- Words by Jane Zatylny Photography by Don Denton

As I pull into the Saanich shopping centre dominated by HomeSense and Designer Shoe Warehouse, I find Lot 1 Pasta Bar beside a hair salon called Kharma. That91裸聊视频檚 got to be a good sign for a business, I think, as I enter the casually sophisticated space.

Owned and operated by the folks behind the Bin 4 Burger Lounge empire, Lot 1 opened at this location in the Island Home Centre in 2016 and has a similar, think-outside-the-box mission. Bin 4 invites British Columbians to 91裸聊视频渞ethink your burger,91裸聊视频� while Lot 191裸聊视频檚 concept reimagines traditional Italian recipes.

91裸聊视频淲e saw an opportunity in the Saanich area for great pasta and shared plates,91裸聊视频� says Chef Michael Ringland, who defines his approach as simple but creative. 91裸聊视频淲e wanted to bring something different with the pasta we make daily, and to pair it with ingredients and sauces that we also make in house, whether they be classic dishes or something we91裸聊视频檝e put a twist on,91裸聊视频� he says.

The Moroccan chicken rigatoni most definitely falls into the latter category.

91裸聊视频淲e wanted options that weren91裸聊视频檛 just Italian,91裸聊视频� explains Michael.

The dish is a fusion of flavours and textures and reminds me of a Moroccan chicken tagine, with its traditional spices, such as cumin, ginger, cinnamon and coriander.

The fresh rigatoni is served in a sauce of coconut milk with softened onion, red-pepper ribbons, free-range chicken and chopped cashew pieces.

91裸聊视频淲e use coconut milk instead of whipping cream, so the dish can be made vegan if the chicken is removed,91裸聊视频� says Michael.

These gorgeous glossy noodles take on a pale yellow hue from the spices and are served perfectly al dente, while the chicken pieces are lightly scented, moist and flavourful. The soft red pepper strips offer a flash of colour to the dish, while the cashews add a pleasing crunch to every forkful.

91裸聊视频淚 tried to bring a little bit of ethnicity to this menu, whether it91裸聊视频檚 from the Moroccan chicken pasta or the pork belly appetizer with sriracha aioli and fennel slaw, or simply putting a little twist on a classic pasta like carbonara,91裸聊视频� says Michael. 91裸聊视频淚 do love the simplicity of Italian cuisine, but hopefully people can appreciate the twists I like to incorporate into the menu.91裸聊视频�

For my second dish, I turned to the beloved Italian classic91裸聊视频攇loriously rich carbonara pasta. Here, the changes to the classic recipe are subtle but significant: 91裸聊视频淭raditionally, carbonara wouldn91裸聊视频檛 have the onions, chili flakes or prawns in it,91裸聊视频� says Michael. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e also been able to source a very good pancetta from Two Rivers Meats.91裸聊视频�

The onions are cooked slowly to order with olive oil, butter, the pancetta and its rendered fat, he says: 91裸聊视频淲e flavour the sauce with a bit of white wine, add fresh prawns, then finish the dish with the traditional egg yolk and fresh Italian parsley and basil.91裸聊视频�

Served over freshly made spaghetti, the dish is again cooked to perfection and very, very flavourful.

Aside from its pasta dishes, Lot 1 also features several dishes to share, like the peppercorn-crusted Wagyu carpaccio with fried capers, the Salt Spring Island mussels with local chorizo, white wine and sun-dried tomatoes, and the Little Qualicum Cheeseworks baked brie plate.

91裸聊视频淲e want our dining room to be comfortable and inviting, whether guests are coming in to enjoy a glass of wine and an appetizer or two or a family coming in for a pasta dinner,91裸聊视频� says Michael.

These dishes are so generously portioned, I thought, 91裸聊视频淕reat91裸聊视频攖here is enough here for my dinner and my lunch tomorrow.91裸聊视频� Nope. I just couldn91裸聊视频檛 manage to save a portion with either dish91裸聊视频攖hey were that good.

I pass along my comments to Michael and ask him what sort of feedback he likes to hear from his customers.

91裸聊视频淭he simple answer would be for everyone to think that my food tastes great, but it91裸聊视频檚 not only about that,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淔or me the best compliment would be for someone to appreciate the thought and care that is put into each and every dish that we put on our menus, whether it91裸聊视频檚 about the ingredients we use, the presentation of the dish or of course the flavour.91裸聊视频�

I would say he91裸聊视频檚 succeeded on all three points. There91裸聊视频檚 nothing but good karma here.

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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