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I almost always post photos of the food I eat and one of them was a pot of mussels dad and I had finished the other night. It was followed the next day with another photo of the lunch we had, which also included mussels. The pictures got my sister craving a little for mussels, and when I told her that one Il Porto had her favourite pasta, the Puttanesca, she was all in for a stroll to Brewers Quay. 

We head there for dinner this time and the entrance was still a little dim even with the lights on. The waiters still happy and really friendly. I spotted the chef, who looked as grumpy as he did before, but smiled a little when he realised dad and I returned with more people in tow. The waiter who served us before brought the specials board over and got our drinks order while we decided on what to eat. 

Other than the mussels and Linguine Puttanesca (that came with spaghetti instead), we decided on getting a Scallop and Prawn pasta that was listed on their specials board, as well as a Spaghetti Bologna. The food did not disappoint, and the mussels were actually fatter and sweeter than the ones we had for our previous visit. Must have been something about the change in weather that made all the seafood a lot sweeter, and the seafood dishes were all on the specials boards, so they must be there for that good reason. 

The pastas arrived a little later and my sister was really happy with her the puttanesca. She would have probably finished the whole plate by herself if she did not intend to try the other pastas, or eaten half the bowl of mussels already. The pasta had little bits of anchovies, was randomly dotted with capers, and had enough olives for every forkful. The sauce clung nicely to the pasta, and every mouthful was had a slightly different intensity of flavours from the next. The sauce for the spaghetti bologna was different but just as rich, cut through by the acidity from tomatoes, which balanced perfectly against the sweetness from the meat, onions and garlic. 

One thing I love about their pastas is that the sauces are not too watery and you get all the sauce you need clinging to every mouthful of pasta. No need for extra bread, a spoon, or worry about splattering sauce all over your clothes. 

The last dish was one of the specials for the day, done simply with just garlic, basil and white wine for the sauce. I loved this dish the most as I prefer my oil-based sauces most. Give me an Aglio Olio over any tomato, pesto or cream sauce any day (and everyday)! The only bad thing was the breadcrumb mix on the scallop had absorbed a little too much alcohol, which gave a shocking sharp assault to the nasal passage. Well that was easily resolved by pushing the mixture aside and just enjoying the lovely scallop beneath. 

Dinner had to end with their tiramisu, and since dad said he could finish one by himself, we decided to have two orders of it. 

Om Nom Nom....