Terrace on the Square
Churchill Square
Ph. 739-5818
Some basements are insipid and boring. However, the lower level of Terrace on the Square, Churchill Square, is by far the most interesting part of the building. That’s where you’ll find Pasta Plus – one of four places at Terrace to snag a quick lunch, comprising (in addition to Pasta Plus) a coffee shop, burger joint, and gourmet sandwich counter. Recently, I chose Pasta Plus for my midday meal.
The “plus” turned out to be quite a selection of non-pasta
items. Menu categories included soups and salads, appetizers (like hummus and
sun dried tomato, as well as artichoke dip), curries and kormas, open-faced
sandwiches, stews, stir-fries, Mexican fare, pizzas, and pastas (including
filled and baked).
My friends and I started with something to whet the whistle.
House wines included whites and reds from Oakridge and Concha y Toro. I like
Australian and Chilean wines, but in this match-up the Conch y Toro
cabernet/merlot blend won. Both wines lacked structure but the Oakridge
cabernet was too tenuous and unsatisfying. Not only that, it was served way
above standard room temperature.
Pasta Plus featured rooms with dark wood panel wainscoting,
beige colored walls, tasteful hanging lamps, several cozy booths, doorways
accented by diaphanous curtains, and blackboards inscribed with daily specials.
Many years ago, the Russians invented a beet soup called
borscht. Pasta Plus makes a respectable version served with sour cream and fresh,
soft white bread on the side. I eagerly plunked my sour cream into the middle
of the red liquid and then scooped up a spoonful of the cream and soup combo.
The essence of the earthy beets liased beautifully with the sharp, velvety
richness of the sour cream. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Pasta P.’s vegetable curry is prepared with a choice of
several vegetables and legumes. You can make three choices from the list of
various combinations. I chose hot chickpeas, red lentils, and a mix of potato
and cauliflower. Unfortunately, without explanation, mine arrived sans the
potato/cauliflower mixture. Consequently the dish lacked some of the texture I
was looking for. However, the flavours were authentic and some seasoned rice
that came with it, not to mention fabulous banana/date chutney that sat on the
side, enhanced the dish. I could have scarfed down several portions of that
chutney. It was downright addictive.
My friend Theresa ordered the daily special. It was two
large cabbage rolls. They came with tomato sauce on top and rice piled beneath.
I don’t think they’d match your mom’s but they had good flavour, despite being
a little dry.
The Caesar salads were served with a wedge of lemon on top.
They were crisp and garlicky.
I had been looking forward to tasting the chicken and
mushroom crepe but, frankly, it left me cold. It came with a sauce (billed as
“creamy”) that resembled canned chicken gravy, salty and stodgy. I couldn’t
detect any cream. The crepe itself was pasty and lacking in character. To me,
the crepe had a “previously frozen” and mass-produced taste about it. Also,
bizarrely (in my view) we were offered freshly grated Parmesan to “go over” the
crepe. (Please God, let that be an absent-minded mistake on the server’s part.)
Clearly, what Pasta Plus does well is “pasta.” Take, for
example, their extraordinary seafood pasta medley. I really enjoyed my bowl of
spinach fettuccine laced with a rich herb flavoured olive oil, infused with the
mellow scent of cooked garlic. On top of it, around it, and playing
hide-and-seek underneath in a shallow pool of fragrant soup containing olive
oil and Mediterranean flavours were succulent morsels of halibut, salmon,
shrimps, and bay scallops. Try it with a few dashes of freshly cracked black
pepper. You’ll love it. I wished I’d had more bread to mop up the stain of
liquid remaining in the bottom of my bowl.
My friend Linda had a baked pasta dish called casareccia. It
was a mixture of tubular pasta, mozzarella cheese, and spicy Italian sausage.
It was meaty, peppery, cheesy comfort food, like a dressed-up mac and cheese.
We finished with an almost perfect dessert. It was a fresh
fruit crepe, filled with scoops of vanilla ice cream and surrounded by pieces
of fresh fruit (including banana and kiwi). The crepe was covered with a
strawberry coulis. It would have been perfect, except for the ho-hum crepe that
had exactly the same flaws as the crepe I mentioned earlier.
I left Pasta Plus feeling satisfied but most of my
satisfaction stemmed from the seafood pasta medley I had enjoyed so much. It is
obviously a successful restaurant with some definite menu gems; but there are a
few weak items, like the chicken and mushroom crepe, that need fixing.
Perhaps they should think about scaling back the number of
choices on their “packed to the gunwales” menu. It may look impressive to the
hungry punter; but when you encounter a stodgy crepe instead of brilliant
seafood pasta, he or she won’t care a fig if the menu offers six things or
sixty.
My lunch for one at Pasta Plus, including a glass of wine
and tip, cost $50.90.
Best Points:
Pasta Plus has a friendly, cozy atmosphere and congenial
servers. Their seafood pasta medley
indicates a restaurant with talent in the kitchen and lots
of potential.
Areas for Improvement:
Their crepes have a few problems. They should have a fresher and more delicate taste.
Ratings Category:
My overall good experience at Pasta Plus results in a rating
of 7.5 points out of 10.