Everything fresh at ImPasta

Did you know that the recommended portion of pasta per person is 75g? Hilarious, right? Especially seeing as I personally, could wolf down as much in just two forkfuls. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Just last week, I was making my way to Impasta, in St Julian’s, unable to contain my excitement. Having spent the day restraining myself from snacking, I was yearning for the moment I could sit back and consume pasta to my heart’s content. 

Just in case you didn’t get the memo, I adore pasta. Being the avid fan that I am, I was certainly prepared to eat. What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was to be blown away. Let me explain.

As we walked in, we were faced with a large blackboard, featuring what seemed like hundreds of options, categorised according to pasta types and sauces. Just ahead of us was a pasta bar. Yes, that’s right; A PASTA BAR. Just let that sink in. Featuring 10 different kinds of pasta, including spaghetti, penne, bucatini, fusilli, paccheri (need I go on?) and 20 different sauces, Impasta gives you the novel opportunity to mix and match your meal and thus create the pasta hybrid of your dreams. 

This was too much excitement for me to handle and therefore, I left the choice in the capable hands of owner and brain behind the whole operation, Francesco Mangio. 

The passion with which Francesco described the preparation and cooking process of his beloved noodles, was like I have never heard before. Nowhere else on the island, claimed Francesco, does a restaurant offer such a vast choice, not only of types of pasta, but of the different flours used. 

Did you happen to catch that? Impasta dashes the idea of run-of-the-mill (no pun intended) flour and makes use of only the best and somewhat bizarre. 

Fully embracing the concept of bringing an authentic Italian artisan kitchen to Malta, Impasta incorporates flours such as timilia, khorosan wheat, also known as kamut and wait for it… hemp flour, into their freshly-made dishes. 

Naturally, we tried each and every one. With each one delivering an entirely different taste and texture, I highly recommend you do the same. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. 

Frankly, I don’t have the heart to describe the pasta dishes we were presented, primarily because the fact that I’m not currently devouring their traditional and delicious plate of amatriciana physically pains me. But I’ll try. We were presented with no fewer than five plates. These included a couple of classics, such as the carbonara, amatriciana and my personal favourite, the basil pesto, as well as a few that were concocted and mastered by Francesco himself, such as the diavola, which incorporated a divine mix of fresh-off-the-boat tuna, cherry tomatoes, chili and olives and his most highly recommended, the broccolina, perfect for vegetarians and vegans and everyone else, which consisted of spring onions, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and chili. 

Simply put, fresh is always better. In the case of Impasta, not even your grandmother’s fresh pasta compares. I’m fully aware that that is a huge claim to make, but I dare you to prove me wrong. Seeing as they’re open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and opening a new outlet at the new Is-Suq tal-Belt in Valletta, you have every opportunity to do so. 

In the not too distant future there will also be the opportunity to buy their pasta, sauces and lasagne to make in the comfort of your own home. Watch this space for more details. 

 

ImPasta

Dobbie Street 8,

St. Julian's

Tel: 79527586 

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