“Some people want it all, but I don’t want nothing at all!” it sounds all through the room, a young, gorgeous waitress is singing Alicia Keys beautifully in the basement-like restaurant. Welcome to Pasta e Basta, one of the best dining experiences in Amsterdam.
I have not been keeping this blog for too long yet, so I should tell you I love to try out new things. I like weird experiences like cow cuddling, tiger feeding, glass workshops and even whisky workshops even though I do not like whisky at all. It is just about being somewhere different, learning stuff and being able to make it yourself. Really lovely.
I also like restaurants that are different. I took my boyfriend to a morgue-turned-restaurant for his birthday, and we went chocolate fondueing in the complete dark on our anniversary. Fun things! There are not a lot of those in Amsterdam unfortunately, which is quite odd when you think of it. I mean, Amsterdam is pretty much the sodom and Gomorrah of the world, full of crazy things like a Sexmuseum, Torture museum, coffee shops that sell drugs and a red light district that is not famous for its Christmas lights but for something totally different. Why not have more crazy experiences for dinner?The best out of the ordinary dining experience is definitely Pasta e Basta. It is a restaurant near the Leidse Square, and they usually have two turns an evening. You can either go at 18:00 (Dutch dinner time!) or 21:00. Their thing is that the waiters and waitresses sing songs. They always start with an Italian opera song, and then they tend to sing a modern pop song and something a bit more
The best out of the ordinary dining experience is definitely Pasta e Basta. It is a restaurant near the Leidse Square, and they usually have two turns an evening. You can either go at 18:00 (Dutch dinner time!) or 21:00. Their thing is that the waiters and waitresses sing songs. They always start with an Italian opera song, and then they tend to sing a modern pop song and something a bit more old-school, a party song and sometimes another foreign European song. I think it is around every fifteen minutes that they sing, but I am not entirely sure because I always have such a great time there, I totally forget the time.
I have been at Pasta e Basta four times now, and there are many reasons to go there. One is obviously the ambiance, it is really cozy and the waiters are all very friendly. The singing is not just something to entertain people, it also brings people together a bit. The waiters walk around when singing, so everybody pays attention to them. They are all excellent singers, so it is really nice to listen to them. But, and this is obviously very important too: the food is excellent.
They have asked for the help of Michelin star chef Ron Blaauw, who ‘tuned’ their menu a bit. It is a shared dining experience, so first you will have a buffet waiting for you on the piano, then you chose three different pasta’s from the menu to share with your guest and eventually you can pick a dessert. Let me tell you, there are not many places where I enjoy appetizers, but at Pasta e Basta they have the most amazing mozzarella with the best tomatoes. I was a bit disappointed the last time I was there, cause it seemed like someone had taken all the mozzarella out, but really, if you go there, have the cheese with the tomatoes, I know it sounds a bit boring but it is exquisite.
I was a bit disappointed yesterday when I was there, cause it seemed like someone had taken all the mozzarella out, but really, if you go there, have the cheese with the tomatoes. I know it sounds a bit boring but it is sooo good, I have never had any better mozzarella, even in Sardinia (Italy) it was not better. I like my mozzarella soft with a somewhat tougher exterior, and the one at Pasta e Basta: deliciozo!
So for the entrees you can pick pastas, and please do me (and yourself!) a favor and have the “
As a dessert you can have cheesecake (see picture) or a home made Pasta e Basta take on Snickers, which are both presented very nicely, like a dessert should be presented, and they taste lovely too. The only thing I was not blown away by was the ice cream that came with the Snickers, but I am totally not an ice cream person so don’t listen to me when I talk about this unless it is about Ben & Jerry’s (I am an EXPERT on their stuff).
I do not get paid by Pasta e Basta to say this, I do not even know anybody there, I just really love it. The staff is nice, they can really sing without getting annoying or awkward, and the place itself is very cosy, or as we would say in Dutch: “Gezellig”. It is a very internationally friendly restaurant that I highly recommend to anybody visiting Amsterdam. Enjoy! đŸ™‚
PsychoUnicorn 