Hidden Italian West End Gem

I can’t praise this place enough.

After a huge day moving we decided we were craving Italian. While West End, Vancouver has so many restaurants we hadn’t noticed Italian so headed to Urbanspoon to find one.

Adesso was down Haro, off Denman. We thought we were heading the wrong way until we found a gorgeous little outdoor patio area which was part of the restaurant. It’s unusual for a licensed venue to be in a residential area and they are lucky to have a clause to get them around it.

There is a great ambience, both outside and inside. Inside is decadent, a great place for a date or special dinner. Outside is more casual but still fine dining. We chose outside to enjoy the long daylight hours. Plus it was super cute with the hanging flower baskets and fairy lights.

Our server was very informative and passionate about the food. When we quizzed her as to whether we should get the bruschetta she immediately said no as we get complimentary focaccia and oils to start. She suggested the mushroom pizza, however we went for the margherita and the mussels in white wine and garlic.

The pizza was delicious, fresh and cheesy. The mussels – wow. The broth was amazing and they were cooked to perfection. We couldn’t get enough. Even though I said I’d have no more bread I couldn’t help but have some more with the broth.

I couldn’t decide on a main and asked for suggestions. Our server again was great, full of suggestions and knowledge. I went for the Taglietele Nera – black squid pasta with local ingredients. It was amazing. I ate it all even though I was full.

Susan really enjoyed her pasta as well. She had the clam with fettuccine, she also wanted to unbutton her pants – full to the brim! Or pants hem in this case.

We washed it all down with a carafe of red wine. We started with a glass each, I had prosecco and Susan, the red. We liked hers so much we ordered more.

When I quizzed about whether they had a twitter handle they bought out a card with all their social media links on it. Being from the digital industry I was very impressed and quick to tweet (and now blog) my praise.

A fantastic evening at an amazing restaurant. I will be back soon.

 


Adesso Bistro on Urbanspoon