West Vancouver’s Caffe al Mercato is no more. In its place is La Sorella di Mangia (literally, the Sister of Mangia), a self-styled family Italian eatery also owned and operated by the folks behind Mangia e Bevi across the street.
I used to pop into Al Mercato for a tub of house made pomodoro sauce, a box of that kind of pasta with the dusty-looking, zero-sheen finish that is invariably superior to the polished commercial brand stuff, or a double espresso with a biscotto. However, increasingly, the premium deli category is growing on the North Shore. Just last week, I reviewed the stellar Puccini’s, and previously in these pages Black Forest Delicatessen, Sebastian & Co. and Windsor Meats have been profiled for their commitment to sourcing excellent take-home deli fare.
Perhaps it was this increasingly stiff competition, plus the realization that the sit-down meal experience is really where their team shines, that eventually prompted Al Mercato’s ownership to reimagine the venue, an expansive, open-concept, somewhat industrial looking room, as a family diner.
I popped in on a recent Saturday night with the family to try out the new concept. At every turn, the proven culinary prowess that informs the Mangia e Bevi offering shone through; the food was all, without exception, expertly made and pleasing.
Even the starter salad we ordered for the table to share, Sorella’s Panzanella, was a winner despite the fact that it arrived in a bone cold ceramic bowl, usually a sign that a dish was prepared well in advance and pulled out of the fridge just prior to service. The Panzanella was comprised of tangy, concentrated roasted tomatoes, mozzafina (fresh mozzarella), spicy arugula, cucumber, olives, basil and the salad’s defining ingredient, crispy squares of roughly torn focaccia bread, slathered here in a pesto vinaigrette. It proved to be a faithful rendition of a classic, rustic salad and my fears about cut corners were waylaid.
La Sorella’s family-leaning menu features a number of dishes designed to put in the middle of the table for everyone to try, including an appetizer of crostini with your choice of five toppings, a fondue of mozzarella and fontina cheese with Italian sausage into which diners dip strips of pizza crust, meatballs in marinara sauce, or, on the entrée side, a pasta platter showcasing three different preparations.
The menu is heavy on pasta and pizza, with virtually everything prepared in-house, and the accompanying beverage list is a smart but minimalist assortment of Italian cocktails (think negroni, aperol spritz, or spirits topped with prosseco), a handful of Italian beers (with Peroni on tap, of which I enjoyed a frosty pint), and half a dozen wines by the glass, each one food-friendly and affordable, and poured in either six or nine ounce servings.
As my wife DJ sipped her Spritz, she pointed out that Mangia chef and co-owner Rob Parrot was standing at the neighbouring table discussing the finer points of blue cheese allergies, and I was reminded that this restaurant, like its kitty-corner progenitor, is an independent business. As such, good service is essential to its success; an aloof or uninformed server, heavy-handed bartender, or indifferent host can be devastatingly costly to the bottom line. I am pleased to report that our server, who was being run ragged by an incessant queue at the door and a rather large service section, was consistently pleasant and helpful, abashedly offering her apologies for the odd moment when she had to drop off an item and, almost literally, run.
I was also pleased to see calzone on the menu. It is an item that has been mercilessly co-opted by the frozen food industry (just Google Jim Gaffigan’s bit on Hot Pockets to see what I mean) and it doesn’t often get the respect it deserves. I ordered a ham, artichoke, mushroom and mozzarella version of the stuffed, folded-over pie and found it to be a generous and tasty dish, crammed with a staggering amount of good quality cheese and mushrooms. The crust was tender and chewy and all along the seam that held the pocket together was a brushing of fragrant olive oil, the sort of nice touch that identifies a seasoned kitchen team. I washed it down with a glass of red wine from Puglia made with indigenous grapes Negroamaro and Primitivo, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon.
DJ had a creative riff on spaghetti and meatballs, the latter made with zucchini and Parmesan cheese. The pasta was tossed in Mangia’s excellent tomato sauce and the moist, tender “meatballs” revealed herbaceous notes of sage and rosemary; as DJ remarked, they were like morsels of holiday stuffing. She paired her main with a glass of Ripasso-style Valpolicella by Falasco.
The kids all ate from the children’s menu, which offers either pizza or pasta with a side of fruit or Caesar salad, for $8. I noted that the kids’ pizzas all employ the same good quality fresh mozza that features on more expensive adult dishes and my son’s pie, a salami pizza, was topped with generous rounds of the cured meat.
We enjoyed a scoop of very good housemade coffee and nut gelato and an even better coffee and liqueur-soaked Tiramisu with mountains of creamy mascarpone.
Our meal for five was $125 before gratuity.
La Sorella di Mangia is located at 2215 Marine Drive in West Vancouver. Mangiaebevi.ca. 604-922-4334.
