Roseto Bistro

Now here is an interesting blog post.  It is about Roseto Bistro located in PoCo.  Now that doesn't make it particularly strange or unusual.  However, if you tried to search it on Google, it wasn't showing up for the longest time.  In fact, you'd find Hearthstone Pizza as a result.  You see, the reason for this is that Roseto Bistro replaces Hearthstone Pizza, but still has some of the K-pizza options leftover from the 2nd iteration of Hearthstone Pizza.  Okay, if you are confused, I don't blame you.  Currently, Roseto Bistro offers up legit Italian eats prepared by a chef who has worked for years in Italy, but also has some Korean influences in the pizza and the pastas.  In fact, RoSeTo represents Rome, Seoul and Tokyo.  The fusion between all 3 cuisines are evident in the menu.

I think they should add Athens as well since we started with the Calamari Fritti.  Sure, this dish can be every bit Italian as it is Greek.  However, let's just say there are influences.  We found this dish to be prepared quite well with tender pieces of squid that also retained a pleasant chewiness.  The light and crispy batter was properly seasoned where the tzatziki on the side wasn't completely necessary.  However, for me, I always like to dip my calamari into it.  This was a good start to our meal.

Next, we moved onto some pizzas, 2 of which were very similar.  What you see in the picture is the Capricciosa.  We also had the Proscuitto e Funghi which looked exactly like the Capricciosa except without the salsiccia, bacon and artichoke.  Both featured a uniformly crispy crust that was nicely browned, but could've been a bit more charred.  The crust was properly seasoned while the tomato sauce was balanced.  Good amount of toppings and the proscuitto added salty meatiness.  Both featured arugula on top.

Onto the pastas, the fusion aspect of the menu really showed.  This was particularly true with the Kimchi Fettuccine with bacon and mushroom.  I quite enjoyed the layers of flavours in this dish where the kimchi offered up mild spiciness along with tanginess and sweetness.  The addition of cream toned down the spiciness but also made the pasta a bit heavy.  The fettuccine itself was house-made and cooked until al dente.  The addition of bacon added salty meatiness and the mushrooms added some pops of moisture and woodsiness.

On the topic of mushrooms, we had a new menu item in the Mushroom Pasta.  It consisted of firmly al dente spaghetti with a good amount of mushrooms.  This had a certain Japanese flair to it with the addition of butter and soy.  This was full of umamainess as well as the classic Asian flavour to the pasta.  This also sported a good amount of olives and capers which totally amped the overall flavour profile.  There was more saltiness (in a good way) and tanginess to provide impact. 

For our non-pasta dish, we had the Cotoletta di Maiale.  This featured a pork cutlet breaded and fried until super crispy.  The meat itself was tender and moist.  However, the best part of this dish was the Japanese demi sauce.  It was super savoury with sweetness and a touch of tanginess.  It was super addictive and honestly, I could put that on anything and it would taste good.  This came with some perfectly cooked veggies and nicely seared gnocchi.  They were firm, but soft enough to be appealing.

For dessert, we had the Frittelle tossed in sugar.  These little donuts were very soft and fluffy while the outside was crispy.  They were a touch greasy though.  I enjoyed the mild flavours and the slight crunch from the granulated sugar.  Overall, the food at Roseto is quite good.  The pasta is freshly made and totally legit.  The incorporation of Asian influences is seamless and reasonably-priced.  Totally loved the pork cutlet where it is a crazy good value at $22.00.  If you are needing to eat out as a family in the area and were going to spend chain restaurant money anyways, go check out Roseto Bistro.   You will be surprised.

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

The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- Totally reasonable pricing
- Quality is there with house-made pasta

The Bad:
- Wished the pizza was more charred

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

Broli Kitchen

At first glance, Broli Kitchen appears to be another restaurant in a strip mall in Richmond.  However, there is more than meets the eye here (and I'm not talking about Transformers either...).  The cuisine is a mix of traditional French, Italian and West Coast fused with Asian influences.  Now before you begin to prejudge this place, consider the head chef is a Red Seal certified.  Chef Zhuang Li has been the sous-chef at the Downtown Sheraton Wall Centre for 10 years and another 5 years of experience in French cuisine.  Pretty unexpected at a little non-decript bistro.  Jackie, Jacqueline, Andrew and myself were invited to try out some of their newest and most popular items from their menu.

We began with a pair of soups in the Lobster Bisque and the Wild Mushroom Soup.  These looked legit and were exactly what we expected.  The bisque was creamy and rich with a balanced amount of lobster aroma.  It was lightly sweet and properly seasoned.  Some herb oil on the top finished off the soup.  As for the wild mushroom, it was also creamy and full-flavoured with the woodsiness of the mushrooms.  With some truffle oil added to the mix, it was aromatic and even more earthy.

Next, we had the Pan-Seared Scallops with pea puree and crispy prosciutto.  This was a well-prepared dish where the scallops were beautifully seared while the middle was slightly rare.  Hence, the texture was on point being buttery soft.  The scallop itself was properly seasoned while exhibiting a natural sweetness.  On top, the crispy prosciutto added crunch and saltiness.  Silky smooth and sweet, the pea puree helped bring the saltiness down a notch.

Our last appie was the Truffle Mushroom Risotto Ball (aka Arancini) with a onion tomato sauce. This was a huge portion of 6 large risotto balls that were somewhat crispy.  This is because the onion tomato sauce was drizzled atop all of the risotto balls, resulting in them become soft and a bit crumbly.  The aborio rice seemed to be fairly al dente, but with all the sauce, it was hard to tell.  Loved the sauce as it was sweet and tangy.  Maybe they should either put it on the side or plate the balls atop the sauce on the plate.

Maybe the most interesting and delicious thing we had was the Durian Pizza.  Yah, this could be pretty polarizing due to the main ingredient.  Durian is extremely pungent and isn't for everyone.  However, in my opinion, they did a good job with incorporating it onto a pizza.  They used a cream cheese base and combined with the sweet durian and mozzarella, this became reminiscent of a Chinese custard bun, except on a pizza.  So this almost ate like a dessert and that was a good thing as the durian was definitely there, but not in a way that was overwhelming.  All of the components sat atop a pizza crust that was somewhat similar to Domino's (which is a good thing as well).

Onto the bigger dishes, we had the Confit Duck Leg with rice, veggies and duck sauce.  The duck leg meat fell apart easily and was rather tender.  It was on the saltier side, but did go well with the rice.  With the addition of some Asian spices, the duck had a different flavour than a regular duck confit.  Nice twist on this dish to make it unique.  There was a bevy of perfectly-cooked asparagus, broccolini, carrots and zucchini.  They were vibrant and still had texture.

Classic in its preparation, the Roasted Rack of Lamb was perfectly medium-rare.  It was crusted with dijon herb bread crumbs and served with Lyonnaise potatoes, veggies and lamb jus.  I was pretty impressed with the lamb as it was slow-roasted which resulted in succulent meat.  It was well-seasoned and the jus was meaty enough without being salty.  Veggies were great like the previous dish while the potatoes were tender with buttery onions.  I would've liked it to be a bit more buttery though.

One of the most surprising dishes was the Bolognese Strozzapreti.  It was super legit and could be served at an Italian restaurant.  The rich bolognese featured a mix of veal, beef and pork that was super tender.  There was a nice balance of tomato and creaminess that made this lightly sweet, aromatic and full of umaminess.   The choice of pasta was also key to making this a good dish as it captured bits of meat and sauce.  It was also al dente, yet not in an overly firm manner.

We had two of their fish dishes staring with the Ginger Miso Glazed Salmon.  Presented as a fairly large piece of salmon, this was a good portion of food.  Although the salmon was a bit over, it was still moist and not dry at all.  I found the salmon to be mildly-seasoned with some ginger flavour and miso saltiness.  Underneath, the miso cream sauce was really good with depth and a balanced flavour.  It was a nice compliment to the fish and also added extra moisture.

The other fish dish was the Pan-Seared Ling Cod with potato, seasonal veg and tomato pepper sauce.  This was another large portion that was also prepared properly.  The fish had a slightly crispy sear while the meat was flaky and moist.  Being ling cod, it had a slightly firmer texture but it was still tender.  I found it be well-seasoned and really didn't need the sauce.  Although the tomato pepper sauce was pleasant enough, a lobster bisque sauce or dashi would've been a better match for the whitefish. 

Onto dessert, we had the Lava Cake with vanilla ice cream.  We really appreciated that they prepared this from scratch and baked-to-order.  Many other places unfortunately use a microwave!  This was more like a chocolate souffle than a basic lava cake.  It was light and fluffy with a crispy exterior.  Inside, the molten centre was silky and purposefully sweet.  It was gave even more souffle vibes as it had the sauce built into it (rather than poured into it).

Lastly, we had the Caramel Macchiato Pot de Crème with pecan graham crumble and fresh whipped cream.  It was rich and creamy with smoky caramel notes intermittently interrupted by coffee.  The crumble on top added a nice crunch.  I quite enjoyed this dessert.  In fact, I enjoyed the meal as a whole.  Lots of highlights including the lamb, scallop, durian pizza and pasta.  Portions were large and proteins were mostly on point.  Flavours were textbook and although the prices are necessarily cheap, the value is there due to the generous size of the proteins and the general execution.

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

The Good:
- Textbook execution
- Generous portions
- Durian pizza!

The Bad:
- Definitely has hotel food vibes, but it was prepared well

Osteria Elio Volpe

One of the most popular modern Italian restaurants in the Lower Mainland is Savio Volpe.  I've had quite a few experiences with the place and I would agree that it is a place that will be on everyone's "to-dine" list.  I've always enjoyed their wood-fire meats and their delicious antipasti plates.  Pastas have always been hit and miss for me, but others seem to love them.  But really, no one can deny it is one of THE places to go in Vancouver for modern Italian food.  Now they are adding another restaurant to the stable in Elio Volpe on West 17th.  Eileen and I were able to get a coveted reso to celebrate her birthday.

We got the Semolina Parker House Rolls to start.  Each piece pulled apart easily, revealing a steaming hot and fluffy texture.  But the best part was the peconino butter where it was super creamy and spreadable.  Naturally, it was well-salted from the cheese.   Beyond that, we also ordered the Yellowfin Tuna Crudo.  These little bites were bright and clean-tasting.  The combination of jalapeno and colatura dressing helped add some tangy spice as well as briny saltiness.  With the sprinkling of pangrattato, we had some texture to compliment the buttery soft fish.

As another starter of sorts, we selected the Guanciale Pizza with castelvetrano olive, roasted mushrooms and pomodoro.  This was similar to Neapolitan-style pizza with its thin crust and preparation in wood-burning oven, but the crust was even thinner and almost uniform in texture.  The middle was a bit softer like a Neapolitan pizza but the edges were flat and crunchy.  On top, the pomodoro was mild and offered just enough moisture for effect.  The ample amount of guanciale added a salty fattiness while the olives provided tang and more saltiness.  Mushrooms did its earthy thing.

We went for two half-portions of pasta including the excellent Calabreselli alla Vodka.  For a half-portion, this was still plenty large for sharing.  It featured firmly al denta pasta that was complete coated in a spicy vodka sauce.  It was tomatoey and creamy with both bold and subtle flavours.  The crab was a bit lost in this and only added texture.  Once again, we found bread crumbs providing the crunch.  The other pasta was the Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe featuring large firm pasta tubes.  The sauce was creamy, cheesy and of course peppery featuring 10-year old cheddar.  What really made this dish sing was the roasted jalapeno on top.  It broke up the heaviness and added spice and tang.

One last half-portion to go and this time, it was the Carnaroli Risotto with morel mushrroms, mascarpone and chives.  We found this risotto a bit heavy on the cheese and light on the actual carnaroli rice.  Hence it was almost soupy despite allowing it to rest for awhile.  Despite this, the rice was still firm and did not go mushy.  Lots of creamy cheesiness here and not too salty.  However, the dish was a bit tangy for some reason or another.  Did enjoy the morels as they were intensely earthy and of course the texture was appealing.

Moving onto our main course dishes, we had the 10oz MacLeod’s Leap Flatiron Steak with charred onion, watercress and black pepper condiment.  It was prepared a perfect medium-rare being uniform and also very moist.  It was both cooked and rested properly.  Now looks are one thing, but it also ate very well.  The meat was succulent and required very little chewing.  Lots of natural meat flavour and the steak itself was properly seasoned.  That black pepper condiment was full of umami and pepperiness.

That was good, but the Pan-Roasted Striped Bass was also very good.  It featured fava beans, morel mushrooms, hakurei turnip and citrus butter sauce.  I found the seasoning a bit aggressive as most parts of the fish was salty.  However, the dish could not be accused of being bland.  The bass was cooked to perfection though being buttery soft and flaky.  It literally melted in our mouths.  The citrus butter sauce was mild and light, complimenting the fish without taking away from it.

We ended up going for 2 desserts including the Amaretto Semi Freddo and the Tiramisu Cheesecake.  Both desserts were pretty good with the semi freddo being purposefully sweet with the unmistakable amaretto fruitiness.  It was creamy and light while living up to its name of being semi-frozen.  Love the crunch on the top as it added texture.  Not looking like much, the tiramisu cheesecake was also good.  It was creamy, yet not too heavy while having all of the components of tiramisu.  Overall, our dinner at Elio Volpe was good with definite highlights.  Possibly a few things could've been better, but that is nitpicking. We also had some great cocktails.

The Good:
- Loved the service
- Most dishes were prepared properly
- Energetic vibe

The Bad:
- Risotto was a bit soupy

Le Fromager de Saint-Paul

Luck would have it that Mijune would be in Nice at the same time as us and she would have time to meet!  We ended up driving over to St. Paul de Vence to rendezvou at Le Fromager de Saint-Paul.  Similiar to Mougins, but bigger, St. Paul is a medieval town that sports beautiful views, artisans and of course, excellent places to eat!  Like the name suggests, the restaurant specializes in cheese with other accompanying dishes as well.  We didn't go for anything complex and shared a bunch of little bites.

This included their absolutely delicious rendition of Pissaladeriere.  For those who haven't had this, it is basically a flatbread with caramelized onion, olives, capers, thyme and nutmeg.  Well, this was truly excellent with a thin crust that was slightly crispy in places.  The intense sweetness from the onions was balanced off well by the saltiness of the olives and capers.  Of course the tanginess from both also helped keep things from being too heavy.

Even though we had left Italy several days ago, we couldn't resist ordering some Burrata with tomatoes and balsamic. Mind you, Nice and the surrounding area used to be part of Italy...  Anyways, the burrata was supremely fresh with a creamy and cheesy centre.  It was topped with an aromatic and nutty pesto.  This went really well with the supplied baguette.  We got more of it since there was so much burrata (and other things on the table).  The tomatoes were super fresh and juicy.  Loved the simple balsamic and EVOO drizzled on it.

We ended up also getting our meat fix with a Charcuterie plate consisting of coppa, saucisson and jambon cru.  This was a nice collection of familiar items including the nutty and firm saucisson and the coppa was salty with plenty of fat due to use of pork shoulder.  Essentially prosciutto, the jambon cru was nutty, salty and fairly lean.  It was soft with the classic chewiness.  We had a baguette on the side and we ate that with the meat and cheese.

Also on the table was the Terrine de Cochon Maison served with a green salad, conichons and pickled onions.  We found this terrine very rustic and almost a bit fluffy.  This was not a tightly packed terrine and it was not overly meaty.  The combination of whipped meat and fat, it was almost spreadable.  I say almost, since it still had some chunks, so it didn't really spread.  Flavourwise, it was meaty but mild-tasting.  It was nutty from the pistachios strewn throughout.

And finally we had a slice of Truffle Brie as per my daughter's request.  This brie was really good being creamy and buttery without completely melting upon contact.  It was lightly sweet and nutty while the thin layer of truffle add the usual woodsiness and aromatics.  We combined this with the baguette and some meats to create layers of flavour.  So as you can see, the things we had at Le Fromager de Saint-Paul was pretty simple.  But really, this was sufficient as a light meal especially on a hot day.  Was cool to sit outside and catch up with Mijune while thinking of other things to eat later!

The Good:
- Outstanding location with a nice view
- Quality products
- They have hot dishes too, but we didn't try them

The Bad:
- Limited parking in the area, but that is a given