My first few experiences at Piva were not particularly good.
With my last two or three visits I am starting to warm up to the place.
The ambiance has always been good, the food on the other hand, has been hit or miss.
The most offensive dish presented to me was the Eggs Benedict served on Focaccia bread. While I love both of those things separately, together they do not mix. In that instance, the focaccia turned into a mushy mess on my plate. Very unappealing.
There was also the duck pizza. I’ve done a pretty good job of burying those memories, let’s keep it that way.
But in the last couple of visits I have started warming up to the place.
I tried the Bistecca pasta on my last visit, which was excellent.
This past Saturday evening we popped in for a drink, and ended up staying for dinner.
Well dinner may be a bit of a stretch, but a snack at the very least.
Between the three of us we shared a couple dishes.
Beef Carpaccio
Very thinly sliced beef tenderloin with a truffle aioli, crispy capers, arugula and Parmesan cheese with some in house made waffle fries.
I’ve been eating Carpaccio for a lot of years, and while the dish remains somewhat constant from restaurant to restaurant, this is the first time I’ve had it with waffle fries. And they were the perfect complement. The crunch from the chips (and the capers) and the salt from both, accentuated the subtle flavours and the tenderness of the beef.The arugula gave it a beautiful peppery flavour as well.
We also shared the Chef’s Best pizza.
Ok so when the others ordered a pizza with Blue cheese on it my first thought was ewww.
But the Chef’s best? Fantastic!
Again all the flavours worked so well together. The blue cheese have it the umami, the honey a subtle sweetness with the peppery arugula and the salty prosciutto. Put all that on a nice crunchy crust and it really was excellent. Never would have thought that myself.
We washed all that down with a couple G and Ts made with Brockman’s, a new gin for me. Which is saying something at this point. I don’t have a liquor cabinet at home. I have a gin cabinet.
Brockman’s is a beautiful gin, with the traditional juniper and citrus notes. But also infused with blueberries and blackberries. The berries impart a beautifully crisp and refreshing gin. Will be the next bottle to add to the collection.
With every visit my impressions of Piva are improving.
While not everything on the menu is good, I’ve very much enjoyed the fare of late.
The vibe, especially on a Saturday night, is great.
And the service has always been fantastic.
If you haven’t tried Piva yet, I would definitely recommend it.
9/10
P.S.
While I won’t get into details, a friend of mine went to Piva recently as well. While their food was good, they experienced terrible service, enough to deter them from ever returning.