Amici Wine Bar

Today we were in Abbotsford for the day. Originally we were planning on stopping at the newer Amici Wine Bar for dinner, but found ourself ahead of schedule so decided to stop by for a late lunch instead.

Although sadly unbeknownst to myself, this would be two completely different menus and the dinner one was a-lot more fulsome, with more specialty dishes.

Nonetheless we were here now and their brief lunch offerings was a great way to acquaint ourselves with my new favourite, causal, modern Italian spot.

“Amici” means “friend in Italian and this embodies the goal for their restaurant, all centred around good food and fine wine.

There is plenty of indoor seating across 2 floors, but we decided to grab a two top on their back patio, along with everyone else looking for a meal at 3pm. This was a back alley courtyard with shade and a gentle breeze.

Seeing as this is a wine bar, we thought to order wine to start. My partner went with a white wine to best pair with the setting. The Santa Margarita Pinot Gris was tart and dry, with a tangy finish. Described as having notes of golden apple and lemon, it was easy sipping, but not that complimentary to our bolder meal below.

I saw it and I had to order their only Lambrusco offering. Reggiano Frizzante from central Tuscany. It was less fizzy than what I know sparkling red wine to be. Heavier and jammy with the described fruit notes of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry.

The lunch menu is a brief mention of soup and salad, pasta, and pizza. We would pick from each to get a good taste of the place.

During lunch it is choose your own pasta with your choice of pasta shape out of three. Three sauces to choose from between a red, white, or rose. And you can add-on meat and vegetable, and/or side of bread for extra.

We went with the Rigatoni in a creamy Mornay cheese sauce, known for its velvety texture. To it we opted in for double the chicken thigh meat, and sautéed vegetables, along with a slice of focaccia bread. I love a thick chewy pasta, and the rigatoni here was done wonderfully. There was plenty of surface area and ridges to capture all that creamy white sauce. An even amount to fully coat the tubes, as well as our added on ingredients. The sauce engulfed, but did not drown. We were still able to make out the individual seasoning marinating the chicken meat, as well as note the slight bitterness of the vegetable giving the dish a slight acidity.

I was most enamoured by the slice of focaccia toast. At $3 for the add-on this was well worth it. This and all the other bread and dough items they serve were spectacular. I could eat a loaf of this by itself. The hints of sourness accented the white sauce in contrast, as the perfect vessel to help soak up extra cream.

I love a good Italian soup, and as soon as I heard that minestrone was the soup of the day, I had to order a full serving. It was so rich and hearty. Warming and comforting there is plenty to sort through from the tiny rings of pasta, spinach leaves, kidney beans, and finely diced cubes of carrot. Along with the buttered garlic focaccia bread this ate like a full meal. I just would have liked a sandwich to dipped into it with.

The closest thing they had was their focaccia pizza, available in either a meat lovers charcuterie, or a vegetarian option with vegetables and cheese. This is basically a loaf of focaccia bread that is topped like you would a pizza, in this case spicy sausage, fennel salami, pecorino, and Grana Padano; topped with arugula.

It eats like a flatbread, but with thick chewy focaccia as a base. Not quite pizza, not quite flatbread, not a focaccia sandwich. Nice as one slice, a little too much to have all to yourself; this is one meant for sharing. I also would have liked a spread or a whip to have with the parts that were just bread. Something to help change the taste, outside the freshness of the arugula topping. Maybe a tableside olive oil, or balsamic to dip into. And this way, the dish becomes a two in one.

We really wanted to try their tiramisu, as I feel that is a true sign of a great Italian restaurant. If they make it from scratch with prominent flavours of mascarpone and espresso. However, alas, we were far too full, and instead, committed on finishing our 8 ounce wines. All this food for two was a little much given the amount of carbs. However, none will go to waste as we will enjoy them as leftovers the day after. Which is also a sign of a great Italian restaurant, how well their pasta and pizza soaks in additional flavours and become all the more tasty the day after.

In conclusion, we had such a great time and such a great meal that we thought it a shame that they were not located closer to our home in Burnaby. This will have to be one of those stops we make when we visit Abbotsford next. Especially for dinner given they have eggplant parm and a large selection of specialty pastas. I highly recommend Amici for casual Italian cuisine.

Amici Italian Wine Bar
33724 Essendene Ave Abbotsford, BC V2S 2G9
604-842-4804
amiciwinebar.com