Menu Gems Where to go for pasta, rice, grain and legume dishes? We asked our trusty contributors to share their favourite picks in our city’s restaurants… Beef Satay Soup, Pho Hoai Vietnamese Noodle House, Chinatown
Arancino, Borgo Trattoria
Cured Pork, Sausage & Duck Clay Pot Rice, T.Pot
Drunken Noodles - Thai-Sa-On
Rabbit Ravioli, Il Sogno
Penna a la Vodka, Why Not Italian!
Miso Ramen, Shikiji
Frutti di Mare, La Vita e Bella.
Spragg Farms Pork & Rabbit Meatball Pappardelle, Cucina
Organic Chickpea Fritter Sandwich, Boxwood Cafe
I am yet to find a Beef Satay Soup to equal this after a 10+ year search. The ultimate comfort food, rare, shaved beef cooks slowly in broth that shows depth of flavour through the heat. Ample vermicelli noodles make it a meal. It’s a go-to when a cold is imminent. Matt Browman
Clay pot rice is one of the oldest Cantonese dishes. Water, rice and meat/vegetables are heated, infusing the rice with the essence of fatty meat. Cured pork, sausage & duck clay pot rice at T.Pot in the northwest is my choice. Dig down to get at the fought-over crispy rice. Gabriel Hall
Maybe it’s not fair to have someone’s Nona hand-making every noodle, but at Il Sogno, it doesn’t matter. The pasta is exquisite and the rabbit raviolis are sinfully good. Perfectly cooked pasta is filled with tender rabbit, finished in a roasted red pepper sauce. Cory Knibutat
Shikiji at 1608 Centre St N is really good for lunch or dinner. I like the miso ramen that arrives steaming and full of flavour, not to mention filling. They do great udon and soba and the lunch special comes with a choice of donburi (Japanese rice bowl dish). Fred Malley
The Pork & Rabbit Meatball Pappardelle with red pepper, tomato, and espelette is outstanding. I live close by and am often there on my nights off. Chef John Michael pays so much attention to detail, and executes this dish perfectly. JP Pedhirney
When I’m dining Italian, risotto balls are the make-orbreak for me. The perfect balance of al dente rice, creamy texture and crispy exterior is not easy. I never thought I’d say this, but Giuseppe’s balls are the best way to start a dinner at this popular eatery on 17th Avenue. Dan Clapson
My standing order when visiting Sam at Thai-Sa-On. A vegetarian variation of his mother’s Drunken Beef, it is a delicately layered sensation of spice and depth. The noodles get “drunk” when cooked in red wine. Beware the very hot green chilis. Match with Auslese Riesling. Steve Goldsworthy
Why Not Italian! has been going strong in Strathcona for over 15 years. I’m obsessed with their Penne a la Vodka. The creamy rose sauce is spicier, and studded with chunks of garlic and ribbons of basil. I’m trying to make my own vodka sauce more like it, without success. Heather Hartmann
This is a decadent dish of black linguini, tomato sauce, scallops, prawns, mussels, clams, onion, garlic and grape tomatoes. The squid ink oil used to give the homemade noodles their fantastic colour really comes through in flavour. Perfect with a chilled pinot grigio. Janine Eva Trotta
Boxwood’s Chickpea Fritter Sandwich with Greens and Cilantro Salsa Verde is the perfect vegetarian sandwich, with crunch and fantastic flavours. The first time I had it I went home to try and recreate the dish, a sure sign of goodness! Karen Miller