The buzz: The folks behind the ever-popular pocket-friendly French eatery Saveur have opened this new affordable Italian dining joint.
The vibe: With two levels and two open concept kitchens, it’s an airy space that belies its 90-seats. There’s lots of concrete, naked light bulbs—yup, you guessed it, it’s hipster-industrial chic. But that does mean the focus is on the striking feature of an indoor garden, planted with herbs like rosemary and thyme.
The food: The menu’s divided into four main sections: Earth, Land, Seas and Light. From Earth, there are starters like grilled octopus with calamari and anchovy dressing ($10.90), while the Land and Seas sections showcase all the main courses, including crab risotto with crispy rice crackers ($12.90) and duck tortellini with poached egg and parmesan emulsion ($12.90). For Light, classic Italian desserts such as tiramisu ($10.90) and pistachio panna cotta ($6.90) take center stage. But the slightly overblown concept is enlivened by unexpected ingredients; almost everything comes with a twist.
The drinks: Nothing worth writing home about. Soft drinks and juices aside, there’s a small range of beers ($13), wines ($8 per glass), and mocktails (a lemon fizz ($3) and a Shirley Temple ($3) to be exact).
Why you’ll be back: Like Saveur, it’s all about tasty, reasonably-priced dishes that you’d pay double for elsewhere.
