East Side Italian

Strolling through East Vancouver last weekend getting our fill of cheap produce and the melodic sounds of car horns and mother tongues, we had a craving for tacos, specifically, Tacofino.  Since our visit to the original truck in Tofino last month, we've been wanting to hit up one of the local spots.  Unfortunately, we both work during the hours the two trucks (that are steps from our apartment!) operate. Thinking we've beat the system, we go to their new restaurant location on Hastings and Nanaimo only to see a sign revealing that they've experienced a power outage that would set them back a few days. With angry, empty tummies and a bag full of discount produce, we walked down the street to discover Campagnolo Roma. The location may not have the best ambience, but boy do they know how to do a casual Italian style dinner inspired by the flavours from the Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy. We had the Bianca pizza with pancetta (obv) and the Tagliatelle with fresh tomatoes, garlic and chilis. Other than the ridiculously fresh pasta and homemade pizza dough, the one thing that will definitely bring us back here is their pizza spice. Instead of the traditional chili flakes and parmesan, they serve this aromatic blend of spices (fennel,pepper,chilis,olive oil) to top your pizza with. I doused my pizza with this spice sent from the heavens and loved every bite. I may try and re-create this at home, stay tuned...