Much-Loved Trattoria by Italian Kitchen Re-Opens Its Doors

I’m a verified carb-lover. Whether it’s pizza, pasta or straight-up bread and butter—these are the dishes I can’t resist. (Apparently some believe only bread for dinner isn’t a full meal, but I say fight the world’s expectations, get your bread people.) So when Glowbal Restaurant Group invited me to visit its newly relaunched restaurant Trattoria, my answer was obviously yes, grazie.

The aptly named restaurant aims to transport diners to Italian trattorias—where the atmosphere is intimate and the food seasonal. This includes its huge selection of (you guessed it) pasta, most of which is hand-made in-house. But the reason I wanted to check out the restaurant wasn’t just for the food (mostly, though). After a massive renovation the Burnaby restaurant has transformed into a lush paradise. The overhaul included adding an 18-seat pizza bar and a truly stunning 65-seat heated year-round patio, making me much less heartbroken that summer has all but officially come to an end.

Reminiscent of the Burrard Street staple, Italian Kitchen, Trattoria also features some of its sibling restaurants top dishes—including the beloved truffle spaghetti and meatballs ($25), a 100-layer lasagne ($22—truly a must-order) and the famous-in-my-house pasta platter ($65, yes, you get to choose three pastas, and, yes, it’s amazing).

But executive chef Matteo Fontana has put his mark on the Trattoria menu, too, with dishes like suppli carbonara ($14 absolutely addictive crispy breaded macaroni carbonara sticks), Ravioles du Dauphiné ($23 and filled with braised short rib and mascarpone and topped with a red wine cream sauce…need I say more?) and a pitch-perfect braised lamb shank ($34) that comes with creamy polenta, broccolini gremolata and a rich lamb jus.

But my fave from my foray down Italia-lane was the restaurant’s table-side prosciutto service ($25): a mountain of cured meat topped with marinated veg, roasted tomatoes and forno bread (which is garnished with rosemary and somehow better than pizza and bread combined). When eaten al fresco on that year-round patio, well, it’s easy to forget you’re not sitting on the Italian Riviera.

Speaking of ‘za, the wood-fired version made at Trattoria comes out of the oven just speckled enough, with a chewy crust that holds up to the ample toppings—like the old-world-meets-new Hawaiian ($20), which features spicy capocollo, roasted pineapple, pepperonata and fior di latte.

Dessert is equally dreamy—take the Caramela Budino ($12), a creamy toffee pudding topped with just-whipped-enough chantilly cream, melt-in-your-mouth cookie crumbs and amarena cherries (the queen of cherries, iykyk) or the tableside tiramisu ($18) which has a hand-whipped creme anglaise so light it practically melts on your tongue.

All that’s to say, Burnaby’s much-loved Italian staple is back, better than ever and worth a visit. Especially since its running promotions like “Tratt Tuesdays” where select hand-made pastas are $16, and “Wine Wednesdays” where, you guessed it, there are deals on wine (up to 50 percent off) and pizza ($15).

Trattoria
4501 Kingsway #102, Burnaby