Sherman's Food Adventures: Robba da Matti

Robba da Matti

Yaletown is one of the more ritzier spots in Vancouver sporting expensive boutiques, trendy restaurants and of course, expensive condos.  Prior to the kiddies arriving, we lived down there and yes, it was quite the life.  Despite the plethora of places to eat, Yaletown can often be hit and miss where sometimes style trumps good food (for those in the know, I don't have to tell you which restaurants fit into that category).  However, hidden amongst all the people-watching and chic facades, we can find some gems.  One of them was Yaletown L'Antipasto, which has recently been rebranded as Robba da Matti (after the owner's names).

We decided to check the place out since we were planning on grabbing some ice cream from Mister anyways.  Turns out there was an hour wait, so we had dessert first!  When we got down dinner, the first plate was the Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio with honey mustard truffle aioli, mesclun greens and shaved parm.  Sliced thin and buttery, the AAA beef was the exact texture one would expect from this dish.  The aioli was only lightly earthy with a background sweetness.  Our other appie was the Bruschetta al Pomodoro.  This was super simple with crunchy bread and fresh tomatoes.  I thought the garlic & oregano olive oil was aromatic and impactful, but it needed more saltiness.

For our pastas, I lobbied for the Spaghetti alla Vongle (as it is my fav) with aglio, olio, pereroncino and vino bianco.  Sporting al dente pasta that was properly seasoned and coated with enough aromatic and slightly spicy olive oil, the dish was everything that I wanted it to be.  There was enough fresh clams to add a certain brininess.  Next, we had the Papardelle "Rosche Rosche" featuring braised beef short ribs, free-range chicken and Italian fennel Sausage.  As you can imagine, this was hearty and robust due to the ample amount of meats.  The short ribs were tender while the sausage was aromatic and meaty.  I found the chicken to be a touch dry but par for the course with free-range chicken.  The sauce wasn't heavy though as it was lightly tomatoey and plenty meaty due to the ingredients.

We went for the Osso Buco & Risotto alla Milanese as our final dish.  They were very generous with the portion of veal shank as it filled the plate.  It was mostly tender with a few drier portions.  Of course there was some buttery and fatty bone marrow lurking underneath the sauce.  As for the risotto, it was surprisingly chewy even though we had taken some pictures before digging in.  There was plenty of parm which added a salty nuttiness that complimented the sweetness of the onion.  So this revisit to Robba da Matti (well it did change names since I last ate here) was a good one.  Prices are fair and the food is above average.

The Good:
- Fair prices, fair portions
- Above-average eats
- Good for people watching

The Bad:
- No A/C, so the inside is downright hot during warmer months
- Without the outside seating, there is very limited seating inside

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