Basillica - Italian Pasta

Hi Eaters.

I come to know this place from a foodie friend. Actually I had desires to have a taste of the food ever since following their Instagram account and having glimpse on the mouth-watering food pics they've uploaded.
So there I was that day, having been invited to try (finally) the food from Basillica Pasta.

The place itself is nothing fancy. "Warung Tenda", that's what Indonesian commonly call this kind of place. But what made it different from other "Warung Tenda" is that it's situated not on the side of the street. It took accomodation inside Wisma Gading Permai apartment (WGP), in the parking lot to be exact. So you won't be bothered with excessive dust, commonly an issue when dining in these kind of places.
Having been operated since November 3rd, it's quite a challenge for Basillica to withstand in the culinary competition in Kelapa Gading. As you know, in this vast area there are quite numerous restaurants that sell similar dishes.
So what set Basillica apart from its competitors? Serving genuine Italian pasta dishes could be one example. Using original recipes like pasta served in its origin country, Basillica was bold enough to use bacon in the pasta dishes. Brave move considering this is a country with moslems majority, though you can opt for other kind of protein to replace the bacon.
There are also 3 kinds of pasta you can choose between spaghetti, penne, or fettuccine.

Basillica served 10 kinds of pasta dishes here, and here are the menus:

Based on its origin:
1. Amatriciana: Bacon, onion, homemade tomato sauce, chilli, parsley. IDR 28K (Origin: Amatrice)
2. Carbonara: Bacon, egg, parmesan, cream and black pepper. IDR 28K (Origin: Rome)
3. Bolognese: Minced beef, bacon, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, homemade tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, dan balsamic vinegar. IDR 35K (Origin: Bologna)
4. Pesto: Basil, parmesan, walnut, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, cream, bacon or smoked chicken. IDR 28K (Origin: Genoa)
5. Aglio Olio: Garlic, extra virgin olive oil, walnut, chilli, bacon or smoked chicken. IDR 28K (Origin: Napoli)

Not based on origins:
6. Alfredo: Cream, cheddar, butter, parsley, nutmeg, bacon or smoked chicken IDR 35K
7. Margherita: Homemade tomato sauce, cherry tomato, basil, mozzarella, and oregano. IDR 28K
8. Salmon Cream: Salmon, cream, onion, lemon, and dill. IDR 35K 
9. Tuna Mayo: Tuna, onion, homemade tomato sauce, mayonnaise, and oregano. IDR 28K
10. Tuna Lemon: Tuna, lemon, extra virgin live oil, walnut, and basil. IDR 28K

So now let's talk about the pastas I tried that day.

Penne Alfredo - IDR 35K

Sorry for the-not-so-appetizing food pics. It was kind of late at night, and I'm not good taking pics in low-light situation. The pasta was cooked perfectly, al-dente. To some people it might be a bit hard and some would say the pasta is under-cooked, but al-dente in its original meaning isn't mushy pasta. But still you can ask for the pasta to be cooked a little more soft if you prefer.
The use of cream was just in the perfect amount, so it's not heavy or over creamy and certainly didn't make me feel nauseated. The bacon was pretty generous too and nicely seasoned.

Penne Bolognese - IDR 35K

On other pasta-serving restaurants, Bolognese is identical with overwhelming bolognese sauce, but here you won't find that. Using 100% homemade tomato sauce with no sweetener or preservatives. The minced beef and bacon topping was quite plentiful too. Though I was kinda hoping for a bit more pinch of salt. It's only my own preference though. The overall taste was good.

Spaghetti Tuna Lemon - IDR 28K

The Tuna Lemon came surprisingly nice for me. Actually I never had this kind of pasta anywhere. Call me old-fashioned, the kind of pasta I usually order would be Bolognese though recently it has shifted to Aglio Olio.
The smoky after-taste coming from the roasted walnut was a sensation like I've never felt before, in a positive way though. The tuna was cooked perfectly and seasoned nicely too. One thing was missing maybe the punch of lemon. If it was a little more lemony, or could be more acidic and tangy then it would be really nice.

Penne Salmon Cream - IDR 35K

The champion of the day! Well, at least for me. I love salmon and this dish didn't let me down. The salmon was fresh. You can obviously see from the pinky color that it is cooked to perfection. The cream was light and tasty too. Seriously, best salmon on a pasta dish for me so far. My compliments to the Chef please..

Twinings Four Red Fruits - IDR 10K

Lime Juice - IDR 5K

The drinks I tried were basically nothing special. Basillica use Twinings tea and Nutrisari. So my hope for the future is that Basillica will have something Italian also for the drinks, to go side by side with the genuine pasta dishes.

Overall conclusion, there is a saying "don't judge the book by its cover" and I think it's pretty obvious to be applied to Basillica. It may not come in a fancy package, air-conditioned room or neat interior, but it packs a punch of seriously good dishes.
Affordable prices come with quality. So it's a good deal you'll get here at the end of the day. Certainly I find many reasons to come back and try other pasta flavors.
Curious enough of how a genuine Italian pasta should taste? Then you better get it here!

Keep on chewing!

Jazzy Dee

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Basillica – Italian Pasta

Komplek Warung Tenda WGP lot. 28

Phone: 0818138884

Jl. Raya Bulevar Blok CN I Kelapa Gading, Jakarta Utara

Open: Daily (except Tuesday) 18.00-23.00