~ Wonderful Italian fare ~
For quite some time now, it appears that one of my favourite stores have had a makeover. I would drive by this wonderful place intent on getting to my destination in time with no time to leisurely stop and check out what was happening over there, until on night as I drove by, I saw a large neon sign all lit up pronouncing “Restorante” and thought that we really should try this new place out. Weeks went by and then, finally, there was an opportunity to go. Am I glad we did! The entire experience was just fabulous.
I intended to check if the favourite shop was still there before going in to eat, but a small incident took place when we arrived, and by the time that was over, we were pretty hungry, so I never did check out anything. I believe, though, that La Péninsule is still there and intend to go there very soon.
We arrived and parked outside Al Dente. As we got out of the car, we heard a loud “shwump” sort of noise and saw two excited young children on the verge of jumping around gleefully at a car that had just driven over a coconut. Long and short of it, they had thrown the coconut into the road and were hoping a car would break it so they could drink/eat from it. We called upon the help of the amazingly lovely waitperson to explain to the youngsters that it was quite a dangerous thing they were doing, and made our way into the most welcoming restaurant we had been in in a long time.
The old tree trunk still takes centre stage at the entrance, to the right is a fabulous wine cellar, ahead and to the left are the tables. Black and white pictures of well-known folk eating pasta adorn the warm orange-painted walls. There are large picture windows along the wall where we were seated.
We were shown to our table and handed menus, water and wine in short order. After checking through the specials of the evening, we decided on fried calamari and pesto gnocchi from the regular menu as our “premo.”
The waitperson arrived with a brown paper bag filled with warm rolls as well as grated parmesan and olive oil for us to nibble on as we waited for our first course.
Laughing, we chatted over our wine (rose of course) about the antics of young un’s; there is such a learning curve one has to go through to become adults. We were glad there had been no unfortunate consequence of the antics that evening.
Our calamari came prettily plated in a brown paper cone with a delicious side of mesclun salad and a small dish of sauce. The calamari was a little different in that there were some taste strips of zucchini as well. We agreed it was simply one of the best fried calamari we had enjoyed in recent months.
The gnocchi was super, although my companion was not completely sold on it – there is no understanding some folks tastes! I did not complain as it left more for me to inhale.
For our “secondo,” we ordered an “involtini” off the evening’s special menu and the “Scallopina alla Milanese” from the regular menu – the portions were not small.
Admittedly, I did do a bit of “long-neck” peeks checking out what the other diners ordered. The pizzas looked amazing and the various orders from the bar looked great.
Our mains came, the beef rolls were delicious, drowned in an exceptionally tasty tomato sauce with a side of spaghetti. The breaded and fried veal was tender; the sides of potato, beans and cherry tomatoes in olive oil paired well. We were luxuriating in the feeling of satisfaction in our choice of restaurant for the evening and noticed how busy they were. There are a lot of folk who know about this great Italian restaurant.
We could only share a dessert and after much discussion decided on the “pannacotta with toffee topping.” The dessert was not particularly sweet, which was to our liking as it offset the sweet ending of the obligatory shot of rum. I love these shots that come “on the house” at some of the dining establishments. Certainly makes the evening end on a lovely warm note!
With the fantastic home-cooked meals, Al Dente ticks all the boxes for ambiance, good service, delicious food, good wine list and, above all, well priced. It is no wonder the restaurant is busy; it is exactly as an Italian restaurant should be.
Info:
Al Dente Ristorante
Route de Griselle | La Peninsule
Cul de Sac
590 52 00 94
Open:
Cuisine: Italian
Good: Service, Food, Ambiance
Price range: $$
Ratings:
Staff friendliness: ****
Service speed: ****
Restaurant cleanliness: ****
Food quality: ****
Value for money: ****
Ambience: ****
