Basil Pasta Bar (on Davie) has a dingy, dilapidated feel to the small place. Window seat is still the best because people don't bother looking in, and hey, it's Yaletown -- chances of a really cute/hot girl walking by once every 2 minutes or so are pretty good. Portion sizes are good so their ad copy is no lie. For under $10 (usually $8.95) you can have a filling lunch of pasta. However, taste is mediocre, probably because the sauce tasted thin. Lots of pasta, yes, but you miss the richness that comes from good sauce. After all, pasta really just moves the sauce from the plate to your mouth. I got the "spicy" Penne Arrabiata (spicy tomato sauce with chorizo sausage, red peppers, and garlic; garnished with fresh parsley and goat cheese) and my friend tried the Spaghetti Carbonara. Penne Arrabiata was barely spicy but there is a mild buzz in your mouth. Otherwise tasted okay - which is to say on par (maybe even inferior to) getting your own pasta sauce from th...
Anonymous restaurant reviews, cooking experiments, miscellaneous musings on living in the Lower Mainland, BC, Canada.