Gastro W.
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Il Covo
Their three-course menu ($55) started with a plate of hot focaccia buns, which had a lovely crispy exterior and soft fluffy centre. Salty and slightly oily, if you’re a lover of Jack Astor’s pan bread, Il Covo’s elevated version is delicious even without all the garlic and parmesan.
In true Italian fashion, our first course was a rigatoni con ragu where fat tubular pasta was swimming in a meaty Bolognese made with pork, beef, and chicken. The pasta was al dente, the sauce hearty and not overly acidic, and the light shreds of cow’s milk cheese adding a touch of creaminess. It’s a pasta that would make any nonna happy.
My body was craving iron that evening so I continued with the tagliata di manzo. Our server didn’t even bother asking how we’d like the steak prepared, instead the seared flat iron steak arrives a perfect medium rare. Thankfully, the plain dinner knife they provided was sharp enough to cut through the tender beef.
Given the main contained no starch, I did find the greens – a mix of pickled leeks, watercress, and mushrooms – too salty as a side. Especially when the brown butter jus was already fairly seasoned as well. It’s a shame there wasn’t even a couple of wedges of roasted potatoes, it would really help balance out all the strong flavours.
Not wanting to risk a sleepless night, I opted out of the afragato for dessert and went with the aranciata sorbetti instead. Sorbet isn’t overly exciting, but I liked that Il Covo’s version wasn’t too tart, and the addition of mint and Prosecco gave the orange sorbet a bit of interest.
In true Italian fashion, our first course was a rigatoni con ragu where fat tubular pasta was swimming in a meaty Bolognese made with pork, beef, and chicken. The pasta was al dente, the sauce hearty and not overly acidic, and the light shreds of cow’s milk cheese adding a touch of creaminess. It’s a pasta that would make any nonna happy.
My body was craving iron that evening so I continued with the tagliata di manzo. Our server didn’t even bother asking how we’d like the steak prepared, instead the seared flat iron steak arrives a perfect medium rare. Thankfully, the plain dinner knife they provided was sharp enough to cut through the tender beef.
Given the main contained no starch, I did find the greens – a mix of pickled leeks, watercress, and mushrooms – too salty as a side. Especially when the brown butter jus was already fairly seasoned as well. It’s a shame there wasn’t even a couple of wedges of roasted potatoes, it would really help balance out all the strong flavours.
Not wanting to risk a sleepless night, I opted out of the afragato for dessert and went with the aranciata sorbetti instead. Sorbet isn’t overly exciting, but I liked that Il Covo’s version wasn’t too tart, and the addition of mint and Prosecco gave the orange sorbet a bit of interest.
The Copper Chimney
This is a review on delivery
Fried appetizers like the mixed vegetable pakora ($5.50) are terrible for delivery. Pakoras I’ve had in the past have been fluffy fritters studded with shredded vegetables, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Copper Chimney’s are dry like food court falafel that have been left on the warmer all day. It’s such a shame, as I can see the large pieces of onions and carrots in the batter. It’s just so overdone (or perhaps fried during lunch and merely re-heated for dinner) that I had to wash it down with a drink.
Another overcooked dish was the lucknowi reshmi kebab ($14). Maybe tandoori is something that must be eaten at the restaurant, as Pataki’s review mentioned it being moist and delicious. What arrived at our house was covered in a tasty spice mixture (like a slightly spicy saffron), but so dry that it’s like eating cubes of chicken breast that has been reheated in a microwave and then cooled down again. Another gulp of drink to get this down.
The best part of the dish was the creamed coriander and mint chutney dipping sauce. It’s such a great refreshing bright yoghurt sauce that I tried it with everything in the meal. If you don’t get the kebab, it’s even worth ordering the condiment solely to put on other items.
Finally, the meal improved when I turned my attention to the saag paneer ($12), the spinach and onion puree so fresh and vibrant tasting, unlike so many other places where it’s rendered to a dark mush. Large cubes of soft Indian cheese are mixed throughout, these were thankfully left neutral and remained moist.
The saag goes wonderfully with basmati rice ($4) or garlic naan ($3.50), both sides arrive in huge portions (the naan two times larger than ones found in other restaurants). I just wished we ordered more curries to go with the grains.
Instead, I had to try their shrimp biryani ($17) and wasn’t disappointed. Despite it looking like another order of basmati when we opened the lid, get through the first layer and you’re greeted with a lovely fragrant rice that’s filled with flavours and a kick of heat that had me reaching for the raita. Here the shrimp were cooked nicely, still plump and tender despite trying this dish last.
Fried appetizers like the mixed vegetable pakora ($5.50) are terrible for delivery. Pakoras I’ve had in the past have been fluffy fritters studded with shredded vegetables, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Copper Chimney’s are dry like food court falafel that have been left on the warmer all day. It’s such a shame, as I can see the large pieces of onions and carrots in the batter. It’s just so overdone (or perhaps fried during lunch and merely re-heated for dinner) that I had to wash it down with a drink.
Another overcooked dish was the lucknowi reshmi kebab ($14). Maybe tandoori is something that must be eaten at the restaurant, as Pataki’s review mentioned it being moist and delicious. What arrived at our house was covered in a tasty spice mixture (like a slightly spicy saffron), but so dry that it’s like eating cubes of chicken breast that has been reheated in a microwave and then cooled down again. Another gulp of drink to get this down.
The best part of the dish was the creamed coriander and mint chutney dipping sauce. It’s such a great refreshing bright yoghurt sauce that I tried it with everything in the meal. If you don’t get the kebab, it’s even worth ordering the condiment solely to put on other items.
Finally, the meal improved when I turned my attention to the saag paneer ($12), the spinach and onion puree so fresh and vibrant tasting, unlike so many other places where it’s rendered to a dark mush. Large cubes of soft Indian cheese are mixed throughout, these were thankfully left neutral and remained moist.
The saag goes wonderfully with basmati rice ($4) or garlic naan ($3.50), both sides arrive in huge portions (the naan two times larger than ones found in other restaurants). I just wished we ordered more curries to go with the grains.
Instead, I had to try their shrimp biryani ($17) and wasn’t disappointed. Despite it looking like another order of basmati when we opened the lid, get through the first layer and you’re greeted with a lovely fragrant rice that’s filled with flavours and a kick of heat that had me reaching for the raita. Here the shrimp were cooked nicely, still plump and tender despite trying this dish last.