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Family-Style Italian Dinner at Savio Volpe

Since I started food blogging (seriously) two years ago, this blog has led me to on a wondrous and delicious journey.  I love documenting my food adventures but aside from that meeting other like-minded and passionate food bloggers has been the most amazing.  Yesterday, myself and three other food bloggers including Kristina (Drunken Noms), Hanson (Nosh and Nibble) and David (Picky Diner) got together for a early Monday night dinner.  I see each of them at media events separately but we are never really at the same event together.  Because of that, we decided to have a foodie get-together. Savio Volpe was the choice restaurant for our night out.

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

The Wise Fox

Located in Fraserhood (Kingsway and Fraser), Savio Volpe has been a much talked about Italian restaurant since it opened late last year.  Savio Volpe means “wise fox” in Italian and this eatery is all about getting together and sharing simple yet delicious food.   This restaurant is so popular that I couldn’t even get a 6 pm Monday night reservation via Open Table one week ahead of time.  Fortunately, I was able to book the 5:45 pm time slot for our meetup.  Furthermore, Savio Volpe is not that small of a restaurant as it can accommodate 90 seats.  The fact that it is quite booked shows how foodies have fallen in love with the wise fox.

Savio Volpe is the creation of restaurateur Paul Grunberg of L’Abattoir who with his two business partners wanted to a neighbourhood tavern with a sophisticated and simple feel.  The kitchen is led by Mark Perrier, head chef and co-owner, who is  particularly proud of Savio Volpe’s hand-crafted pasta.

Very Inviting Atmosphere

As soon as I walked into the restaurant, I was greeting warmly by a staff member.  Looking around, I was impressed with the interior design that included high ceilings, large windows, and light wood tones.  There is an open kitchen with a wood burning oven and a central bar.

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Kid-Friendly

Much to my surprise, Savio Volpe is very kid-friendly!  Our server told us that in the early evenings it is quite normal to see families with little ones eating at Savio Volpe. High-chairs are readily available at the restaurant.  As a parent, it was really nice to a new restaurant that is so welcoming to families.

Celebrity Chef Sighting

During our visit, David (Picky Diner) spotted celebrity chef and owner of Anna Lena, Mike Robbins, at a neighbouring table.  We took it as a good sign that even other top chefs came to enjoy the food at Savio Volpe.

What We Tried

Our meal consisted of the following:

  • Ox tongue tonnato ($14)
  • Bagna Cauda; hot anchovy & garlic bath ($17)
  • Garlic bread “all’Americano” ($6)
  • Meatballs, neck bone gravy ($14)
  • Octopus, chickpeas, cherry tomato, spicy salami ($19)
  • Mezzaluna, spinach & dandelion, wild onion ($18)

We chose an item from almost all the sections of the dinner menu.  To start, we had individual drinks including wine, latte, and beer.

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Our first appetizer was the ox tongue tonnato ($14) which is a slightly different take of the Italian classic Vitello Tonnato using cold, sliced veal.  The acidity and salinity of the mayo is just perfect for the thin tongue slices.  The mayo was wonderfully creamy and is made with tuna though the tuna flavour is just subtle and not overpowering.

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Next up was the Bagna Cauda ($17), a very rustic Italian fondue-style dish with a hot anchovy and garlic bath for vegetables ($17).  The dip was very hot, buttery and silky smooth.  We received an assortment of  vegetables and bread pieces.  I found that the dip was absorbed best with the potato whereas it slid off with others.

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

The house-made garlic bread “all’Americano” ($6) came in an aluminium pouch much like in a grocery store.  The thick bread slices were crispy on the edges but light and fluffy.  My only criticism was that they had too much butter on the bread.  It was very much soaked in butter.

The meatballs in neck bone gravy ($14) normally come as a trio but we were able to order one extra for our party of four.  The meatballs were piping hot, moist and tender – very delicious and comforting.

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

The pine nuts in the meatballs provided a fun textural contrast.

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

The octopus, chickpeas, cherry tomato, spicy salami ($19) was a surprisingly delightful dish.  The octopus was tender and chewy while the chickpeas were crunchy.  I liked the crispiness of the spicy salami.  One negative point, however, was that there was too much olive oil in this dish.

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Last but not least was the mezzaluna with spinach, dandelion and wild onion ($18).  The pasta was nicely smooth and silky though portions seemed a bit small for the price of $18.

Service

Service was top-notch as we had a wonderfully patient server.  She explained to us all the dishes and helped us to craft our meal.  Our glasses were kept full and we even had our plates changed.

Osteria Savio Volpe Vancouver

Overall Impression of Savio Volpe

I had a lovely time dining at Savio Volpe sharing several dishes with fellow food bloggers.  Savio Volpe has a great neighbourhood vibe and their menu is designed to be shared among multiple people.  Service was excellent thanks to having our friendly and patient server.  Rating: 4.5/5

Website: www.saviovolpe.com

Osteria Savio Volpe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Nosh and Nibble

Thursday 5th of May 2016

Super bumping on a Monday night, wow! Thanks for a great dinner, Areta!

pickydiner

Wednesday 4th of May 2016

It was indeed a great dinner! The place is casual but also has class. The food is amazing!