Candour of ingredients and preparation stands out at Portobello
Mark Laba
Province
From left: Portobello Ristorante’s husband-and-wife owners, Rosa and Pino Milano, and son, Roberto, pose with signature dishes halibut alla romana, osso bucco with risotto milanese, linguini frutti aimare, and homemade Sicilian bread. Photograph by : Arlen Redekop, The Province
PORTOBELLO RISTORANTE
Where: 1429 Broadway, Vancouver
Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-734-0697
Drinks: Fully licensed.
Hours: Tues.-Sun., 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Closed Mon.
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“Fungus is your friend,” I said to Peaches.
“Last time I heard that was 10 years ago, when some guy tried to sell me magic mushrooms.”
“Listen, you gotta give fungus a chance.”
“Isn’t that what that hookah-huffing caterpillar said to Alice in Wonderland?”
“And he was a very smart man.”
“Caterpillar.”
“Whatever. He knew the score.”
“Nevertheless. Just because the place is called Portobello doesn’t mean they only have fungus on the menu.”
“Yeah but it’s like going to Italy and not seeing the Mona Lisa. Or Sistine Chapel. Or Sophia Loren. Ya haft’a eat the mushrooms.”
On and on this conversation would’ve gone, but we’d stepped into this small, harmonious space decked out in subtle tones and hues, and imbued with a kind of homey atmosphere but with better furniture. A glowing backlit red wall, cozy plush booths and elegantly simple wood seating and white-cloth-covered tables set the mood, along with music that conjured up images of lazy days on a motorboat zipping along the Italian Riviera with Marcello Mastroianni.
We had Small Fry Eli in tow and though the hostess looked a little askance at his presence initially, our waiter was warm and friendly to the little guy and had him cooked up a special order of spaghetti and toddler-sized meatballs, which the little fella enjoyed heartily. And though iced tea wasn’t on the menu they even whipped up the real thing for Peaches in the kitchen.
We began with a Caesar salad ($7) and the calamari pizzaiola ($10), because I’m a sucker for cephalopods with suckers. These tender pieces of squid were pure pleasure, unencumbered by batter as most calamari dishes are and simply sauteed in tomato sauce and speckled with capers, olives, herbs and garlic. The Caesar was equally satisfying and, as we all know, it’s the dressing that emboldens the leafy personality of romaine, and this mix had it in spades from its light creamy consistency to the hint of anchovy. And the triangular crispy hot bread was excellent.
For mains Peaches dug into the fresh salmon tossed with fusilli pasta and finished with cream sauce ($14). I ventured into the veal done up with mushrooms and a Marsala wine sauce ($22), with a colourful display of steamed, grilled and sauteed veggies on the side. The veal was beautifully cooked and the Marsala, with its fortified nature, added an alcoholic oomph tempered by butter. The mushrooms were at their best, soaking up all the saucy flavours. The salmon fusilli was a perfect marriage of freshness and simplicity.
Perhaps that’s what best sums up this restaurant’s dishes. From classic osso bucco to creamy risotto to pan-seared prawns flambeed with cognac in a rose sauce, plus the pasta selections, it’s the candour of the ingredients and preparation that stands out. And sometimes it’s a toddler’s tastebuds that are the best proof of that, as Small Fry Eli displayed, giving us two tiny thumbs up and a face covered in tomato sauce.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Culinary luxury done simply and tastefully.
RATINGS: Food: A-; Service: B+; Atmosphere: B
© The Vancouver Province 2007
