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Now here’s a name I like. Papa Gino’s sounds Italian enough, enough to give the name a rusty trusty feel to it. It conjures up images of an ol’ moustached Italian man who has been making pasta for years and knows how to whip up good pasta on a cold winter’s night. Man. The magic of The Name. Such a powerful marketing tool to appeal to our emotional needs. (if you don’t understand what I’m rattling on about it’s alright) Bright red letters against a white background makes it easy to spot from afar; and while not meaning to sidetrack, Liwei said, ‘have you noticed how brands with red and white on them seem to do exceptionally well?’ (To non-Singaporeans, this is not some propaganda meant to brainwash you so don’t worry, because I will ensure Liwei doesn’t go further than that….*psst* He’s a sneaky fella) (and if you still don't get it, its the Singapore flag)

Almost always jammed pack with patrons both inside and out, Papa Gino’s is the place to be seen eating. They have a wide array of pastas, and riso, which is short grain rice that can be used to substitute pasta. Other than pizza, steaks are served as well, which is a welcome change after you’ve had one too many mouthfuls of cheesy pastas and pizza, or you’re just not in the mood, like me lately.

One thing you really notice on a warm night is how cool it is to sit inside. The interiors are all brick walls, so the walls are cool, therefore you stay cool. So really, it was nice to sit inside. Dark, with strategically placed spotlights and hanging lamps; we love the ambience. The waiters and waitresses dress casually in their black tees and pants, so there’s a nice balance between formality and carefreeness (if there’s such a word). Ok so maybe not the most original of dress codes but yeah, it works for me anyway.

We ordered Carbonara Penne, Amatriciana Riso, a Aussie and Marinara Pizza. Entrees go for $8.90, while mains are $10.50. Pizzas are $8, $11.50, and $15.50 for small, medium and large respectively. Liwei had the Carbonara, and he felt that it was abosulutely sensational; the white sauce had the right amount of cream too it so it was neither to thick or runny, so he ended up scooping more onto his spoon even after he was done with the Penne. Meanwhile I was spooning the Amatriciana, a dish my dad introduced to me, not that it’s relevant. What I find intriguing about the Amatriciana is that it’s considered a spicy tomato-based sauce, but then it’s only spicy for the first spoonful, but then it doesn’t affect me afterwards, which is a miracle really since I have absolutely next to zero tolerance for chilli. (and my curry tolerance isn’t that much better either, while wasabi is like so out of my league…I wonder how my friend takes it..) So anyway those two sauces are worth having a taste of.

Amatriciana Riso
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Carbonara Penne
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The pizzas have nice crispy bases, neither too thick nor too thin, because I hate it when you bite into really thick pizzas and it totally nullifies the tastes of the toppings. The Aussie pizza looked strange because it looked as though someone just splattered an egg in the middle, so it looks slightly careless in its presentation. The Marinara was a good mouthful of oysters, mussels and prawns and mushroom. What you can expect from any good Marinara pizza. Though, they could have scattered the seafood with more evenness, and maybe arrange one of the prawns a little more to the side….muahaha….(You must be wondering this guy is so damn picky…someone should shoot him for being such an ingrate….for god’s sake it’s just pizza)

Marinara Pizza
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Aussie Pizza
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Another plus point is that they serve you complementary bread, with butter of course, because you can’t just eat bread. It’s barbaric to try and stuff the bread into your mouth without having to carefully spread butter all over in smooth measured strokes. But then we found the bread a wee bit chewy, so suddenly I found myself wondering if the bread was stale….but since none of use developed bowel problems I presume it’s okay. Unless you’re absolutely paranoid. Then just give it to your dog or something.

And one more thing. WATER’S FREE!!!! I cannot stress enough the importance of water because cheese kills your water content in your body, so we all need that extra fluid to keep going. Being poor students, we simply cannot afford to buy water, so if we can freeload, then we shall. It’s a must.

Service is commendable because the waiter came by to ask us if we were ready to order. Thrice. So it’s either their service is so fantastically prompt, or they want to hurry us so they can usher someone else or table and make more money. I had a bent fork tip on my table and so when I asked for another one, they politely handed me another. So there, people. Good service. And if you want to test anyone’s service, accidentally but purposely drop a fork (knives are too noisy) and see if someone comes and attends to you) If not, too bad. No fork for you. Or tell them to fork off.

We then proceeded onto dessert - tiramisu – a classic Italian dessert made from mascarpone cheese, alcohol, coffee, sandwiched between spongy layers of um, sponge cake. And garnished with a sliced strawberry, which added a nice bright red colour to the dessert plate. One friend felt that it too soggy, because it kept falling apart on her fork. I just think she has no skill la.

Tiramisu
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So on the whole, Papa Gino’s is a relatively expensive restaurant, but you do get your money’s worth so don’t freak out about the whole price range. But when there’s need to celebrate, then Papa Gino’s is the way to go.

Oh and before I go I’d just like to say how kind of Liwei and Michelle to severe the top half of my head in the previous main banner. I bet they’re just not happy about our height disparities. Thanks guys.

17/20 budds