What can I say, after having tasted the dishes at pasta brava last night, the meal at Doodle today was testament that passion and a knack for what makes food good makes the men stand out from the boys. 

the salmon pasta and the Mak Mak pasta were out of this world. Have not tried the rest but if these two disheis are anything to go by, Doodle will see more fans in time I come. 

Just goes to show that you don't need to be an Italian make good Italian dishes. No need for fancy waiters and pretentious names...just pour all the effort into the food and the rest is history...hats off to the same father and son team that brought you salad stop...another amazing product....!

We turned the corner, A tiny corridor within the premises of a hotel, its narrow ways leading to a carpark on the left and a mysterious curve on its other end. Before you know it, I was awkwardly surprised by the vastness of the space before me that is Doodle! Pasta Bar. At 6pm on a Saturday evening, the diner and it's next door vicinity were dead. My suspicions grew by leaps and bounds; however I was reassured by my friend that this was her go-to-choice when in need of fixing her pasta cravings whilst in the region. Novena, that is...

Things went off to a great start with zealous staff who readily flooded us with recommendations as we were confronted with the ominous black board of options above head. Our flummoxed stares quickly turning fervent onlooks as we watched the 'Doodlers'(apparently one of the coolest job titles I've heard) stirring up a storm on the induction stoves. It was truly an interactive session with the chef goofingly giving a step-by-step demonstration as he worked his magic.


The Sweet Spot ($11.80), which includes a pulled pork stew braised in cognac and whiskey, red wine glazed onions and garnished with Parmesan cheese.
 
My choice of the sweet spot, complete with a fresh serving of linguine pasta beared resonance in flavor. The meat was like cotton puffs on our tongues. Dissolving effortlessly with every mouthful of twirled pasta. Given it's price, I was blown away by the bounteous portions which warranted a little accompanying protein with every mouthful of carbohydrate till the very end of the dish. Enriched by the the slow cooking process in cognac and whiskey; the pulled pork easily stole the show, the crunchy rocket leaves adding both colour and a contrasting bitter note to the dish.

My friend's dish, the Prawn Star($11.50) which I never got down to trying, was reported to be delicious. A verdict I garnered accurate given it's rate of decay on the plate.

Doodle! Pasta Noodles and Wine Bar, a joint venture between a father and a son responsible for Saladstop has never been anywhere near my radar before. But with it's decent prices, exotic Asian inspired pasta dishes and fair execution, this place definitely has picked up a fan in me. Pasta, yes it may be basic, but with Doodle's versatility at play, it is surprisingly satisfying, the sort that really grows on you, just like the boy next door often does.

for photos and the full review, visit here (http://fundamentally-flawed.blogspot.sg/2013/01/humble-alternatives-doodle-pasta.html)

for photos and more reviews, visit http://littlemomentsofmylife.wordpress.com/ :)

ooh am i the first to write a review for this?! :D

oasia hotel in novena has finally finished construction!! and together with it is this really cute noodle shop called doodle xD it's under the same management as saladstop! which is another place which i've been wanting to try for quite a while, but haven't gotten around to it yet :/

anyways, it's this really cosy shop which sells asian-inspired pasta, along with soup, wine and desserts.

i spent a long time staring at the menu trying to decide which pasta to order. they all sounded so interesting! :D considering how it's relatively near to my house (okay, note 'relatively': it's actually not THAT near) i will definitely want to come back here again! :)

finally decided on the laksa lips ($11.50) which i must say was an AWESOME choice! i was really surprised at how wonderful it tasted! this is a twist on the traditional laksa, in the sense that the noodles are linguine, rather than your typical mee or thick beehoon. and i have to say, i thoroughly enjoyed this version! the sauce was full-bodied and packed a punch with the rich flavour of the coconut and laksa leaves. it was thick and creamy, but not overwhelming so, and i could actually finish the entire plate, resisting the urge to lick it clean. :P it was THAT yummy :D it came with a generous serving of prawns, fish cake, beancurd and straw mushrooms. if you think that this is just a more expensive version of your hawker centre laksa, it's NOT. it's BETTER :D

the reason why i'll be back would be to have The Sweet Spot ($11.80), which includes a pulled pork stew braised in cognac and whiskey, red wine glazed onions and garnished with parmesan cheese. sounds alcoholic? :P but it was wonderful! i tried a tiny mouthful of it, and the blend of flavours hit me and left me wanting more xD

if you like spicy, try One Night in Bangkok ($12.50) which is a thai-inspired dish, as you can probably tell from the name. in fact, there are quite a number of thai-sounding pastas here (such as the Aroi Mak Mak). anyway, this is a mainly seafood pasta with dory fish, mussels, squid, cherry tomatoes, straw mushrooms and thai herbs tossed in a tangy tom yum sauce. definitely appetizing!

this place has a very interesting concept cos it's kinda split two separate halves - one is the cooking area, with the cashier and a couple of seats, and the rest of the seats are separated in a room next door, separated by glass windows. and the food is cooked right in front of you! which is a pretty fascinating experience :D i love how they toss the pastas xD