A visit in two parts~
Coal Harbour has the newest location of Nook, and I got a good look at their operations across two visits.
First time, my friend brought me there for dinner, seeing as it is located on the lobby level of the building she works in.
Given the name and its previous locations this larger food print seems to step away from their original small format concept. Instead of wholesome and cozy, this seemed modern and a little mechanical. There is plenty of seating across their covered patio, spacious dining room with a view of their open kitchen, and around the bar.
Walking in without reservations on a busier day, we found ourselves at the latter.
To my guest’s chagrin I ordered a glass of the Medici Ermete Lambrusco Secco, Emilia-Romagna. I like how the bubbles in a sparkling red lightens it. So not only do you get a complimentary bouquet to have with the heavy in acid dishes below, but it is also approachable sipping as well.
For food we shared a pizza and a plate of pasta. For the former the Gnocchi with baby meatballs dusted in pomodoro, and
grana padano caught my eye. I liked how both of the main ingredients were mini one bite balls. The gnocchi was especially soft and pillowy. This and their menu as a whole is classic and unpretentious. I found everything familiar and nostalgic.
For pizza we had their Mushroom & pancetta with a white porcini cream and plenty of roasted mushrooms. The dough had a nice toasty char to it with burnt bits that I liked. This I found complimented the umami cheese sauce, adding to the weight of the woodsy mushrooms that offered meaty morsels. And addition of coarse salt crystals and table chilli oil elevated all the flavours I was already enjoying.
Oh our second visit, we were looking for food before a more robust night of drinking; and my host had a gift card, that he was willing to spend on the following meal.
Unlike my friend above, he on the other hand, also likes Lambrusco with his causal Italian cuisine. Therefore we ordered a bottle, thinking we would be ordering multiple rounds anyway, and that this was the more economical choice.
Here we flip flopped on the food with a white sauce pasta and a red sauce pizza given that we were heavily eying the Soporessata with salumi, sun dried olives, stracciatella, and hot honey. Out of all their pizzas this sounds the most exciting, given the promise of salty meats and sweet spicy honey; which are flavours I gravitate towards normally.
For pasta we went simple with the Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe, a classic that relies on quality pasta alongside pecorino, grana padano, black pepper, and arugula. Each spun spoonful of noodles was a wonderful and harmonious bite. No complaints here.
Thanks to and with the amalgamation of these two visits I can confidently confirm Nook as a solid casual Italian pizza and pasta spot at mid range prices.
Nook Coal Harbour
1155 Melville St, Vancouver, BC V6E 4C4
(604) 606-1919
nookrestaurants.com
