Sherman's Food Adventures: Nonna's Cucina Pop-Up (Commercial Drive)

Nonna's Cucina Pop-Up (Commercial Drive)

Ever since I first visited Nonna's Cucina on Hastings back in 2022, I was hooked onto their made-to-order pastas and sandwiches.  Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of seating at that spot since it is more of a take out restaurant.  However, my prayers have been answered as they have opened up shop on Commercial Drive where Vivace used to be located.  Now their menu has been expanded as well as offering cocktails and other bevvies at their bar.


Before we got to the dishes we ordered, they started us off with some Pizza Bread with fresh cheese, basil and tomato sauce.  Loved the chewiness of the bread while the crust itself was slightly crunchy and nutty.  Well-seasoned and a great appetizer.  Onto the actual appies, we had the Tuna Crudo with Limoncello cured albacore tuna, lemon puree, pickled onions, castelvetrano olives, fresh basil, radish, chili threads, pea shoots and micro basil.  The tuna itself was bright and lightly sweet while being delicate.  The Limoncello was there, but not overwhelming.  That allowed the lemon puree to add acidity and freshness.  The pickled onions and olives provided some texture, tanginess and saltiness.

Onto another appie, we had the Bomba Chili Prawns. Sometimes, when there is the promise of spice, it is ultimately a fail, but not here.  Those perfectly cooked prawns sat in a sauce that was definitely spicy with a combination of calabrian chili, butter, parsley, pizza bianco, olive oil, charred lemon and white wine.  This offered up hits of saltiness, tanginess and of course spice.  That bread was great for soaking all of this up.

Not looking like much, the gigantic Carbonara Suppli (similar to an arancini) was stuffed with tubettini rather than aborio rice.  Hence it was a pasta dish within a fried ball.  To make this a carbonara, we had the usual ingredients such as egg yolk, guanciale, pecorino and Parmesan.  However, we also had mozzarella inside since it was a Suppli after all!  This was quite rich and somewhat creamy with plenty of cheesiness.  The pasta was actually still somewhat al dente and the panko crust was crunchy.


In addition to the appies, there was a whole section on the menu dedicated to a Burrata Bar.  As such, we sampled 2 versions from the available 5 choices.  We had the classic Caprese featuring heirloom tomatoes, balsamic macerated strawberry, fresh basil, olive oil and maldon salt.  Loved the fresh tomatoes while the sweetness and tanginess of the strawberries came through.  The other one we tried was the Prosciutto & Peach with rosemary honey, olive oil and maldon salt.  This was a good combination of sweet and salty to go with the creamy burrata.

Onto the pastas, we took some photos first (of course that is what we do), but we didn't waste too much time and dug into the Mezze Rigatoni featuring meaty Italian sausage.  This was was quite good where the pasta tubes were firmly al dente while the braised fennel ragu was aromatic with rich tomato vibes.  It was bordering on salty, but hey, we like flavour (rather than being bland!).  There was ample sausage that had some spice.

The Spaghetti alla Chitarra was topped with massive meatballs (another $8.00) and bathed in a pomodoro sauce with, basil, olive oil and parmigiano.  More tangy than the ragu (because it is a tomato sauce = pomodoro), this was bright and it really benefited from the fresh basil (adding herbaceousness).  As for the pasta, it was pretty firm, but that is what we like!  The meatballs were meaty with very little filler.  So there was no airiness to them.  That is what I like more too.

Probably my favourite pasta of the bunch was the Orecchiette Cime di Rapa.  This is normally their vegetarian option, but we erased that with the addition of fennel sausage.  Loved that sausage as it was tender and flavourful.  The pasta itself was also firm (like the others) and had an appealing chewiness to them without being overly heavy.  The combo of rapini, garlic, house made Calabrian bomba and pecorino romano gave elements of brightness, spice and saltiness.

My least favourite pasta was the Herb Ricotta Gnocchi, not because it wasn't good per se.  I just found it the heaviest of the 4 we had due to the cream.  Now if you like pesto cream, then you will probably disagree with me.  It did have a nice flavour to it with the pesto coming through.  There was some background fennel essence as well as a bit of brightness from the arugula.  As for the gnocchi itself, they were somewhere between pillowy soft and firm.

We also had some dishes that were not pasta including the Veal Scallopini Marsala.  This was a well-executed dish with tender slices of veal that were lightly floured and seared.  The marsala wine sauce with mushrooms was moderately rich with plenty of earthiness.  I found that the veal was seasoned enough to stand on its own, so the sauce only added to the layers of flavour.

Described as the PLT on the menu, it was actually referring to the Pochetta sandwich with lettuce and heirloom tomato.  I liked this sandwich but didn't love it.  I thought the toasted bread was good being firm enough to hold everything in.  However, the pork belly itself was not as soft as I would've liked.  It did taste great though with natural aroma and roasted flavours.  Still a solid sandwich with all things considered.

Not sure why there was a burger on the menu, but we tried Nonna's Burger anyways.  Turns out it was pretty good!  A little on the salty side, but can't say this was lacking flavour.  The meat patty was nicely charred and still moist in the inside.  Lots of melty mozzarella in the middle oozing out.  The pistachio pesto aioli added some herby nuttiness while the crispy pancetta provided even more salt content.  Fortunately, the lettuce, tomato and roasted peppers help cut the heaviness and saltiness.  Potato bun was soft and held everything together.


We ended up trying all 3 of their desserts including the Affogato.  This featured pistachio gelato (also fior di latte option) with espresso.  Loved the espresso as it was richly-flavoured and when combined with the gelato, things got creamy and just sweet enough.  The second dessert was the Almond Granita with whipped cream and toasted almonds.  This was refreshing and sweet with the crunch from the aromatic almonds.  There was some interestingly shaped brioche on the side for dipping.


Our last dessert was the Tableside Tiramisu which can be seen as a novelty.  However, this particular one was prepared properly with soaked ladyfingers in espresso and Kahlua, mascarpone cream and shaved chocolate.  I think the best part of the tiramisu was the mascarpone as it was light, creamy and purposefully sweet.  We also had some cocktails that included the Tiramisu Espresso Martini, Creamsicle Sour, The Sexy (Non-Alcoholic) and a White Peach Negroni.  My favourite of the bunch was the creamsicle sour as it was fruity and tangy.  When paired with the fairly heavy dishes, it helped keep things light.  Overall, I though the food was really good and properly executed.  A good alternative to other Italian spots out there with fair pricing for what you get.  Since it took over a fairly nicely appointed spot already, the dining experience is not only about the food.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Generous portions
- Nice dining space and vibe

The Bad:
- Some things were bordering on salty

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