Category

Italian

Category

There’s a lot of small businesses popping up all over Instagram. I usually decline, but my friends highly recommended the different Food Affare dishes.

Leah of Food Affare is a Red Seal Certified Chef with up to date food safe certifications. All the dishes are created in her home, but I felt safe knowing she has extensive knowledge in the food industry. She started in the hotel industry specializing in Italian cuisine, but a few years ago, she took a step back to focus on balancing family life. She continued working as a chef in the school system, but itching to do something more her style.

With the pandemic, she got the chance to experiment with creating new dishes for friends and family. They nudged her to get Food Affare going and that how it was born.

Menu

How to Order and Pick Up

You can contact them via Direct Message on Instagram or email foodaffare@gmail.com. Then you let them know your details, order, and pick up date.

They do require an e-transfer ahead of the pick up.

Their pick up is Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Richmond near No 5 Road and Steveston.

Mushroom Ravioli

It is on Buerre Noisette with blistered tomatoes, parmesan petals, reduced wine couli, fried capers and olive oil. It’s a pretty solid ravioli dish. Love love love the mushrooms.

Mentaiko Kimchi Udon

The dish has pork belly, onsen egg, and topped with Katsuboshi and scallions. That onsen egg was so good. It adds extra creaminess to the udon.

Slowly Simmered Classic Beef Bolognese

I really enjoyed this dish a lot. So classic but executed very well. It is topped with shaved Regianno in Rigatoni pasta al dente. Great portion size too.

If you have kids, this will be a smash hit with them. My little kid enjoyed it a lot.

Final Thoughts

I would recommend eating it right when you get home for maximum enjoyment when the dish is warm and doesn’t need to be reheated. We had 3 dishes and we enjoyed them a lot. You can tell she doesn’t cut corners at all. Everything is fresh and very flavourful.

The prices are very fair, so it’s you are close to No 5 and Steveston, definitely check them out.

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/foodaffare/

Dine Out Vancouver is upon us and Italian Kitchen by the Glowbal Group is participating again this year with their $45 dinner menu including an appetizer, entree, and dessert. There is also option for wine pairings as well.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Italian Kitchen and the new location sets the mood with its Italian charm. We were invited to have a sneak peek of the Dine Out Vancouver menu before the festival begins. We tried all the dishes to help you make an informed decision.

Menu

Interior

There are different seating areas in the restaurant. It’s a nice space for all sorts of occasions. They can seat small to large groups which is nice.

Focaccia

The meals starts with complimentary focaccia, olive oil and balsamic. A nice nibble to begin the meal.

Confit of Duck Salad

There is a bed of grilled radicchio, roasted fennel & beets, watercress, spelt, and orange balsamic vinaigrette. The confit duck is a bit dry on the outside, but it is tender inside. Great portion size for an appetizer.

Risotto Milanese

The risotto has asparagus, shrimp and crispy artichokes. The shrimp are nice and plump, and the crispy artichokes add great texture. The risotto itself was a tad on the salty side. Nonetheless, it was still very enjoyable.

Galletto al Mattone

This dish has a salt brick pressed half Maple Hills Farm chicken marinated with herbs, garlic & lemon, and served with smashed herb potatoes. I really enjoyed this dish a lot. The chicken was moist and the skin had so much flavour. I was very impressed. Great portion size too.

Filetto di Branzino

The dish has sauteed mediterranean bass filet with blistered cherry tomatoes, calabrese olives, peppers, and basil. The Branzino has a lovely crust on its skin. The tomatoes, olives, and pappers paired nicely with it. It’s not as filling as the chicken option, but this dish was well executed.

Ravioli Cacio e Pere

The ravioli is stuffed with pear and stracciatella and topped with black pepper & pecorino, and arugula. Don’t be shy to have more cheese added on top, so no shame in having more cheese. Of all the entrees, this was my least favourite. It’s a good dish, but I just thought the other proteins were well executed.

Butterscotch Budino

This decadent dessert has the base of the butterscotch pudding and topped with dark chocolate sauce, chantilly cream and a pistachio crumble. This was absolutely delicious. Very generous portion size and that dark chocolate sauce balanced out the butterscotch pudding. Not to sweet either, which was fantastic.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I was really impressed by the $45 menu at Italian Kitchen. Great value and you won’t be disappointed. If you’re looking for an Italian restaurant for Dine Out Vancouver, definitely check it out. My favourites were the risotto and chicken dishes.

Make sure to get reservations so you don’t get disappointed.

Address:
860 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://glowbalgroup.com/italiankitchen/

Bufala has opened up their newest location in the Edgemont neighbourhood in North Vancouver and has an expanded concept compared to their first location is in Kerrisdale. They are best known of their pizza and Italian fare.

They are part of the Gooseneck Hospitality Group that owns Bells & Whistles, Wildebeast, and Lucky Taco. We were invited to check out their signature items as well as the beautiful space.

Interior

The space is quite nice and it can seat small to large groups. You’ll definitely want to make reservations to ensure a seat for your party.

Dante’s Garibaldi Campari

We started the night off with Dante’s Garibaldi Campari which is made with orange juice and Campari. They use freshly pressed juice of one whole orange. It was fruity, refreshing and easy to drink.

Arancini

Arancini are fried risotto balls, but this one has mushroom risotto and Mozzarella. A great appetizer to share and its nice and heavy for the Winter. Not too greasy either, but fragrant and full of delicious savoury mushroom. It is served with a smokey aioli dip.

Caesar

A solid kale caesar made of baby kale, Parmigiano, anchovy, and bacon. A good accompaniment to the meal. It’s lighter and will go with the heavier dishes later in the meal.

Meatballs

A classic dish at any Italian eatery. It is made of beef and pork, marinara sauce, Parmigiano, and Sourdough. Delicious and you can’t go wrong.

Rigatoni

The rigatoni has their beef and pork bolognese, and topped with Parmigiano. It was cooked perfectly as the pasta was al dente with great flavours.

Ravioli

The ravioli is filled with ricotta, sage, lemon, and parmigiano. The ravioli are shaped like medallions and tasted really good. The filling was very nice with the hint of lemon.

Caponata

This pizza has eggplant, burnt orange, fried capers, and marinara sauce. This pizza is vegan, so no cheese at all. The pizza dough was great with a bit of chew to it. Very surprising because usually vegan pizza dough at other places are hard and crunchy.

Finocchiona

This pizza has fennel sausage, caramelized onions, green olives, smoked provolone, and marinara sauce. This one was one of our favourites. It has a good combination of ingredients.

Bone Marrow

How decadent to have bone marrow on a pizza. There is roasted bone marrow, Cotechino sausage, leeks, mushrooms, parsley, and Bianco sauce. You can take the bone marrow and spread it on the pizza or on the crust. A good item to order if you love bone marrow.

Peace Country Lamb Shank

This has braised lamb shank, rosemary, and mushroom risotto. Wow, this was fall off the bone delicious. Very tender and super flavourful. Mushroom risotto paired very well too. Highly recommended.

Heritage Flatiron Steak

You get 7oz of Alberta Beef and it also has peperonata, and polenta. It is definitely a comfort food.

Artichokes

The artichokes are cooked with almond, romesco, and lemon. It’s definitely not for everyone. We felt it was quite sour.

Tiramisu

You gotta end the night with dessert. It is a pretty solid tiramisu with mascarpone, espresso, amaretto, and cookies.

Final Thoughts

The food is pretty solid and a great addition to the North Vancouver neighbourhood. They still have lots planned. Look out for weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and a patio in the near future.

Address:
3280 Edgemont Blvd, North Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.bufala.ca/edgemont

Robba da Matti recently opened a second location on the West End. It’s attached to the Buchan Hotel, located one block from Denman Street. The new location is much larger, with an elegant decor and an amazing patio.

I’m a fan of Robba da Matti Yaletown, so I was very excited to visit this location and came with high expectations.

The new spot elevates the experience even further. The street is lined with trees and as you get closer you can hear the din from patrons dining on the patio. Once through the door, you’re welcomed with glamorous warm decor and friendly staff.

Interior

The space is warm and welcoming. It feels as if all design and decor details were meticulously chosen. Rich warm colours and plush cushions adorn the interior.

Date Night Menu

We came for their Date Night Menu which lets you choose 2 antipasti, 2 fresh pastas and 2 desserts, plus a bottle of wine. It’s an amazing deal and is perfect for a date, a special occasion or a catch-up session with your favourite friend.

The dinner begins with your choice of ice or sparkling water. Kalamata olives in herbs and olive oil is served as you get your first sip of wine.

Antipasti: Burrata caprese and Mozzarella di bufala fritta

Robba da Matti take pride in their authentic Italian food. They offer fresh cheese and tomatoes, so we ordered it two ways.

Mozzarella di bufala fritta is bocconcini breaded and deep fried. If you’ve only ever had “mozza sticks” please try this to instantly feel as if you’ve been missing out on the real thing…until the very moment you savoured this dish.

Burrata caprese has fresh roma tomatoes and burrata mozzarella drizzled with basil infused olive oil from Puglia, Italy. The burrata had the perfect texture––it was solid enough to nibble, but was readily spreadable onto the bread.

Pasta: Spaghetti allo scoglio and Risotto alla pescatora

Spaghetti allo scoglio (spaghetti from the coastline) is a Venetian dish featuring fresh spaghetti tossed in chili and cherry tomatoes, then served with seafood including scallops, mussels, clams, tiger prawns and calamari. The pasta was perfectly cooked. Each bite was full of flavour and seafood.

Risotto alla pescatora (seafood risotto) is arborio rice with tiny scallops, calamari, tiger prawns, local mussels and clams. The risotto is creamy, the broth is full of flavour and they did not skimp on the seafood. It paired well with the Tolloy Pinot Grigio.

Dolci: Tiramisu and Chocolate mousse

I truly loved the chocolate mousse and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have it again.

The tiramisu is delightful and perfectly layered.

(Side note: I wondered if there’s a “proper” way to eat a tiramisu. Am I supposed to eat it from the top down? Surely not. Or should each bite maintain the layers? Maybe the layers are for show and I’m expected to mix the ingredients? Honestly, someone please let me know!)

The Bar

The main difference between this and their original Yaletown location is the dedicated bar area and bartender.

After the meal, we visited the bar and chatted with Yaver. He’s been a bartender for over 22 years, and spent most of it in jazz clubs in Istanbul. He believes good drinks and good music can elevate any dining experience.

Ending a meal with digestifs feels like a treat. I was intrigued to learn that Robba da Matti offers in-house infused digestifs in their West End location. The limoncello was tasty!

Perhaps having witnessed me devour the chocolate mousse, he suggested that I try the Nutella martini. I insisted on just having a sip…and it was so enjoyable that I have to come back again and get a full serving.

Final Thoughts

Robba da Matti West End maintains the same great taste and service as their Yaletown location. Their date night menu continues to be a great deal for authentic Italian food. Their beautiful patio, surrounded by greenery and nestled in the residential area of the West End, is this summer’s new best kept secret.

Address:
1906 Haro St, Vancouver, BC V6G 1H7

Website:
https://robbadamatti.com/

Marcello Ristorante and Pizzeria is an iconic restaurant on Commercial Drive for over 20 years with Chef Marcello being the first to bring handmade pasta to Vancouver. 

Commercial Drive aka Little Italy is a bustling part of town with great eateries and local shops for many many blocks. You can always find superb espressos, gelato, pizza and pasta on this street.

We were invited by Marcello Ristorante to get a taste of the different items on the menu.

Interior

They have a lot of indoor seating as well as some limited patio seats for small groups. Inside, they can seat a lot of people, but some of the tables are situated close to each other. I would suggest putting in a reservation to suit your needs. We had a stroller with us, so they made sure there was space.

Latte

I got a latte since I really needed some caffeine for the day.

Shirley Temple

They can make non-alcoholic drinks that aren’t on the menu. When I asked for a Shirley Temple, they had no issues making it at all. If you have a request, definitely ask the staff and they’ll try to make it happen if they have the ingredients on hand.

Frittura di calamari

This is deep fried baby squid and it comes in a huge portion. It is served with a slice of bread and tzatziki. They had a light crisp exterior and was pretty delicious. Don’t forget to squeeze the lemon all over for more of a citrus tang.

Caprese

The caprese has tomato, bocconcini, onion and capers with a light dressing. It is also served with a slice of bread too. It’s a good size for a group of 4 as there are 4 pieces. It’s not what I imagined, but perhaps its their own twist to a traditional caprese.

Ai quattro formaggi Gnocchi

This gnocchi is sautéed with 4 cheeses and broiled till it’s cheesy. The gnocchi is soft and fluffy, when paired with the cheese, its so good! I really enjoyed this.

Lasagna

The lasagna is prepared from scratch and baked in a ceramic dish. There are layers of spinach, noodles and meat sauce topped with bechamel. It is served with a side of bread. A good portion for one person, but we shared it among the table. It was delicious as well.

Funghi con Tartufo

This Fungi con Tartufo has a blend of cheese, mushroom, and truffle. This was really good. These 3 ingredients just meld so well together. Highly recommended.

Marcello

Their signature pizza named after Marcello has tomato sauce, mozzarella, anchovies, black olives, capers, and onion. It’s not a pizza for everyone as these pungent ingredients aren’t for all. You have the saltiness from the anchovies, while the olives are bitter and nutty.

We wanted to give this a try but didn’t jive with our taste buds.

Marscapone Cream

This essentially is Tiramisu in a cup. It’s very rich and decadent.

Panna Cotta

The panna cotta was a joy to eat. It was very smooth and went well with the cherries and whipped cream. Of the two desserts, we really enjoyed this.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a nice visit to Marcello Ristorante and Pizzeria as it’s been a staple in Little Italy for over 20 years. A few items that were a hit and miss, but we love the frittura di calamari, ai quattro formaggi gnocchi, funghi con tartufo, and the panna cotta.

Address:
1404 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://marcellopizzeria.com/

Water Street Cafe is located in Gastown right across the Steam clock. We highly recommend making reservations and requesting a window seat. They have been around since 1988 serving up Canadian and Italian inspired dishes on the menu. We came here for dinner to check out the space and a few items on the menu with my husband.

Calamari Fritti

The deep-fried calamari is served with fried jalapeno, red onion, lemon pepper, and garlic aioli. The calamari was very crisp on the outside and the inside was tender and not chewy at all. A pretty well executed dish.

Burrata Caprese

This is made of burrata, heirloom and roma tomato, basil, salsa verde, white balsamic glaze, sun dried tomato pesto, chive oil, and himalayan pink salt. It’s not a large dish but the quality of the ingredients are great. The burrata is so delicious and creamy. One of my favourite cheeses.

Chef’s Amuse Bouche

The Chef made us something extra as a taster before the entrees. These was salad and sauces that complimented the seared scallops.

Chef’s Daily Creation – Proscuitto Wrapped Salmon with 2 Lime Prawns 

This is served with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. It was a good portion size but the salmon was a tad overcooked, so it wasn’t as tender as I would have liked.

New York Steak

This has a medium-rare grilled 8 oz. AAA Canadian steak topped with red wine demi-glace, roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. It was cooked to a medium rare but it was pretty average.

Affogato

It is served with espresso, vanilla gelato, and biscotti. It was really good and hit the spot for the end of the meal. Very satisfying.

Final Thoughts

Most of the dishes for this meal was delicious but the entrees that we chose fell flat. They do have a selection of pasta dishes but maybe we should have chosen those. I’ll still be back though because their brunch menu sounds amazing and we did really enjoy the appetizers we had. They offer a great happy hour 7 days a week from 3 -5pm with 50% off appetizers, $5 wine or beer and $8 craft cocktails.

Address:
300 Water St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.waterstreetcafe.ca

Robba da Matti feels like the small, cozy restaurant you found by chance on a stroll while on vacation that became the highlight of your trip.

They offer authentic Italian food with signature ingredients flown in from their suppliers in Italy. The menu features a combination of specialties from the two chefs’ regional origins: one is from Rome and one is from south of Puglia.

Interior

The space is cozy. There were about 22 chairs inside the main dining area and about as many in the enclosed, heated patio.

You can see, smell, and hear your food being made. It’s small but it’s not cramped–the simple decor, warm lighting, open kitchen, and well choreographed dinner service by the staff provided a very comfortable ambience.

Date Night Menu

We were invited to try their Date Night menu, which include your choice from the antipasti, pasta and dessert menu, plus a bottle of wine.

The Date Night offer is part of their regular menu, but it is perfect for Valentine’s Day, a celebratory date night, or when you want to treat yo’ self to an amazing Italian dinner. It’s also a great way to try multiple items in their menu.

Upon placing our order, we were provided olives and our wine.

Proscuitto & Burrata

The date night menu includes 2 antipasti, Yaletown antipasto or proscuitto & burrata to share. We chose the proscuitto & burrata since it features one of their signature ingredient.

Robba da Matti import their signature burrata mozzarella directly from Puglia, Italy. It’s creamy, fresh and pairs perfectly with the prosciutto. The bread is served warm. It’s a good size to share between two people.

Osso buco & rissotto alla Milanese

This classic dish from Milan is hearty and full of rich flavours. The braised beef shank is cooked for up to 14 hours, and has the texture and depth of flavour that can only be achieved with cooking it slowly. The saffron risotto was perfectly cooked, it was creamy but still had some bite. I was pleasantly surprised that the saffron did not overpower other flavours. The gremolata cuts through the rich flavours and brightens the dish. If you’re eating this, please don’t forget to eat the bone marrow!

Pappardelle “Rosche Rosche”

This is a dish I will keep ordering. The meat and sauce is cooked for 8 hours, then served on a bed of pasta made in-house. It’s hearty, delicious and tastes like quintessential comfort food. The braised beef short rib melts in your mouth, and the sauce adheres nicely to the pasta so each bite is full of flavour. Please try this dish in your first visit.

Lavender crème brûlée and mousse di fragole

The date night menu also includes two dessert items. I usually opt to share one dessert item with my partner, so this is such a treat!

The crème brûlée had a delicate lavender flavour. The extra thick caramelized sugar crust on top balances the herbal taste in the custard.

The mousse di fragole is a family recipe from one of the chefs. It’s a chocolate mousse made with dark Belgian chocolate and topped with…even more dark chocolate. It’s airy, flavourful, and a must-try for dark chocolate lovers.

Final Thoughts

The date night menu from Robba da Matti offers great value for amazing authentic Italian food. It’s perfect for having your favourite and trying something new!

The portion size is generous, and does not compromise the quality and taste. Their service was wonderful and all servers seamlessly tended our table. My final advice would be to order extra bread on the side, so you can use it to sop up the remainder of your pasta sauce.

Address:
1127 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://yaletownlantipasto.com

Bistro Don Giovanni is an Italian Restaurant in Napa that is named one of San Francisco’s top restaurants since opening according to the San Francisco Chronicle. When we were spending a few days in the area, it was recommended that we dine here for dinner.

Interior

There are a lot of tables inside, but they really cram people in here, so depending on where you are sitting, there’s not much room to move around.

Menu

Complimentary Bread

At the start of the meal, they provide you with complimentary bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar to munch on.

Later in the meal, we also got more bread to soak up the pasta sauces but who knew they had different kinds of breads throughout the evening.

Wine

Since you are in Napa Valley, you gotta grab a glass on wine. We weren’t familiar with the wines in the region. The staff were able to steer us in the right direction and make some recommendations.

Gnocchetti al Ragu d’Angnello

This has soft pillowy gnocchi with lamb ragu, and black truffle pecorino. We shared it family-style but if you really wanted to, you can have it all to yourself.

Mamma Concetta’s Meatballs

They didn’t have room for the whole dish at the table, so they served us a meatball individually per person. It has tomato ragu, parmigiano, and soft polenta. It was really good and highly recommended.

Peach Salad

It has greens, peach, goat cheese, marcona almonds and their moscatel vinaigrette. It was a refreshing salad with the sweetness of peaches and the creamy goat cheese, crunch of lettuce and almonds.

Mandilli

This is their Mandilli served with silk handkerchief pasta and authentic genovese pesto. The pesto was vibrant and the pasta was al dente.

Margherita Pizza

A classic thin crust pizza with tomato, basil, and mozzarella di latte. This item took a long time to arrive at the table but was surprisingly really good and crisp on the bottom. Highly recommended!

Final Thoughts

Overall, solid Italian cuisine in the Napa Valley. Service was good, food was good and we had a good evening dining here. It can get busy, so reserving a table is a must especially if you have a group. We found it was quite family friendly.

Address:
4110 Howard Ln, Napa, CA

Website:
http://bistrodongiovanni.com

Spade Coffee in Vancouver serves up brunch all week long on Commercial Drive. It’s a cozy cafe serving up coffee, spirits, treats and small plates. If you want a cocktail and croissant, you can do that too. It is owned by Sammy Piccolo, an award winning Barista and the owner of Prado Café.

What differentiates Spade Coffee is their freshly baked in-house Italian pastries, classic egg sandwiches as well as plenty of authentic Italian tapas and family-style dishes to transition you from day to night.

Interior

There are long communal tables as well as smaller ones throughout the cafe. It’s a chill spot and there are people catching up, people on their computers, and people who are just chilling over a coffee and book.

Brunch Menu

Latte

Coffee is a must here since they have some great beans and talented baristas to craft up your drink.

Breakfast Bowl

The Breakfast Bowl has arugula, seeds, house pickles, marinated artichokes, roasted red pepper, two poached eggs, and prosciutto.

It was simple, light and one of the only options that has minimal carbohydrates on the menu. Since my doctor put me on a strict diet, I love how there are options on the menu.

The yolks were poached perfectly so it oozed with grace.

Meat Breakfast Sammy

The meat breakfast sammy has a poached egg, prosciutto, aged cheddar, onion jam, green mayo, and greens on a brioche bun.

A solid choice to pair with coffee and tasted good.

Final Thoughts

A quick brunch for the 2 of us Spade Coffee on Commercial Drive. The atmosphere is chill, so its very casual and a great space to catch up with friends over brunch and coffee.

Address:
1858 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.spadecoffee.ca

The Sauce Pasta Cafe is located on Denman Street in the West End. They recently opened up serving up pasta on the go as of December 1, 2018. This is their first location offering up customers high end gourmet Italian pasta, great prices, and the convenience of take out seven days a week.

They have also partnered up Foodora and Skip the Dishes as delivery options if you don’t want to venture out.

Interior

There are a few bar seats inside, but it’s mostly designed for take out. You order right up at the counter where you can choose your sauce and pasta.

Menu

Building your Pasta

You can choose these types of pasta:

  • Penne
  • Fettuccine
  • Gnocchi
  • Gemelli
  • Rigatoni
  • Spaghetti
  • Pappardelle
  • 4 Cheese Ravioli

Of these, 3 of these are fresh – fettuccine, gemelli and pappardelle.

You can then pick your sauce:

  • Marinara
  • Arrabiata
  • Alfredo
  • Creamy Mushroom
  • Rose
  • Nonna’s
  • Vodka Cream
  • Pesto
  • Daily special

Did you know, most of the sauces are made in-house everyday and they try to use simple ingredients that are preservative-free as much as possible? All the sauces are made with love and real ingredients.

Don’t forget the add ons!

  • Add mushrooms, peas and spinach to your order for free
  • Meatballs/chicken is extra $1.50

Special Braised Beef Shank with Spinach over Pappardelle

This was delicious! The pappardelle had a nice chew to the pasta that’s al dente. One of our favourite dishes of the night.

If you see this special again, it’s defintiely worth it.

Gnocchi with Vodka Cream Sauce

The gnocchi is very light and fluffy in texture. As for vodka cream sauce, it has a sour and refreshing taste, which doesn’t feel too heavy. There is a slight bitter taste but not too noticeable. We just like the sour/tomato-creamy combination.

The box wasn’t as full as the other dishes we had.

Fresh Fetuccine with Nonna’s Meat Sauce

The box was packed to the top! Nonna’s Meat Sauce is the most popular and its marinara sauce is made in 3 different ways – part baked, part simmered, and part fresh tomatoes added in.

The fettuccine could have been more al dente as we felt it was a bit soft. If you feel like the sauce is a bit thin, you can ask them to put in a bit more so your pasta is bathing in the delicious sauce.

Focaccia Bread

A good size of focaccia bread, but we wished it was served warm to go with the pasta.

Final Thoughts

I can see this doing well in the Summer as some may want a quick meal to take with them to English Bay or the different beaches to eat, plus the prices are affordable. You can choose to have it in a paper or plastic container depending on your preference.

Address:
861 Denman St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://thesaucepastacafe.ca

Cinara is the sister restaurant of Autostrada Osteria and is known for their Italian dishes like pasta. Cinara is closing down by the end of 2018 and will be rebranded as Autostrada. When talking to the staff, they assured us that only minor tweaks would be made, so it’s not a full facelift.

For our monthly foodie blogger dinner, we decided to come have dinner here as we heard good things about the menu. I’ve missed the last few meet ups since Summer has been busy, but I was able to make it this time to see my blogging friends again as well as celebrating my birthday.

We opted to do the Carte Blanche – 6 Course Tasting Menu for $75 as it seemed like it would give us a good taste of the menu.

Interior

The space is quaint and set the mood for an intimate dinner. Reservations are best to ensure your group has a seat as you never know if it will be super busy or not.

Menu

House Sourdough Bread and Whipped Butter

To start off the tasting, we had a slice of baked sourdough for each person at the table with whipped butter. The bread was nice and rustic but we felt there was definitely excess flour on the outside that made the crust harder and more flakey.

Chicken Live Paté

This was the amuse bouche for the evening. It is a chicken liver paté on a crisp flatbread with fermented cornichon, which are pickles. You first take your knife and spread it all over so it is evenly spread out and enjoy. It was delicious.

Burrata Cheese

The next dish is their creamy burrata cheese served with a dollop of preserved and fresh plum purée, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and cracked pepper. It didn’t pair very well with the plum and took away from the burrata as the star of the dish.

Beef Tartare

This isn’t your typical beef tartare. It has house ground strip-loin beef tartare with pickled pear, radish, local greens and creme fraiche. It’s not as densely packed as other beef tartares out there and was missing more of an acidic element to this dish.

Pacific Halibut Cartuccio

This dish has halibut wrapped up in parchment then baked in the oven. It is accompanied with potato, carrot, and escarole underneath. Then it is poached in plenty of butter. This was the worst dish of the evening. It was incredibly overcooked and dense.

Tortelloni

This is a larger version of tortellini. It was very delicious and one of our favourite dishes of the evening. We wished there were most pasta dishes as part of this tasting menu as they specialize in pasta.

Pork Collar

This is served with cipollini onion, cannelloni beans, apples, chanterelle, and brussel sprouts. It was tender and delicious, but a tad on the salty side. I wished this portion was a bit larger but as it was on the tasting menu, it looked like the pork collar was chopped in half, which made it less appealing.

Salted Caramel Tart

The salted caramel tart has crushed pine nuts and a dollop of apple purée on the side. It was a great way to end the meal. I wished this slice was bigger as it was very good.

Final Thoughts

The 6 course tasting menu for $75 wasn’t as I had imagined. There were more misses on it that hits. The portions were smaller and looked like it was sawed in half. We would have preferred to order the regular items from the menu and probably saved some money that way. We tried it, so you don’t have to. Just stick with the pasta dishes and you can’t go wrong.

Address:
350 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://cinara.ca/

AJ’s Brooklyn Pizza Joint recently opened up in Vancouver on Broadway. Having Brooklyn-style pizza in Vancouver will remind you of the times in New York searching for the best slice. They specialize in traditional NYC pizza that is served throughout for the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island, and Manhattan.

We came for their grand opening and dined with other wonderful foodies in town. The atmosphere of this Pizza Joint is very casual and great for pizza lovers.

Menu

Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie board of assorted meats and cheese is a good way to start the meal to have something to pick at before the rest of the dishes arrive. Delicious and a great sharing item for the table.

Classic Caesar Salad

This has romaine lettuce and croutons, served with Caesar dressing, Pparmesan cheese, and seasonings. A good classic salad that you can’t go wrong.

Sicilian Square Pizzas

These were cut up into square unlike triangular pizza slices. Grab your spatula and pick them up. It’s fun to see all the cheese being stretched. We had the New York and Brooklyn choices.

The New York Sicilian has mozzarella cheese, Sicilian tomato sauce, and fresh basil. This is 16″ and there were 20 slices to it. The Brooklyn has pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, Sicilian tomato sauce, olive oil and basil. You’ll notice the crust is about 1″ thick with a crunchy bottom and airy interior.

John’s Pepperoni Pie

They created this pizza because of John’s on Bleaker Street in New York City. We’ve been there and you can’t go wrong with a classic pepperoni pizza. This version has mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Grimaldi’s Classic Margherita Pizza

If you’re heard of Grimaldi’s, they are one of the popular pizza restaurants in Brooklyn and there are long lines because tourists like me need a taste of the best. You will find AJ’s version of their Margherita Pizza with mozzarella cheese, cured tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, and basil.

The Spicy Vesuvio Pizza

This has mozzarella cheese, spicy Italian sausage, mushrooms, chili flakes, and Parmesan cheese.

Suzanne’s Red Pepper Pesto Pizza

This has artichoke, pesto, shredded mozza, and roasted red pepper.

Final Thoughts

The slices are huge and the prices are very reasonable. If you’re getting a whole pizza, you’ll want to come here with a few friends. Don’t forget to fold the pizza over just like a Brooklyn slice since it’s so wide. The pizza pie’s were our favourite as it was a bit thinner. All the pizza’s were tasty and not greasy at all compared to other places.

 Address:
325 E Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
ajsbrooklynpizzajoint.com

My coworkers love to eat, so I always have a good time visiting new restaurant and revisiting old ones. I haven’t been to Ciao Bella in years, so we went for some pasta and dessert. They have been on Denman Street in Vancouver for a long time just a few minutes away from Stanley Park and Robson Street.

They have weekly half price pasta on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Interior

The interior hasn’t changed a single bit after all these years. It seems to be stuck in time which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Even though it was past Christmas, there were still holiday decorations up.

Drinks

We started the night with some drinks. If there isn’t something you want on the menu, they can make it for you. One of my friends is picky, but they were able to make her a manhattan with margherita mix.

They can do caesars too and mocktails.

Menu

Complimentary Bread

Bread arrives at the table and you can dip it into some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Di Mari Pasta

This dish has baby shrimp, tomatoes, garlic, basil and button mushroom in a white wine sauce.

Carbonara

This has pancetta, egg yolk, garlic, parmesan cheese and cream. It’s a rich dish, but classic. So thats why I ordered it. It was cooked al dente and was good.

Linguini alla toni

In this pasta, you will find baby shrimp, calamari & capers in a white wine tomato basil cream sauce

Tiramisu

The tiramisu has layers of mascarpone, lady fingers, and coffee. It is topped with cocoa powder and drizzle of chocolate.

Final Thoughts

The food and service here is ok, but for 50% off pasta on Monday and Tuesday, it was worth it. On a regular night, its a bit expensive for what you get. There are lots of other Italian options in Vancouver

We Rate Ciao Bella

Address:
703 Denman St, Vancouver

Website: http://www.ciaobellavancouver.ca/

The Italian Osteria & Cheesebar is now open in Walnut Grove, Langley. This is the first Italian concept restaurant for Joseph Richard Group (JRG), whose other establishments include 14 public houses and three S+L Kitchen & Bar restaurants. It’s a good addition to the area as there aren’t that many options in this area.

The menu was designed by JRG Director of Culinary Operations Matthew Stowe (Top Chef Canada winner) and the JRG Culinary team comprised of Executive Chef Andy Slinn, Corporate Chef David Jorge (MasterChef Canada winner) as well as the Chef of The Italian, Jason Harper. They also have vegetarian and gluten-free menus for those with dietary restrictions.

We were invited for a VIP tasting to get a feel for their restaurant concept a few days before their grand opening.

Interior

The 180-seat restaurant has some booth seating as well as tables for small to large groups. The interior is dim with dark coloured furniture. It makes for a cozy intimate atmosphere. There is a long bar on the other side of the restaurant if you want to see all the action from the bartenders.

Drinks

To pair with Italian food, they have a range of drinks on the menu like wine, cocktails, beers and non-alcoholic options.

Antipasti

We started the evening with the antipasti, which has carefully selected local and Italian meats and cheeses, marinated artichokes, olives, eggplant caponata, Italian crackers and toasted focaccia. They have a cheese menu dedicated to different styles of cheeses too.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

There are 3 plump slow cooked house made meatballs, San Marzano tomato sauce, seasoned ricotta, Grana Padano, and fresh basil.

The Beehive Pizza

This unique pizza has spicy Calabrian salami, honey, mozzarella, Grana Padano, San Marzano tomato sauce. The honey is definitely different as I’ve never had honey on pizza till now.

Vongole

The pasta is linguine, local garlic, fresh manila clams, white wine, parsley, and Calabrian chili.

Braised Shortrib Pappardelle

This has San Marzano tomato sauce, wilted baby arugula, and Grana Padano.

Local Butternut Squash Ravioli

Brown butter sauce, house made ravioli, roasted mushrooms, caramelized squash, and Grana Padano. Of all the pasta dishes we tried, this one was my favourite.

Tiramisu Sphere

This is one exciting dessert on the menu, You will find lady finger cookies, vanilla mascarpone cream, and bitter chocolate crumble. They pour espresso anglaise over the chocolate shell until the chocolate melts to reveal the ingredients inside.

Nonna’s Lemon Tart

This deconstructed lemon tart has lemon custard, coconut crumble, vanilla bean gelato, meringue, and basil. A tart refreshing dessert option.

Final Thoughts

The Italian Osteria & Cheesebar is open seven days a week for dinner only (5pm to midnight), with plans to open for lunch within the first few months. My favourite dish was the Local Butternut Squash Ravioli and the tiramisu sphere is fun and interactive. I wouldn’t drive very far to go eat at The Italian, but it’s a good addition to the neighbourhood to give people more options. I would recommend getting a bunch of dishes to share family-style.

Address:
20330 88 Ave, Langley, BC

Website:
http://www.jrg.ca/establishment/italian-osteria-cheese-bar/

 

Via Tevere is a Neopolitan Pizzeria in Vancouver close to Commercial Drive. I’ve heard they have some good pizza and it’s taken us a long time to come here for dinner. If you ask Vancouverites where is the place to have the best pizza in Vancouver, this place is probably on that list. We came here for Valentines Day unplanned as our original plan was to cook dinner…but both of us didn’t feel like cooking. As we passed by Via Tevere, we couldn’t help but park and see if we could get a seat. There are no reservations, so it is walk-in only. Luckily for us, it was still early and there were a few spots left.

Interior

There are a good amount of seats and a bar in the dining area. The pizza oven is in the back and there are a few seats there so you can see them make all the pizza.

Menu

Drinks

They have a bunch of ciders, beer, wine and spirits on the menu, but we had some Apple Cider to go with our meal.

Polpette della Nonna

These homemade meatballs in tomato sauce are delicious. You order it by piece but I would highly recommend it. It is so moist and the tomato sauce is so addictive.

Pasta del Giorno

Their pasta dish changes daily, so you’ll have to ask the serve what is on the menu. The day we were here, it had mushrooms and it tasted great.

Margherita Al Pomodoro

We went with the classic Margherita pizza as its a good way to see if they can make this delicious and they sure did. The pizza was thin and had a crispy crust with spots of char from the oven.

Tris di Dolci

This is the trio of their 3 dessserts, which is great to share between us. Since I love to try a bit of everything, we had to get this.

Graffe con Nutella 

This is handmade Neapolitan fritters dusted with sugar and cinnamon and lastly drizzled with Nutella. Essentially, it was like a Nutella donut.

Tiramisu

This Italian Classic has layers of coffee drenched lady fingers with Mascarpone cream It is then topped with cocoa powder. It has 2 layers of lady fingers and 2 more layers of cream.

Torta Caprese

This rich chocolate cake is made with roasted almonds and walnuts with a hint of orange. This is flourless and gluten free if you have dietary restrictions. It was pretty good and it also reminded me of nutella because of the nuts.

Baci Chocolates are given at the end of the meal and these Italian chocolates are made with hazelnuts, chocolate and sealed with a love note. A good ending to the meal.

Final Thoughts

The meal was great and we left happy with our stomaches full. We’ll definitely be back. You must order the meatballs as well as the pizza here.

We Rate Via Tevere

Address:
1190 Victoria Dr, Vancouver

Website:
http://viateverepizzeria.com/

Spade, a beautifully designed cafe-bistro bringing an eclectic blend of authentic Italian flavour to Vancouver’s vibrant Commercial Drive neighbourhood. Owned by Sammy Piccolo (Award-winning Barista, Prado Café owner), Spade features freshly baked in-house Italian pastries, classic egg sandwiches as well as plenty of authentic Italian tapas and family-style dishes to transition you from day to night.

Interior

Since we were invited, they had us at the long table that can accommodate a lot of guests.

Pickled Vegetables

The house-made pickled vegetables was a nibble before the meal started.

Insalata di Halloumi

This has berries, pesto, walnuts, and halloumi a top a piece of endive. The natural crunch of the endive and the halloumi cheese paired well together.

Nachos Italiano

A twist to this classic has eggplant conserva, roasted red pepper, pickled red onion, and served with a side of salsa verde.

Gnocchi

This was one of my favourite dishes. There is squid ink, black garlic, cream, and lemon. I would highly recommend this dish.

Cauliflower

This dish has roasted cauliflower, ricotta, salsa verde, and seeds. A nice healthy accompaniment to go with some of the other dishes.

Octopus Conserva

This dish has artichoke soubise, potato, dill, and pickled vegetables. The octopus was very tender and enjoyable, but it would have been better if it was warm.

Papardelle with Lamb Shoulder Ragu

This dish was another favourite. Simple but with so much flavour and great texture. I would order this again.

Burrata

The burrata is paired with fennel, citrus, serrano jamon, basil and breadcrumbs. Burrata is awesome and you can’t go wrong with it.

Meatballs

The meatballs are served with a rosemary garlic cream sauce, mushrooms, braised endive, gorgonzola and walnuts.

Chocolate Cake

To end the night, we tried the chocolate cake, which reminded me of black forest cake. It was ok.

Cafe Latte Panna Cotta

The Cafe Latte Panna Cotta was delicious! A small sweet taste to the end of the meal.

Latte

Ending the night off with a decaf latte is great. The warm milk is so comforting. Highly recommend decaf if you’re sensitive to caffeine int he evening.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed dinner here and I’ll definitely be back. The concept of an Italian Coffee bar really shows and I loved all their pasta dishes. Even if you’re not a coffee drinker, you’ll want to come here for their homey pasta.

We Rate Spade

Address:
1858 Commercial Dr, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.spadecoffee.ca/

We headed to Savio Volpe for an early holiday dinner with the family. Since we had over 6 people, we had to order the family-style dinner for $55 per person. I’ve heard lots about Savio Volpe and I’ve been very curious, so by trying the family-style dinner, we would trying a majority of the dishes here, which I didn’t mind at all.

Interior

In the evening, the dining room is dimly lit and it has a very cozy atmosphere.

We sat at the rear of the restaurant, so we had a fun time watching them in the kitchen cook away.

Breadsticks

As our starters arrived, we got some ridiculously long breadsticks. We actually had a lot of fun eating these.

Prosciutto di Parma, apple, and Grana

This dish has our first appetizer. A simple dish, but the simple ingredients are paired well together. The salty and sweet combination works.

White anchovy, leeks, soft boiled egg, olives

This dish was interesting and we all felt like the mayo on the base of this dish was too much. It was so creamy and thick that it over powered the other ingredients.

Kale, lemon pepper dressing, romano, pangrattato

The salads started arriving and this was my favourite. If you need to order a salad, this is pretty damn tasty. Highly recommended.

Farro, squash, chickpeas, dates, pine nuts, ricotta salata

There is a lot of good textures in this dish. Very hearty and filling dish.

Mezzaluna, ricotta, wild mushrooms

The mushrooms in this dish was delicious. The pasta itself was ok, but nothing exciting.

Cavatelli with brussel sprouts and pangratatto

The cavatelli was pretty hard in texture and we all thought it was pretty mediocre.

Roast Suckling Pig

A beautiful dish with salsa verde, pork belly, egg and crackling. Beautiful presentation but I felt the suckling pig was a bit tough and dry.

Duck

With our group of 7, they cut the duck into 6 pieces when they should have cut it into 7. We let the server know, but he told us to share. Fair enough, so thats what we did. Later on they did send us over a plate with 1 extra piece.

Smashed root vegetables

This was one of the sides to share with the group.

Grilled broccolini

The broccolini was pretty scorched on some pieces. Both sides that arrived were not very impressive.

Cannoli, ricotta, citrus, cocoa, hazelnuts

This cannoli was a bit hard to share with the group, but we made it work. Good crisp cannoli shell and the filling was equally as good.

Chocolate tart, olive oil, sea salt, pinenuts

This chocolate tart was delicious. Very smooth and full of chocolate goodness. My favourite of the two desserts.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I’m glad we tried the dinner family-style to try a lot of dishes. Unfortunately, a lot of the dishes really didn’t stand out. I’ve heard lots about their pasta, but both of the ones we got were not up to par. My favourite dish was the kale salad and the chocolate tart. For $55 per person, it wasn’t bad at all since we were all full, but it didn’t impress us enough to return.

We Rate Savio Volpe: 

Address:
615 Kingsway, Vancouver

Website: http://www.saviovolpe.com/

Tucked into the upper story of a delightfully faded building in Chinatown, Kissa Tanto serves up a posh fusion of Italian and Japanese food. They take their inspiration from the delicate flavours of Japanese cuisine and the warmth of ltalian cooking.

Kissa Tanto won Canada’s best new restaurant by enRoute magazine. Their sister restaurant is Bao Bei, only a few blocks away. All of us haven’t heard about Kissa Tanto when they won the award, so we made it a mission to check it out for dinner. We had a large group of 6 and had to wait over a month for a seat as they only have one table for 6 people.

We had to provide a credit card in advance for the reservation. If we didn’t show up, they would charge us $150 cancellation fee.

Interior

Once we headed upstairs, we were transported into the 1960’s. It is styled like old Tokyo jazz cafés.

The dusty-pink leather banquettes, banker’s lamps and brass railings really make this place shine and give it the ambiance.

The space isn’t that large, so reservations are highly recommended to avoid waits and disappointment.

There are 12 seats at the bar that are first come first serve, which require no reservations.

Drinks

Four Winds Saison is what I ordered. One of my favourite light fruity tasting beers.

Four on six sour was what the others ordered. It has a mix of Bourbon, noilly prat amber, charred pineapple, lemongrass shrub, ardberg, and egg white.

To Begin With – Appetizers

Albacore tuna crudo with shiso vinaigrette, radishes, Tokyo leek, capers, pickled almonds, Castelvetrano olives, and mustard greens. Very delicious light and you can taste the freshness of the tuna paired with the other ingredients. One of my favourite appetizers.

Octopus Salad has crispy octopus, citrus mayonnaise, daikon, radish, basil, ikura, and parmesan. The octopus was a decent texture, but I thought it would be a bit softer.

Frittelle di Melanzane is a garlic eggplant fritter with yuzu gribiche, basil and bonito salt, and shaved katsuo. It comes with 3 pieces was delicious. Soft on the inside but crisp on the outside.

Terrina Frita has pink, pickled daikon and nori mustard on bruschetta. This was one of the specials for today. I love the vibrant colours, but it was a so-so dish.

Tender to the Tooth – Pasta

Lasagne del Giorno was the lasagne of the day and it featured winter chanterelles & pork with a miso bechamel and basil cream sauce.  Very delicious and each layer melded well together.

Tajarin is made of butter, roasted mushrooms, and miso cured yolk. Three of my favourite ingredients. the simplicity of this pasta dish really spoke to my tastebuds.

Casarecce is pasta in a pork and sake kasu ragu. The type of pasta helps capture some of the sauce in it’s crevices.  Also very delicious.

Sharing is Caring – Entrees for Sharing

Lamb Shoulder is served with tosaka seaweed, fregola, anchovy butter, puréed egg yolk, Sicilian olives, and pickled peppers. The lamb was tender and it was an interesting experience navigating how to eat this dish.

One of the other specials for the day was their Beef Cheeks with braised tomato and anchovies, and gnocchi. The delicious jus of the beef covered the fluffy gnocchi. Tender and flavourful beef.

Whole Fish of the Day was Sea Perch for $40. It is flash-fried and served with a daikon soy dipping sauce. It was super crisp and easy to eat as every bit of it was edible – even the bones. The bones were crunch like chips.

Dessert 

Yuzu Cream has Sicilian pistachios, olive oil crumble and season fruit in it.

Tiramisu has a touch of plum wine. Very light and fluffy layers.

Flourless Chocolate Cake was rich and dense. It is served with miso-caramel ice cream.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a fun dinner with friends – Foodgressing, Vie a Maggi, Picky Diner, Sherman, and Drunken Noms – who all enjoy good food. With the 6 of us, we shared 13 dishes. 2 and a bit dishes for each person.

From what we tried, I could really see the fusion between Japanese and Italian cooking. It’s pretty interesting to see these 2 cuisines come together as it’s not common at all.

We Rate Kissa Tanto

Address:
263 E Pender Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.kissatanto.com/

Kissa Tanto Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato