Sciué

I recently met up with some of my favourite lunching ladies and we decided to be wild and spontaneous and switch up our eating location!  Where did we end up?  Sciué.  I forgot how enjoyable lunch there is.  You're out of the hustle and bustle of the regular lunch rush, the food is yummy and fresh, and the patio on Melville is lovely.  Definitely a nice way to mix it up.  Now, on to the food!

The selection of fresh paninis and desserts (sold by sandwiches or treat).

Pizza galore!  Sold by weight.

My Taormina Paninoteca: prosciutto crudo, bocconcini, avocado, roma tomatoes, organic greens and pesto on a fresh pane Romano bun.  ($8)  This was a very yummy sandwich and fresh as can be.  But it wasn't quite enough to fill me up for lunch, so I'd recommend getting a salad as well, if you're really hungry. 

My Large Italian Salad: fresh roma tomatoes, cucumber and red onions, tossed in a balsamic vinegar reduction with extra virgin olive oil and served with bread from the bakery.  ($5.75)  Note: the small salad and large salad are the same size.  The difference is that the large salad you get chunks of tomatoes whereas in the small salad you get fewer slices of tomato. 

http://www.sciue.ca/

Twitter: @sciuevancouver

PazzaRella

For those of you looking for a new food truck to try out this week, I highly recommend PazzaRella.  And by highly recommend, I mean get your butt down there! 

If you didn't guess based on the name, PazzaRella makes wood-fired, thin crust, 10" personal pizzas that leave you wanting more even when your belly is full.  Fresh simple ingredients, a couple of ladies who know their way around making a pizza, and a custom truck complete with a mini-wood fire stove are the perfect recipe for a pizza that rivals the pizza I had in Naples.  My long-legged, fellow food lover who joined me on this adventure said that he thought the pizza was just as good, if not better than, Nicli's but for half the price.  I haven't had the pleasure of going to Nicli's yet, but my food adventure buddy knows his stuff when it comes to food, so I definitely take his word for it!

Things to note: (1) Cash only, (2) Pazzarella is located at Victory Square near Pender and Hamilton, (3) There are plenty of benches to sit on and the park is pretty and relaxing during the day time, and (4) It's a good bang for your buck.  The portion is solid.  If you're famished it might not be quite enough, but if you have a normal appetite and are just a normal hungry, it should be perfect.

Enjoy!

Where the magic happens.

The menu.

The wood fire oven!  I was blown away by the fact that they had this right in the truck.  Unreal!

Our pizzas getting some personal attention.

My long-legged friend's Diavolo: tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, hot italian salami, organic basil, extra virgin olive and sliced garlic.  ($9)  My long-legged friend thoroughly enjoyed this pizza and, since we tradesied a piece for a piece, I can vouch that it was amazing!

My prosciutto: tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, organic baby arugula, extra virgin olive oil.  ($9)  Did I mention that they literally drizzled the olive oil on top of the pizza at the very end?  Heaven on earth!  I can't bring myself to pick a favourite, so you'll just have to go with a friend and partake in tradesies yourself.

View during lunch.  Not too shabby!

www.facebook.com/PazzaRellaPizza

Twitter: @PazzaRellaPizza

Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company

My youngest cousin just finished her first semester at university this fall, so I was super excited when she messaged me to let me know that she was going to be back in town and was wondering if we could get together for dinner before the holidays.  We ended up having a delicious meal at Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company before her and her Mom headed off to see the Chor Leoni.

As always, our meals at Rocky Mountain were delicious.  I never fail to be re-amazed at how fresh and scrumptious the ingredients they use are.  It probably has something to do with the fact that they mainly use local and organic produce, free-range organic meats, Ocean Wise seafood, and make all of their sauces and dressings from scratch at the restaurant...but, whatever it's due to, it's a real treat.  Plus, the atmosphere is so comfortable, warm and relaxing.  You never feel like they're trying to rush you out and my favourite part is the fact that their pizza oven is visible to a good majority of the tables in the restaurant so you can watch them pop the pizzas in and out.  I also thoroughly enjoy how family friendly the restaurant is.  It adds a whole other layer of warmth to the atmosphere when kids are enjoying their meals at the tables next to you.

Thanks for the great visit ladies!  Hopefully we'll have a chance to visit again soon.

The remnants of the large Fig and Goat's cheese salad that we split to start: assorted greens, crunchy cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, shaved red onions, mixed with goat's cheese in a creamy black mission fig dressing ($13.50).  What can I say, my appetite overpowerd my desire for pretty photos..hence the half eaten photo.  This salad was nice and fresh and I was very impressed with the healthy portion of goat's cheese.

 

My cousin and Aunt showing off their flatbread pizzas.  My cousin had a small of the flatbread special.  I forgot to write down what was on it but I know there was eggplant and garlicky goodness.  I was able to trade a piece for a piece, and her flatbread was my favourite of the night. ($10.95).  My Aunt ordered a small Basil Bocconcini flatbread: organic tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, sliced roma tomatoes, natural brown mushrooms, freshly cut bocconcini cheese, and finished with roughly chopped basil leaves.  A delicious classic!  ($9.95)

 My regular parma: organic tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, Schinken speck (cured ham), brown mushrooms and mango, topped with roughly chopped arugula and parmesan cheese. ($14.50)  Essentially a more refined and less greasy version of the classic Hawaiian pizza.  This was delicious and I licked my plate clean.  However, I was a little disappointed that they forgot the arugula as that was part of the reason that I ordered it.

 

http://www.rockymountainflatbread.ca/menus/index.html

 

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria

We were craving some sustenance after our fun-filled time at Vancouver Urban Winery so we headed to a pizzeria that had been recommended to me by a lady who knows her food and loves it as much as I do.  She definitely made a great recommendation.

The pizza was the way pizza should be, in my opinion.  I don't think anything will ever beat the pizza that I had in Napoli, but this came darn close!  It was so good that four of us inhaled three pizzas in about 10 minutes flat.  Everyone agreed it was delicious, as were the drinks (caesars, red wine, sangria, beer and limoncello lemonade).

The restaurant itself was very nice and the people working there were super friendly, easy-going and kind.  Definitely the sort of place you can go for a yummy meal and then stay for another drink and visit the night away.

If you're in a pizza mood, you should definitely try this restaurant!

The Capriocciosa: italian ham, roasted mushrooms, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and extra virgin olive oil.  A popular Italian standard and my absolute favourite!

The Cavoletti: Bianca sauce, fresh mozzarella, oven-roasted Brussels sprouts, prosciutto crisps, gorgonzola cheese, dates, walnuts, and a drizzle of honey.  Very yummy.  More of a sweet pizza but it was very good.

The Abruzzo: Oven-roasted Italian sausage, slivered red onions, roasted mushrooms, fennel seeds, and smoked mozzarella.  Mouth wateringly good.

Some darn good Sangria!

 

The missing dessert picture: Limoncello Lemonade.  Yummy goodness.

http://www.famoso.ca/