-changing facilities in the ladies, which is also the disabled toilet.
Parking
It's on the corner of St Giles Car Park!
Location
Handy for the city. If you sit on one of the high tables try and nab one at the front of the restaurant rather than the side to avoid a view of the car park entrance/exit.
Price
Very reasonable for really tasty fresh pasta made just the way you like it.
Highlight
It has to be the option to make your own dish. I'm already planning my next combination.
In summary
One of the main considerations when I choose a restaurant is whether my five-year-old son would like it. He wasn't with us on this occasion, but it's definitely somewhere we could take him, which makes a return visit a lot easier.
This is an independent review.
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