#46 italian birthday meals

it was my birthday last friday and i had no plans or whatsoever. i was doing my LFS online quiz with phoebe and annie when gigi came over to bring me out for my birthday lunch. she told me to choose the restaurant i wanted as it’s my birthday and peter was driving us there. since i haven’t been to anton’s in a long while, i decided to go there despite not bring the voucher i bought.

anton’s pasta bar
4260 East Hastings Street
Burnaby, BC V5C 2J6
(604) 299-6636

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i went to antons only once and we had to wait for about 15 minutes to get a seat for more than 10 people. this time, 3 of us were seated immediately as it was a weekday. since i was sick and had no voice to speak, i requested for warm water and the server gave me a teapot filled with hot water. i kept adding ice into the my glass of hot water since i was dehydrated and really needed to drink for my throat. we were first served with bread and butter. we made our order at roughly 3.30pm and the server gave us the option of choosing the dinner or lunch size so we chose the former since we knew that we wouldn’t be able to finish the meals. the restaurant has a side bar and plenty of room to spare so during weekends when there are long lineups, it just goes to show that the restaurant serves great pastas !

fettuccine alfredo – CAN$11.75

fusilli creamy – CAN$11.75

i found the fettuccine alfredo (2/5★) not as creamy as it should be. it is really bland as it consists of only cream parmesan cheese sauce and capicollo ham. gigi and peter like the alfredo and prefer it over the fusilli creamy though. i, on the other hand, have tried fusilli creamy (3.5/5★) twice and am still loving it ! it comprised of pesto in a creamy tomato sauce. i’m usually not a fan of tomato pasta sauce but when jane convinced me the first time, i decided to give it a shot. never regret it after.  the amount of sauce was generous but not excessive or maybe the fusilli is smaller. thus, it can contain more sauce and such. when i brought it home, my sister told me she didn’t like the pastas from antons as there were little to no meat at all. then, i realized i was so sleepy that i totally forgot to order meat in it.

the bill

the bill came up to CAN$26.32 and surprisingly, gigi decided to give me a treat for my birthday, in addition to her gift and manicure service. boy, am i lucky to have such a friend ! thanks love ^^

PAYMENT METHODS: DEBIT/CREDIT/CASH

my overall ratings are as follows:

ambiance: 7.5/10
service: 7/10
food (taste & appearance): 5.5/10
value: 6.5/10

total: 6.63/10★

in conclusion, i would like to give anton’s another shot since my ratings for the food are pretty low now & i think it deserve another shot.

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the next day, my sister planned to bring me to copa cafe or posh to have hotpot but since we dressed up too fancy, she suggested trattoria italian kitchen. i did not mind anything since i was brain dead on which restaurant to head to.

trattoria italian kitchen
1850 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6J 3H3
(604) 732-1441

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trattoria is one of the many classy restaurants located on west 4th avenue. initially, the server was really friendly with us but he kept pushing us to order wine. when we rejected, he treated us with hostility. the manager served us the pizza and pasta that we have ordered. she is genuinely meticulous. after my sister mentioned that i’m a food blogger, the server came back serving us a little nicer. funny how the power of  ”title” can make or break you.

spaghetti carbonara – CAN$15.50

soppresatt – CAN$13.50

i really enjoyed the spaghetti carbonara. pasta wise, i’m a carbonara addict and i typically like creamy (though not excessive) pastas. the pasta had more than enough pancetta, some dosage of scallions and egg topped with parmigiano reggiano cheese sauce. i like how the sauce oozes in my mouth. i give huge thumbs up for the mouthfeel ! 4/5★

the server recommended gorgonzol but since my sister did not like vegetarian food, we decided on soppresatta. it consists of salami, tomatoes, olives, scamorza and basil. as i’m not a fan of tomato, the pizza is just fine but i love the crispy crust though. it is an old-fashioned pizza and my sister told me that the correct way to consume pizza is to roll it from the tip to the crust, interesting ! 2.8/5★

take away package & the bill

the take away package looks just like a shopping tote, how adorable ! i can now reuse it for groceries !!

the bill came up to a total of CAN$32.48 and guess what ? my sister gave me a birthday treat as well, in addition to the customized birthday cake & 3 skincare products she bought for me. i feel so loved, thank you sis !

PAYMENT METHODS: DEBIT/CREDIT/CASH

my overall ratings are as follows:

ambiance: 9.5/10
service: 5.5/10
food (taste & appearance): 6.8/10
value: 6.5/10

total: 7.08/10★

in conclusion, trattoria makes me wanna go back for their pastas, not pizzas but i’m willing to pay the restaurant another visit !

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i didn’t head to an italian restaurant on sunday but i had mac and cheese at red robins for my birthday lunch with sfu c4c members !

i’m heading to the old spaghetti factory tonight so watch this space for edits and updates ^^

swisscheese*

Tags: antons pasta bar, fettuccine alfredo, fusilli creamy, italian cuisines in vancouver, soppresatta, spaghetti carbonara, trattoria italian kitchen