I’ve come to rely on Pizzaface for their reliably redolent Italian indulgences since their opening about four years ago, and their menu hasn’t changed much over the years. Except for this new addition to their simple, straightforward menu, the Granchio ($24++).

It’s pretty far from the traditional granchio pasta, which has crabmeat instead of mussels in it (cue the screaming Italian grandmothers in the background). Other than the mussels, there’s astonishingly al dente pasta and stunningly sweet cherry tomatoes tossed in olive oil and mirin. It’s a simple recipe, but quite unbreakable.

The only problem I had with this plate of pasta was that there was too much mirin added in and not burned off properly, resulting in an unpleasant pungency and an overly sweet aftertaste. Due to the excess mirin, there was a reservoir of mirin and olive oil at the bottom of the plate as well.

Nevertheless, it’s still a palatable plate of pasta. The mussels are considerably clean and fresh, with a nice sweetness tinging the naturally briny taste. The linguine was absolutely al dente, and those cherry tomatoes are excellent explosive little packages of sweetness every time you chomp down into one of them.

Even though Pizzaface’s Concourse outlet was getting absolutely slammed on the Saturday night I went, fantastic food came out of the kitchen swiftly, and the waitstaff were always absolutely amiable. With food and service this excellent, I’m truly glad that this local born F&B joint hasn’t just managed to survive and break even, but they’ve managed to live long and prosper.