Say Pasta

My family and I visited Say Pasta Wimbledon last night on recommendation from friends. I can tell you now that we were not disappointed. We had a wonderful meal, The Cape Special Pizza was outstanding, the flavours intense and so exotic. The service was efficient and friendly considering they were extremely busy and they desserts were really just the icing on the cake. They were all homemade and the three we shared were scrumptious.

I am quite suprised at the review from Barry and can only say our experience at Say Pasta was very different from his. Perhaps he needs to revisit, this time taking his prozac before deciding to dine out!!!
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Karen Hopkins
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, June 23, 2008

Since opening 9 months ago to no fanfare, and utter ambivalence, Say Pasta has sailed a steady course of utter mediocrity and gone-with-the-wind-matinee levels of attendance. It is amazing that the busiest the restaurant has ever been was when it was flooded - there were a team of four workmen in the restaurant for 3 weeks...every day! To get an idea of the levels of patronism, simply go three doors down to Strada, count the number of occupied tables, and divide by 10. Really - do it. It has been a huge source of hilarity amongst local diners in the area - not because we are spiteful snobs, but an eatery has got to really stink to be that empty on the doorstep of such a captive audience.

But enough of the abstract criticism, what's the place really like? Well, after months of mirth, chuckling at the tumbleweed blowing across the floor, we decided to put our money where our mouth is, booked an ambulance, packed a catheter, and struck out for Say Pasta.

My grandmother once told me you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. If they put just half the effort they do into the hyperbole and precociousnous contained on his oversized mirrored 'specials board' or his irritating 'neighbours coffee shop' decor, he might be half way to paying off the debt sustained by the miserable failure of the Islington Say pasta. But he hasn't.

Lime green sits next to putrid purple leaving what can only be described as an uncomfortable visual fart in one's mouth. Make no mistake, this decor is a visual toothache; sitting in that room for more than ten minutes made me feel dizzy, aggressive, hungover and delirious. Or maybe that was the three-week old parmesan that was spooned onto my pizza.

My partner had limp linguine covered in a tomato sauce that reminded me of my first school dinners (the ones that had to travel an hour in the back of a green van before dished out to us hungry scoundrels in the gym). When it comes to pasta with passion, the motto is evidently "if it doesn't taste great, cook it again"

I went out on a limb with the Banana Boy: a banana and bacon pizza. Now I'd like to say that the chef then revealed himself as the Heston Blumenthal of Battersea Rise, with a hitherto undiscovered, but delicious, combination. Unfortunately not. He just revealed himself as profoundly incompetent. The crinkles in the "fresh" base of my pizza looked suspiciously like imprints from a Dr Oetker polystyrene base, and mirrored the now-deepening frown lines on my tear-stained faced. Initial hilarity had now given way to despair, and a genuine fear for my lower intestine. Please, make it stop. Please.

I went onto the Say pasta website where Carl tells us how it took him 2 YEARS to win over the wallet of John, his wiley financial backer. If the number of covers the restaurant is bringing in each night is becoming hard to chew he should have tried the chorizo in my partner's pasta sauce. It was like processed spam, re-cooked, just the way his grandma and her friends like it (biltong). Truly horrible when you were expecting the kind of sauce served by metroPizza Metro or Buenoseura and Numero Ono, serious italian restaurants round the corner.

The only positive reviews seem to have come from the antipodean nannies who fill up the loft extensions of SW11’s wealthy young thirtysomethings. Yes, the place is cheap, but then so is centre parcs, the only difference being the food there is better.

Say Pasta. Say Pizza. Just say no (with passion).
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Barry
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, May 19, 2008

Say Pasta is a great little place; admittedly favoured for it's value for money, the food is generous and hearty and the service is always quick. My only complaint is that the place is always very quiet - few other people seem to have discovered this gem. Though perhaps not the ideal setting for a romantic meal, or a very special occasion it is a great restaurant for evenings out on a budget, or a family get together. Highly recommended
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Jennifer
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Say Pasta...Say Average..if that...exactly the sort of restaurant i hate...i think my wife chose it out of spite! One good thing though they forgot to charge us for the wine...
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ian spencer
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 3
Thursday, February 14, 2008

The pizza here is excellent and I've been there twice recently with my partner and friends. I've also happily recommended friends to visit and they've said the same. Value for money is hard to beat and even their house wine is great.
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Andy
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Thursday, October 25, 2007

I ate at Say Pasta last week. I wasn't that impressed. The venue isn't very realxing. There was a noisy buzzing from the lights too!The garlic bread had only a trace of garlic and the pasta sauce I had wasn't juicy enough, so tasted dry and was an effort to eat. I did take the remainder home and added some cherry tomoatos and it was delicious. Probably won't go again.
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Andy
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Sunday, October 07, 2007

Although it's time in London has only been short [opening Islington mid April] I've already been to Say Pasta 3-4 times. The food is incredibe, the staff lovely and fun, and so competitively priced. For 2 people you can have a main, a bottle of wine and dessert each for less than £17pp. The house white, Say White, is easily consumed but when you get to the cheese-cake you'll want every mouthful for yourself.

My fav pasta dish has been the Seafood Linguine. Ample serving of seafood and just delish! I have 2 fav pizzas - the Safari and Say Pizza. Lucky they do halves!

The interiors are also lovely - v cool lights that coil from the ceiling, candles throughout the restaurant and wine glasses that you'd have in your own kitchen at home [not short, stumpy, thick-rimmed numbers].... all adding to the experience.
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Frances
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Had dinner at Say Pasta the other night and was very impressed. The food was fantastic - I had a pizza that was load with rocket and parma ham, delicious! A word of advice - save some room for the desserts, which are to die for. At the end of the meal I got a shock with the bill - very low for this standard of food!
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John Marsh - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, May 08, 2007