Oxford has been longing for a dedicated pasta spot and when I heard that 100% pasta had opened, I was so eager to try it. It was the perfect spot for our Oxford foodies monthly meal out.
100% Pasta is the sister company of B-Buona and given I was already a fan of B-Buona, I went in with high expectations. The best part is that they are located right next to each other, so whether you are in the mood for pizza or pasta, it’s right there!
Okay, let’s get into it!
My drink choice was a Hugo Spritz (my fave kind of Spritz) and Chiara went for a Peroni Rosso (not that easy to find in the UK so this was a win!) Others went for Aperols too. I bloody love a Hugo Spritz, it is so refreshing, and anything with elderflower is a winner for me. Chiara had proper nostalgia when she saw Peroni Rosso on the menu- took her straight back to Italy!
Bear in mind that there is quite a vast menu so you will likely do what we did – take forever to make a decision, but we got there in the end!
Chiara and Gemma kicked off with the stuffed and fried zucchini flowers for starters; served as two per portion. These were super crispy, light and fresh – the perfect appetite boost to share with someone. The ricotta was dreamy and creamy.
Moving swiftly on to the pasta
I went for the simple pesto with rigatoni. Topped off with pine nuts, I enjoyed this. The pasta was perfectly cooked al dente (as it always should be) and the portion size was just right. The only thing I would say is that it could have been done with a bit more pesto.
After seeing Chiara’s pasta come out, I may or may not have regretted my main course choice.
Chiara went for the pistacchio pesto, served with paccheri and burrata. This was delicious. It was creamy but not in a sickly way, which can sometimes be the case. Earthy, fresh and something a little different. Definitely something Chiara would order again. Some fresh chopped pistachios sprinkled over the dish would have been the cherry on top.
Dolce time!
Since I was dealing with pistacchio FOMO, I went for the pistacchio ice cream, with pistacchio cream on top and wrapped in fresh pistacchio (yes I over-compensated). This is a no-brainer for any pistacchio lovers, just delicious. Do bear in mind that it is just essentially pistacchio gelato, therefore if you want something more exciting, one of the other dessert options might be better.
Chiara had the pistacchio rum baba (clearly in her pistacchio era) which is a small cake soaked in rum and filled with pistachio custard. This was delicious. It could have easily been devoured without the pistachio cream but pistachio is never a bad thing! The cake was so light and not overwhelming at all. I was fortunate enough that Chiara was defeated and I got to finish the rest (insert evil laugh)- highly reccommend!
The décor is very retro and authentic with old photos from Italy across the restaurant. They have seating both inside and out. A great casual spot, which feels like your typical Italian pasta joint.
As I mentioned, there are so many options on the menu and they also offer gluten-free pasta. There are quite a few dishes on the menu that cater to any dietary requirements.
The service was great! Mateo looked after us very well throughout the whole meal. He added that classic Italian quirkiness to give us a full rounded, authentic Italian experience!
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