As I like to say, pasta is to Italians as rice is to Chinese. The other night I had dinner with a few friends at Anton’s Pasta Bar, a casual Italian restaurant in Burnaby which has been open for almost 30 years. This place is known for their enormously large servings of food; practically everyone leaves the restaurant with a take-out box or two in hand.
Anton
The most unfortunate thing about Anton’s is that they do not take reservations and almost always have huge lineups. Both times that I’ve been here for dinner, I needed to stand in line for about half an hour in order to get a table. The atmosphere of the restaurant is fun and lively though, and the kitchen is open so that you can watch the chefs cook.
Anton
To start things off we first ordered the classic Italian Bruschetta. This appetizer is actually the only case where I eat tomatoes. I liked the ones here because they were fresh and flavourful, but I would have liked the bread slices to be a bit bigger.
Brushchetta ($5.25)
The second appetizer we ordered was a plate of Mussels in Garlic and White Wine sauce. This isn’t on the menu, so we special ordered it. I felt like we didn’t get a lot of mussels, but at least they tastedvery good. The sauce was so delicious that we finished every bit of it with bread.
Mussels in Garlic and White Wine sauce ($10.50)
For my entree, I special ordered a Gnocchi with Pesto Cream sauce. Pesto and Gnocchi work very well together, but the combination is rather filling so a plate of this can feed me for days. Although simple, this dish certainly does not lack in flavour. This is the pasta that keeps me coming back to Anton’s.
Gnocchi with Pesto Cream sauce ($16.50)
An interesting dish that my friend tried was the Penne Bombay. Although I find penne pasta a bit boring, this one had a curry sauce which spiced it up. The curry wasn’t spicy but added a unique feelto the dish.
Penne Bombay ($16.50)
Last but not least, we had an amazing monster-sized Tiramisu for dessert. Due to it’s size, it’s reasonable to share it with someone else. Normally I have to be savour Tiramisus, but since this one is so huge I can eat it carelessly. There have been times when I’ve come to Anton’s just to enjoy this decadent dessert.
Tiramisu ($7.75)
Big food portions can be hard to find nowadays, but Anton’s Pasta Bar certainly doesn’t skimp in that aspect. Going to Anton’s is always something I look forward to. Unfortunately I live far away, so I don’t always get the luxury of enjoying their amazing food. Waiting for a table here can be a pain, but no pain no gain, right? If you think about it, you’ll be getting several meals from this visit and not just one.
- Generous food portions
- Cost-effective
- Pastas are delicious
- Giant Tiramisu
- No reservations
- Waiting is outdoors and can be long