Anyway, we came to know of the Casa Nostra Cafe from another blog. In his review, the writer found this cafe to be his little haven in big, busy London; the owners were warm and homely, and the food was simple and comforting, yet delicious and tasteful. Now, all of that is fine and dandy, but when I read that the owners served home-cooked, AUTHENTIC Italian pasta dishes, I could hardly stop myself from barging out the door and giving this cafe a shot.
After all, it was literally around the corner from where I lived!
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| "A" marks the spot! |
And so one fine afternoon, myself, Bin and Daryl took a stroll in search for this piece of proclaimed heaven. I can hardly blame anyone for not noticing the cafe. Sitting under renovation scaffolding, this cafe peeks meekly out from a street corner; hardly intimidating, nor inviting in any sense.
The cafe is hardly big. There was about 16 seats in total, including a few tables outside of the shop, and a smaller room adjoining to the main shop front. That didn't seem to be of any concern, as the shop was only open till 1- 2 pm (depending on business). True to the blog post that informed us of this little gem, the owners were both nice grandfatherly gentlemen, who promptly took our orders and busied themselves about preparing for it.
(Sorry for this, can't remember the names of their dishes!) Bin had Penne with a spicy chicken sauce, whilst Daryl gave their recommended Pasta Puttanesca (olive pasta) a shot. I had the *SURPRISE* Carbonara :) The food came really quickly, with mine taking the longest as expected, clocking in at around 10 minutes.
The first thing that impressed me during this dining experience was that black pepper and parmesan cheese are added fresh upon your request! Nothing beats having fresh ingredients!
All of our pasta were served piping hot, and we eagerly dug into our hearty meals!
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| Carbonara, courtesy of Casa Nostra Cafe |
For my Carbonara, the first thing that caught my attention was the texture of the dish. Often, my noodles either come drenched in gravy, or with none at all. The chef here knew what he was doing. The spaghetti noodles (at the insistence of the chef, nothing else is suitable with carbonara, so they claim!) were coated evenly with creamy gravy of the right consistency: not too thick, yet fluid enough so that the noodles would flow smoothly down one's throat.
Being a meat lover, I appreciated the fact that they did not skimp on the pancetta! There was enough meat to go around with every mouthful of noodles; something that usually only happens when I'm the chef!
The taste of the sauce was superb! The smokiness of the pancetta could be tasted evenly, complimenting the thick taste of cream and egg. I can understand if some may find the taste too intense, but I found it exactly to my palate!
To top it all off, the texture of the spaghetti noodles was extremely springy, yet easy to bite and chew. Believe me when I say that this was THE perfect experience of the term "Al Dente" (italian term to describe pasta, a texture that is firm, but not hard. I.e. "to the bite"). The firmness of the noodles made it oh so satisfying to slurp and chew, at the same time allowing the gravy to coat the noodles evenly and smoothly.
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| All done! Cleaned the plate right off! |
Despite it being an Italian eatery, many of the customers who filtered through often had variations of their breakfast menu, which was traditionally English. So for those of you who enjoy a good breakfast or do not fancy pasta dishes as much as I do, there's always the excellent breakfast choice (as recommended by the blog that lead us here, and by the shop owners no less!).
And so, here's the summary!
Name: Casa Nostra Cafe
Opening Hours: Not too sure about weekends, read that they open from 6 a.m. - 1/2 p.m. on weekdays.
Address: I don't really know the exact address, but it is on Hastings Street, at the junction of Sandwich Street. Look at the map for reference! The closest tube station is King's Cross St. Pancras, and is a short 5 minute walk away!
Notable landmarks nearby:
University of London Garden Halls (located on Cartwright Gardens)
British Library
St. Pancras Hotel
Carbonara Test:
Beauty: 3/5
There was nothing special nor thoughtful about the arrangement of the food. But the sight of the gravy, coupled with the firm yet soft-to-bite look of the noodles just made the food scream "EAT ME". Having a plate of food looking this good in front of me will just make me powerless.
Taste: 4/5 (subject to change when I review more in the future!)
Easily the BEST Carbonara I've tasted in London thus far. I enjoy the intense taste of the dish as a whole. The flavour of the meat is spread evenly throughout the dish, without having the meat being reduced to tasteless scraps. It may be a little too strong to those who prefer their dishes having a lighter taste though.
Service: 4/5 (Taken into context of the type and location of the eatery)
I am a firm believer that dining is an experience as a whole, and the way you feel from the moment you step into the dining location up to the point of leaving is as important as the food itself! Although I didn't get the chance to experience the air of familiarity and spontaneity of the owners that the writer of the blog so spoke of, service was prompt and quick. Food arrived quickly, and steaming hot. The owners were very friendly and helpful, especially in introducing to us the different dishes on the menu. Given that it is located in the vicinity of blocks of houses, I must say that the service is what one would expect from the "local cafe": Warm, fast and sincere.
Budget: 3/5 (the lower the score, the more hard hitting it is on your budget!)
The cost of my meal came up to around 5 pounds (I don't think it's good for me to disclose the exact price), and so did my friends, so expect to spend at least that amount when dining here! Tap water is offered FOC, so you can leave your water bottles at home!
Overall: 14/20
And so my journey is off to an awesome start! No doubt, I will have to return to some of the places where I have eaten Carbonara that was not as good. Nevertheless, every step is necessary, on my quest to unearth the best Carbonara in London!
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| Thanks for the company, and the idea for the blog name :D |
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