Altered Beast

Friday was a bright beautiful day with temperature in the mid-teens, perfect for one last sit at a patio. Yesterday, I went to Dosa Mahal for a vegan lunch and made myself some pasta in the evening. So I thought I would visit Beast Bodega, a small restaurant at King and Tecumseth, to try some "Indian pasta".

Normally, I don't frequent a place like Beast anymore. Chef Scott Vivian reveled in meat-heavy items which don't match up with my mostly plant-based diet. But he recently posted on social media about a Cavatelli Masala Bolognese ($26) dish to honour his Indian mother and Italian father. According to the description, it had garlic, ginger, ghee, cumin seeds, asafoetida, san marzano tomatoes, and other ingredients.

I sat down at a small table with a Blood Brothers pale ale ($5) in hand. I was expecting the entrée to have strong contrast (similar to Rasta Pasta) but I couldn't really taste the South Asian flavour. So I had to judge it based on its Mediterranean merits. Firstly, it had less ground brisket, chuck, and sauce than in the posted photo. This made for an anemic topping compared to the typical stick-to-your-ribs Bolognese sauce. Secondly, the pasta shells were 30 seconds on the wrong side of al dente. I would normally give these small missteps a pass but this dish was $8-10 dollars more than Enoteca Sociale's. It was even pricier than Piano Piano ($24). After my meal, I was reminded that I had been on the look-out for a real "homey Bolognese" place after I read an article on this sauce.