Tag Archives: Italian

Ludica Pizzeria

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A friend invited me to play some games while enjoying some pizza, so we went on a late afternoon Sunday. There were four of us and sat by the window with nice flower beds on the outside.

The other two had ordered the Italian Soda, so I thought I’d give it a try. I ordered Strawberry. You can also add Vodka for extra $. I had it with whip cream, but to my disappointment, it wasn’t that good. It seemed really watered down, and without much carbonation, it wasn’t much of a ‘soda’.

I usually never order pizza at restaurants because I’m not a bread-fan. I don’t know why, but ever since I was little, I was more of the noodle person than bread. The only time I have bread is when I eat a sandwich, or complimentary bread buns are served at higher-end restaurants. I was eyeing on the pasta, but when I looked over to the next table and saw their Hawaiin pizza, it looked pretty good. Since everyone else was getting a pizza and it was a pizzeria, I felt I needed to try something different rather than getting pasta from every restaurant. So, I went with Hawaiian $13.50.

All pizza were fairly big size. I wasn’t able to finish 2 slices, but I got through it because it was really good. The thin pizza was crispy, and the topping were fresh and flavourful. Not to mention, when you’re playing games, it kind of goes down without you knowing it!

Sheepie had the Ham and Mushroom on their special menu.

Service was great with a friendly and sometimes sarcastic character that made us laugh.

The place was clean, with the thin-crust pizza baking in their stone oven.

We played Timeline and Love Letters, both of which were new to Sheepie and I.

It’s a lot of fun, and what’s best, there’s no extra charge for playing the games. I remember some cafes in Richmond that charged you per hour for playing. But here, you can keep going and going. You’ll never get bored as there are more than 750 board and card games to play. The staff will even teach you some so you can always try out new ones.

Will definitely be back!

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Salvatore’s La Lustica

We were in the neighbourhood, so we thought we’d dine at a restaurant that looked like an authentic Italian restaurant. The entrance was all lite up and was very inviting. Also, their early bird menu that was posted on their window had attractive prices.

The interior has a nice cozy atmosphere, and since we were a bit early for supper, the place was still fairly empty. As soon as we walked in, a friendly gentleman greeted us.

I ordered the Italian Snitzel $11.95 with 4 cheese sauce. It was interesting to see a German dish being called ‘Italian’. It was served with pasta (though you have the option of choosing risoto or potatoes instead) with vegetables.

Sheepie had the Chicken Cacciatore $12.95 with spaghetti mixed with tomatoes, onions, garlic, mushrooms and peppers in wine sauce. On the menu on the table, the price is $11.95, but we were charged a dollar more. I guess their prices haven’t been updated? It was steaming hot!

With both dishes, the portions were huge! Wow. Actually, I ended up liking the flavour of the Cacciatore, so we swapped plates, lol. Even then, there were leftovers, so I had the remainders to go.

At the end, I had a pleasant surprise of receiving a carnation! I’ve seen restaurants giving them to ‘mothers’ on mother’s day, but this was just a normal day, and I wasn’t a ‘mother’. I did see other females receiving the flower, so not sure if this is a regular thing. Either way, it was a nice way to finish the evening.

Service was excellent. I wouldn’t say it was superior pasta, but the portion and price was great. Lovely flowers for all those ladies out there!

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Ciao Bella

Right on the corner of Denman, amongst a selection of world-wide cuisine is an Italian restaurant. It was bustling inside as we entered and a hostess came to greet us. We had reservations for 6pm, but she seemed to push us to the patio. I was reluctant, as it had been an extremely windy and chilly weather during the day, but with the reassurance that there was heating, we followed her outside. The patio had a covered roof with the heater, and the sides were enclosed with a clear plastic cover.

Our server checked with the table with a couple next to us first, as they were already going through the menu. He flipped around to our table and greeted us, and noticed that the course special menu wasn’t included, so he flipped around back to the other table and got one of their sheet for us.

No bread came for a while, but when it finally came, it was dry, so the oil and balsamic vinegar to compensate helped a bit.

I ordered the Vongole $17.95 which for the first time had no shells with the clams. Although easier to eat, the clams seems to be bits and pieces like it came out of a grinder. Although colourful, it seemed like no consideration was put in for the presentation. It was pulled out of the pot and straight onto the plate. Next~. It was quite garlicky, which I liked, but the portion seemed too much. Disappointing for a classier, more pricey Italian restaurant.

When they brought out our pasta dishes, the server made no effort in taking our empty bread basket nor the small plates used for eating the bread. Having a tiny table to start off with, we were crammed with stuff on our table. Thumbs down.

Sheepie ordered the Frafalle Alla Diavlo $21.95. He didn’t seem to like it, nor did he feel too good afterwards.

The heater above us started to really grill us. It wasn’t just ‘warm’. It was literally cooking us. Luckily, this happened near the end of our dinner.

When the server asked if we wanted dessert, we declined as the large portions were quite filling. The bill came out right away.

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