After joining the RBC Run for the Kids in Queen Elizabeth Park, my husband and I joined the fun at Italian Day on The Drive. It's an annual festival celebrating all things from Italy. It's our first time going this year!
One of the many good things about Vancouver and Canada, in general, is we celebrate diversity. Last week, we were at Proudly Philippines: Philippines Travel and Food Fair. Today it's Italian Day, and we're going to Greek Day on Broadway two weeks from now.
We arrived on Commercial Drive before 12:00 NN and started walking the 14-block stretch filled with booths of food, merchandise, performers, and so many other things to see. I also love the Vespa and Italian cars displayed. Of course, I'm there to eat. My husband and I made a "plan" or conditions in deciding which food stalls to try.
- Italian Food only - Of course, we only want to buy Italian food (even though the Filipino in me wants the BBQ skewer from Kulinarya Filipino Eatery)
- No restaurants - If there's a booth extension of a restaurant, we skip it since we can always come back to support their physical store in the future.
- No food trucks - We will most likely see them again in the many events happening around the city.
With these "rules" in mind, it became easier to navigate and not be overwhelmed by the many available options.
Fried Ravioli from Do or Dine Catering
Our first bite of Italy today is deep-fried ravioli. It's ravioli covered in panko bread crumbs, then deep-fried. It has a salty and crispy exterior, while the inside is filled with spinach and ricotta cheese. Perfect first bite for the day.
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| Fried Ravioli from Do or Dine Catering |
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| A peek inside the Fried Ravioli from Do or Dine Catering |
Meatballs and Bomboloni from Pastaggio
I'll start with an apology. I'm sorry to all the Italians who may read this blog, but this is my first meatball made by an Italian. I have only tried frozen meatballs and the Ikea Swedish meatballs. I regret not trying this sooner, but I am so glad to have enjoyed 3 meatballs in classic Pomodoro.
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3 Meatballs from Pastaggio 3 meatballs in Pomodoro with reggiano on sourdough focaccia |
I didn't know meatballs could be this good! They're tender and seasoned perfectly. The sourness and sweetness from the fresh tomato sauce cuts through the fatiness. Lastly, I love the sourdough focaccia since it absorbs the sauce so nicely. I didn't want to share with my husband.
Brown Butter Custard Bomboloni from Pastaggio
We have to talk about these Italian doughnuts. I took a bite, and it was heavy and dense. I was sort of disappointed.
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Bomboloni from Pastaggio Italian doughnuts (brown butter custard) |
Then, my hubby took a bite, and he reached all the custard in the middle, and each section that touched the custard was terrific.
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| Look at that oozing Brown Butter Custard inside the Bomboloni from Pastaggio. |
Schiarc' or Pizzette Fritte (Fried Bread) from Famiglia Bagnolese Society
We ordered the Sauage in a Bun topped with peppers and onions. I love the toppings and the flavours they provide. However, my absolute favourite food item I had today is called the Shiarc'.
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| Sausage in a Bun from Famiglia Bagnolese Society |
I'm a simple person. Give me fried dough (or doughnut) and sprinkle it with sugar, and I'll be happy. This is what we got. It's soft, slightly oily, and sweet (but not overly sweet).
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| Schiarc' or Pizzette Fritte (Fried Bread) from Famiglia Bagnolese Society |
Margherita Focaccia from Focacciaza
A food cart(?) called Focacciaza sells three focaccia variants: cheese, garden, or Margherita. I went with the last one since we didn't see any pizza not part of a restaurant.
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| Margherita Focaccia from Focacciaza |
The outside of the focaccia is crunchy, while the inside is soft. You can see how airy it is when you look at the side. Flavour-wise, you can taste the tomato-based sauce and cheeses like mozzarella and parmesan. After that, I started to feel full. It was surprisingly satisfying.
Chocolate Almond Biscotti from Focacciaza
This is my first time trying biscotti, and I have so much food regret for not trying this sooner. There are so many delicious Italian sweets! The biscotti was crunchy and soft at the same time. It's so unusual in texture. It's also hard to go wrong with chocolate and almond in flavour. I love every bite!
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| Chocolate Almond Biscotti from Focacciaza |
Double Espresso Gelato from Il Mundo Cafe and Gelato
Gelato. That's the only exception to the rule. My husband requested we have a scoop of gelato because it's so sunny and hot. We spotted three stores selling gelato, all with long lines (and I am not counting ice cream vendors too). We settled on Il Mundo Cafe and Gelato. Hubby chose the Double Espresso Gelato and it was creamy, sweet, with the strong hint of caffeine.
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| Double Espresso from Il Mundo Cafe and Gelato |
Hopefully, we can make the annual visit to Italian Day on The Drive. It's such a fun experience.
