S'poreans share their core memories of dining at PastaMania

Whatever your age, chances are, you might have very fond memories of PastaMania.

Launched in 1998, this homegrown (that’s right, PastaMania started as a humble food court stall in the now-demolished Scotts Shopping Centre) restaurant chain has played an outsized role in our collective growing up years. 

Now with 17 dine-in outlets in Singapore and its presence in seven other countries, the famed PastaMan has served more than 45 million pastas and counting, filling our bellies with an extensive selection of affordable, delectable pasta dishes for the past 25 years.

Looking back, what memories do people have of this 25-year-old Italian casual dining chain? 

Simpler, schooling days

29-year-old CT’s best memory of PastaMania is the regular outings there with her junior college classmates. 

PastaMania, to her, represents the simplicity and joy of her schooling days. There’s a reason why PastaMania is popular among students even to this day—affordable fare in air-conditioned comfort isn’t always easy to come by. 

It’s also halal-certified, pointed out CT, which means that it can cater to a wider group of friends. 

CT recalled a particularly heartwarming incident at PastaMania that happened during Ramadan. 

“We went to PastaMania to break fast with our Muslim classmate. We got seated at 6-ish I think and everyone ordered very promptly. Then we all proceeded to all sit in silence as we waited like 20 mins for the sun to set, before we could break fast and food could be served lmao. I realised the tables around us were all doing the same. It was a first for me and I found it quite interesting.”

CT’s favourite dish was the Mushroom Cream Pasta, now known as Truffle Trio. “We could customise the sauce and pasta type, but this is always my favourite combination,” she said.

Sweet spot between casual dining and elevated cuisine

 For 34-year-old Sulaiman and 26-year-old Michelle, the thing that they enjoy the most about PastaMania is its food. 

The pasta and pizza dishes are cooked a la minute (prepared and cooked upon ordering) using quality ingredients like fresh mushrooms and roma tomatoes from Italy. The portion sizes are also generous with lots of toppings. 

Michelle likes PastaMania for its affordability and variety. 

Her favourite is the Seafood Tom Yum Pasta, which hits the sweet spot between casual dining and elevated cuisine. 

It’s very accessible to the masses, but it’s not your typical food court fare. 

Variety-wise, Michelle loves that PastaMania’s range is wide enough to cater to different customers. If a traditional pomodoro or marinara isn’t really your thing, you have the option of going for fusion dishes like her favourite Seafood Tom Yum (they even have Seafood Mala these days!). 

Sulaiman, on the other hand, loves the Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Pasta, Mozzarella Sticks, and Hot Basil Chicken Pizza. 

To him, they represent comfort food; food which he grew up eating, and still relishes after all these years. 

It’s also, in his mind, healthier than deep fried food, which he also enjoys.

A place for families to create memories

For the Sng family, PastaMania used to be a place for them to make memories together. 

The family used to eat at PastaMania every week after their grocery run. 

Albert, 59, said that his best memory of PastaMania is seeing his children’s smiles whenever they ate there. 

Margaret, his wife, recalled how their kids loved spamming grated cheese on all their pizza and pasta.

“After finishing the bottle of cheese, the kids still asked for more. It was as if they drank cheese.” 

Aside from the abundance of grated cheese, PastaMania was a popular choice for the family because of its affordability and variety too. The parents recalled feasting on Beef Bolognese, Carbonara, Mushroom Soup, Choco Banana Pizza dessert and more. 

More importantly, PastaMania is kid-friendly, which makes it a popular choice not just for the Sngs, but other families too. The option to customise not just the pasta but also the type of sauce is sure to satisfy even the fussiest eaters. 

PastaMania’s 25th anniversary celebrations

As the homegrown brand celebrates 25 years of serving up pasta-licious delights, it has amazing treats lined up for you. 

All new and existing TriplePlus members can anticipate the following monthly promotions. If you do not have an account already, sign up for the free TriplePlus membership, Commonwealth Concepts’ loyalty program, to enjoy these special deals!

From Oct.1 - 31, TriplePlus members will be gifted a 25 Year Feasting Voucher Pack consisting of:

• 1 X S$25 off min. spend of $100 (Valid for 6 months only)
• 1 X S$2.50 Carafe drink with min. purchase of 1 main (Valid in October only)
• 1 X S$2.50 off any pasta (Valid in October only)
• 1 X S$2.50 off any Pizza (Valid in October only)

 That’s not all, TriplePlus members who are diehard fans of PastaMania, can get their hands on this first ever, limited edition PastaMania tote bag when they spend a minimum of S$25 with a Mastercard. This promotion runs from November onwards, while stocks last:

Thanks to this sponsored article by PastaMania, this writer started craving aglio olio. 

Top images: Great Deals Singapore, PastaMania.