Vikas Sharma

The name Savio Volpe, which means “sly fox” in Italiano, is pretty cool; as is everything about this place.

Except the wine we had.

Now, to be honest, we usually order wines by the glass so that we can try a few different vinos, but seriously, of the three different wines we tried, all of them were a bust. And to be clear, the vinos by the glass are not very expensive; very reasonably priced, so we didn’t complain.

We ordered glasses of Masseria Le Veli (Puglia), Fattoria Rodano (Chianti Classico), and Roche Nuances (Naramata BC), all of which we thought would have been safe bets.

I’ve noticed that some restaurants are giving you a taste from the bottle even if you’re just ordering by the glass, which I like and I think more places should do that.

I saw, what looked to be, some very nice bottles being served at other tables, and was remiss that I didn’t just order a good bottle.

Now, the food. Overall, I’d rate everything quite good.

My date ordered the octopus arancini, which she enjoyed, but thought that the black olive tapenade upon which it was served wasn’t quite a good pair with the arancini.

The burrata was very nice, especially with the “bittersweet” radicchio, which is a rarity to be served with the smooth and creamy cheese. The grilled bread that was served with the burrata was superb.

I picked the chicoria salad because most Italian restaurants never serve it … and that seems so backward as most of the Italians I know and grew up with in Toronto, anyway, grew up on that stuff. Well, it was deliciously served with roasted pears, honey mustard, piave cheese, and hazelnuts.

I asked for my pasta to be served as plain as possible – just spaghetti with red sauce, which they accommodated. The pasta itself was very good, cooked perfectly, and tasted homemade. The red sauce was fine, but it didn’t blow me away. For me, the sugo means just about everything at an Italian joint, and while I enjoyed it at Savio Volpe, it was just fine.

Next time, I’ll ask for the spaghetti to be served aglio e olio (if they’ll do it).

The last savoury menu item we had was the broccolini, served with aglio e olio and chilies. It was a hit.

It was served last because they forgot about it (see what I did there?). But the way in which the owner (or head server) handled it was awesome. He started playfully cursing in Italian and got it to us lickety-split!

We tried two of the desserts: the cannoli (which is a bit of test for me – if you get it wrong, you’re dead to me) and the special, which was a Meyer lemon tart. Both were very good.

My date said that the coffee was very good. And I had an Amaro Nonino, which they keep chilled, so no need for adding ice; which, is a nice touch.

Our server, Ryan, was excellent. Just the right amount of checking in and he knows how to have a good time at work.

The decor is very cool – and the art where we sat (see photo below) was a little creepy, but right down my alley.

Return: I’d love to – and perhaps try some different wines

Rating: 7/10

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