Today I was back at Gigi’s by Ask for Luigi, in Coquitlam’s newest hot spot, the Tricities Pavilion.
It has been a month since my first visit during their launch, and then I only got a brief look at what Gigi’s was about. Therefore I was excited to return and try more of their menu, and get the regular experience today.
Seeing it on the menu, I had to order their only Lambrusco option. $12 for the glass, but seeing as we planned on staying a while, the $60 bottle seemed right. Lambrusco, Quercioli, Lambrusco Reggiano. Hands down a sparkling red is my favourite type of wine and this one was effervescent on the nose with sweet candied notes of raisins and plums to follow. Great for sipping on, and as an accompaniment to our entire meal below.
Every visit to Gigi’s must be accompanied by some Burrata. Truly the best in the tri-cities and all of Vancouver. You can get it as is, with a side of accompaniments or as the crowning jewel on any of their dishes. Each round of Burrata is hand-crafted on a farm in Puglia, prepared just for Gigi’s. They boast that it goes from Italy to your table within 48 hours.
As is it is served with house-made bread, extra olive oil, and maldon salt. As an antipasti you have a choice of ordering it with pistachio pesto, tomato jam, or peppers. We were eyeing the 18 month prosciutto di parma, but the chef team were not happy with the quality and not willing to put it out. So instead we got the pistachio mortadella instead.
We loved hearing about their high standards and their unwillingness to compromise, it increased our faith in the food all the more. This was the same with their pizzas when they first open. We were told that they were having consistency problems with the dough and in in good faith could not make available something they were not proud of delivering. I was impressed by the transparency and it certainly elevated their professionalism more in my eyes.
Thankfully they worked out the recipe, and we got to try their pizza during this visit. We went with the spicy Diavola with pomodoro, fior di latte, spicy soppressata, peperoncini, and nicoise olives.
Here, we added on some Burrata and it was completely necessary. It was a little too spicy with the meat and a little too salty with the olives, the Burrata served as a buffer to tone both. Best of all the texture of the pizza crust was fantastic. Great as a base and tasty as is, as bread.
For appetizers we stared with the Wagyu Tartare which was Australian beef, grainy mustard, parmigiano reggiano, and potato chips. Sadly my guest and I were not fans of this. I was expecting something lighter, but things felt overpowered by the mustard.
We also added another Burrata ball over the Luigi’s Bolognese, this is what I think of and crave when I say I want pasta. Rigatoni, beef, veal, pork, and parmigiano reggiano. Once again the creaminess of the neutral Burrata served well as a buffer to help tone and added another layer of textural interest. I want another bowl just thinking about it now.
We also took our server’s suggestion and ordered their special of the day. Truffle crusted salmon over homemade ricotta stuffed gnocchi with zucchini and local foraged mushroom, in a mushroom sauce. I am always worried about ordering salmon, I don’t like it hard and dry. Thankfully this was so well prepared, so soft and tender to slice through with a fork. I appreciated the moxie of crusting it, but found the truffle mash a deterrent. More soft paste they crispy crust, this weighed the fish down and made the serving as a whole heavy. Over rice with some crisp vegetables would have been nice, but as is the plate felt dense. The seasonings of the fish felt disjointed from the gnocchi that ate more like a tortellini, given it was stuffed. Chewy dumplings with a flavour and texture that I enjoyed on its own. I did not find this complimentary to the salmon, and ate both components separately, avoiding the mushroom sauce which I found overly salty.
Overall, we fully enjoyed our time with Gigi. The open restaurant serves as a great spot to linger at. You aren’t rushed out, but are able to slow slip and enjoy the view of the world moving by, through its all glass exterior. The food is delicious and comforting, delivering on expectations and exceeding on service. I recommend them for your next special occasion meal or as a meeting point for drinks with a friend, Gigi’s is worth driving out for.
Gigi’s at TriCity Pavilion
2968 Christmas Way, Coquitlam, BC V3C 4E6
(604) 474-0335
ilovegigis.com
