La Notte: Gelati is plural for Gelato?!

Finally have a chance to come here on another fine Tuesday for $8.99 pasta! =D Really close to UBC (aka far away for me) but cheap pasta, why not give it a try?

Restaurant: La Notte (visit their website here)

Location: 3307 Dunbar Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Italian
Price range: $10-$20





Date of visit: November 5, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 3.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

Started off with some focaccia bread, it was a bit cold by the time we got down to nom nom on it, since KW and LZ arrived earlier (I was a WEE late). Still quite good, a bit hard by the time I got to it =(

Moving on, KW ordered a Proscuitto E Melone ($9.00), which was interesting because I've usually had it paired with melon and not cantaloupe. The cantaloupe wasn't very fresh, had a wine-y taste to it but the proscuitto was decent. Together it wasn't a memorable dish. But YES. Those grape-looking things at the end were full olives! Very strong taste, but interesting.

The main attraction, pasta! Bonnishii and LZ both ordered Fettuccine Alla Veneziana ($8.99- Regularly $15.00). It was deliciously rich and creamy (I sneaked a bite), with a few decently sized prawns. Bonnishii said it was a bit much near the end because it was so rich, but otherwise delish!

KW wanted to try their basics and ordered a Spaghetti Bolognese ($8.99- Regular $14.00). Very tomatoey, and had nice chunks of ground beef. Pasta was al dente and overall I liked how the flavors worked out. But then again, it WAS just your typical spaghetti bolognese. They just didn't' mess it up xD

I've been on this clam-addiction lately, and just can't get enough! Ordered a Linguine Alle Vongole ($8.99- Regularly $15.00). There were indeed whole and baby clams, which weren't very flavorful at all. They were rather chewy and bland =/ Definitely a disappointment for me. Not much wine taste in the sauce either, although it was far less rich than Bonnishii and LZ's pasta. I managed to stuff it all in me, which says something about the portion size. Either way, pasta was great, clams not so much, and it wasn't overly oily (not too light either!).

To finish off the night, there's desserts of course! We were confused about the "Gelati" ($6.00 I believe... forgot the price), turns out it was PLURAL for Gelato!! (Learn something new every day!) Anyways, there were a few options, and we decided on the one with three flavors. Pistachio (tasted like medicine), Vanilla (Had dried fruits and nuts in it which diminished the experience), and Hazelnut (which was surprisingly not like Nutella, and was the best part of the Gelati). Oh! Our servers were very friendly and helpful, brownie points for them! ^-^

LZ went with tradition and ordered a piece of Tiramisu ($7.00). She felt the cake layer was overly soaked in coffee and negatively impacted her overall experience. Otherwise your typical Tiramisu.

Bonnishii's impression of me while I was nibbling on that focaccia bread xD

For this price I was ok with coming here, although for a bit more at La Trattoria, I feel I would pay the extra bit for better quality food. La Notte give a very homey feel and is more casual though. So depending on what environment you're looking for, its a decent pasta place. Me? I don't see myself returning. #notafoodsnob #Ijusthavehigherexpectations Toodles~ <3