Sopra Sotto – Authentic Fresh Pasta on Commercial Drive

If you follow me on the blog or on Instagram, you’ll know I’m a lover of fresh pasta. Tasting the density and texture of fresh pasta completely opened my eyes and now I jump at every opportunity to find the next hidden gem serving fresh pasta.

I recently was invited to a media tasting at Sopra Sotto which is a new Italian restaurant that just opened up on Commercial Drive. Upon walking into the restaurant I was blown away by the high ceilings, gorgeous bar, and floor to ceiling windows that let in so much natural sunlight it felt like you were outside.

Their tasting menu was comprehensive, with many innovative items I’ve never tried before like “square spaghetti” and “creamy cabbage sauce”. It was truly like stepping foot into an Italian grandma’s house and sitting down for a family dinner.

First up were the antipasti dishes which began with the Rucola Salad ($10) and Toscana Salad ($12).

The Porchetta e Verdure blew me away and it’s usually hard to because so many restaurants execute it quite well. I loved how fatty the pork was, and how wonderfully it went with the grilled vegetables. Usually it comes in a sandwich or with heavy carbs and the combination of fatty pork + carbs can get overwhelming. However this was the perfect balancing act.

For drinks, I started off the night with a Gin Sour ($11) which was made of Gin, champagne honey, basil, lime juice, and egg white. The cocktail was done very well, and the egg white foam was just the icing on top. If you’ve never had egg white in your cocktails, you must give it a try! It makes for the best cocktail froth!

The highly anticipated pastas finally arrived and it did not disappoint. I never really thought of chickpeas as a pasta sauce but this Radiatori e Ceci ($11) changed my mind.

The Chitarrine Al Ragu ($19) was one of my favourites and it consisted of square spaghetti made fresh in-house, served in an authentic Bolognese sauce.

It’s not the typical oily, red bolognese sauce you’re used to having. This one was light, full of ground meat, and all of the meaty juices clung to the ridges of the ‘square’ spaghetti.

Almost the entire table thought the Maccheroni Al Forno ($17) was the best dish of the bunch. It started off with fresh pasta once again, this time it’s macaroni, in a creamy cabbage and mushroom sauce, flavoured with grana and Alps cheese.

My personal favourite of the bunch was the Paccheri con Granchio (featured pasta in a light crab sauce). Some may find this dish not saucey enough, but I found it perfect as you can really taste the wheat in the pasta.

You may not know this but their pizza dough is prepared in advance and allowed two days to rise. This allows the yeast to complete its full growth cycle, creating a lighter meal. The traditional Margherita Pizza ($14) was simple and light…essentially it was pizza in its purest form as it allowed every single ingredient to shine.

Last but not least, the success of one’s Tiramisu ($8) is usually the determining factor of an any Italian restaurant. I’m happy to report that their Tiramisu was absolutely lovely and I would return just for this. I’m a huge fan of Tiramisu in a cup, as it allows the sponge cake and everything else to be a bit softer and more messy. So if you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy their Tiramisu!

All in all, Sopra Sotto is a wonderful addition to Commercial Drive. Not only is their food absolutely delicious, the family style way of eating and serving makes everyone at the table feel like family and that always makes for a great time.

Service Rating: N/A (media event)

Food Rating: 4/5

Price: $$$

Overall Rating: 4/5

 

Happy Eating!