Perfection in a Plate

Dish: Shrimp Scampi
Venue: Doc's Grill

I'm a pasta lover. There was a week when I ate nothing else but pasta for every meal, every single day. So it was no surprise when I went to restaurant I'd never been in before, which was famous for its steak, and ordered pasta.

The menu contained about 10 pasta selections, but my intolerance for parmesan narrowed my choice to the Shrimp Scampi. It was the safest thing on the menu that wasn't soaked in marinara sauce or served with parmesan shavings.

My meal arrived in a large white plate, ready to be devoured. The shrimps were tossed with sun-dried tomatoes in creamy white wine garlic butter sauce, served atop a bed of fettuccine and garnished with green onions and grated mozzarella. 

It was absolute perfection. The shrimps were juicy and succulent, the sun-dried tomatoes added a sweet tang to the meal and the cheese melted into the sauce, infusing the warm buttery liquid with cheesy delight. 

To clarify things here, I may be a pasta fan but I don't go around praising every pasta I feast on. This one was different because it was the best Shrimp Scampi I'd ever tasted. It overruled every other shrimp pasta I'd had. 

Until this day, whenever I think of Doc's Grill, I think of the Shrimp Scampi bathed in creamy white sauce, with flecks of green and red among the yellow noodles, and I know it's perfection in a plate.

Photographed and written by Carissa Gan.

Know of a good restaurant that serves the best pastas? Share your stories with us at tastytemptationz11@gmail.com! :)

From The Kitchen: Spaghetti Bolognese with a Twist

Dish: Spaghetti bolognese with a twist

Cost of preparation: £3 - £4

No, it's not your conventional spaghetti bolognese because this spaghetti is twisted in sausages! Kids will be sure to enjoy it. And we're all kids at heart, aren't we? :)

Ingredients:

• 200g minced beef
• 1 bottle bolognese sauce
• 1 packet spaghetti pasta
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 4 long sausages
• Oregano
• Cheddar/parmesan cheese
• BBQ grind 
• Salt 
• Pepper
• Garlic granules

Pasta preparation:

1. Slice the sausages diagonally so the surface of the sliced sausage is larger.

1. Twist about five sticks of spaghetti into a slice.

3. When complete, place them all in a pot of boiling water. Boil according to the instructions on your pasta package.

4. Remove from pot and place on plates.

Bolognese sauce:

1. Season minced beef with salt, pepper, garlic granules and some BBQ grind.

1. Chop some garlic and onions.

2. Heat pan up with oil and fry chopped garlic and onions until fragrant. 

3. Throw in the seasoned beef and fry until beef turns pale brown.

4. Empty the bottle of bolognese sauce into pan and stir well. Add salt and pepper according to preference.

5. Throw in the cherry tomatoes and fry for another two minutes.

6. Remove from pan and place on the cooked spaghetti.

Finishing touch: 
Sprinkle some oregano and garnish with cheese while still hot. (You can use shredded cheddar or parmesan or both!)

It's easy, it's fun, and it's delicious! Do try it and leave a comment below if you liked it.

Photographed by Timothy Ho and written by Vivian Kuan.

Images edited by Carissa Gan.