Restaurant Review: Niko's Bistro
At a recent dinner, we were talking about restaurants we’ve always wanted to try and are super high on the ‘must visit’ list but for some reason…we never get there. Niko’s Bistro was this elusive restaurant on my list. Every time I’m in Kensington, I make a mental note to drop in for lunch or dinner. Considering I live just up the hill from Kensington, I really don’t have a good excuse. One afternoon, we happened to be in the area to grab a quick bite for lunch, so when we walked by Niko’s and realized that it wasn’t busy (for once), I finally got my chance!
Atmosphere: Casual contemporary design in a cozy and warm setting.
Price Range: Mid $10s - $20s
Food & Wine: After some tough decisiong making, I ordered the Cod con Proscuitto, which is pan seared con wrapped in prosciutto, simple yet extremely tasty. It came with pasta aglio e olio and bruschetta on the side. Everything on the plate was perfectly executed, but I couldn’t believe how flavourful my pasta was especially because it only contained olive oil and garlic. The pasta had the perfect combination of chewiness and unctuousness making it a spectacular bite. I was glad to have gotten to cod because it was light but was able to hold its own against the amazing pasta.
Food & Wine: After some tough decisiong making, I ordered the Cod con Proscuitto, which is pan seared con wrapped in prosciutto, simple yet extremely tasty. It came with pasta aglio e olio and bruschetta on the side. Everything on the plate was perfectly executed, but I couldn’t believe how flavourful my pasta was especially because it only contained olive oil and garlic. The pasta had the perfect combination of chewiness and unctuousness making it a spectacular bite. I was glad to have gotten to cod because it was light but was able to hold its own against the amazing pasta.
My husband ordered the Spaghettini Frutti di Mare. Spaghettini, slightly thinner noodles than spaghetti or linguine was served with baby shrimps, baby clames, calamari, mussels and tiger prawns in a white wine tomato sauce with a healthy amount of olive oil. Seafood and pasta is a classic. This dish again highlighted the perfectly cooked al dente pasta in all its glory. My husband really enjoyed the dish, even though he normally prefers linguine to any other pasta type, which attests to how the chefs were able to skillfully handle the pasta. You really can’t go wrong with a lovely white wine sauce and succulent seafood with amazing noodles.
Since it was lunch we didn’t get a bottle of wine even though they had a nice Italian wine selection. We opted to end the meal with a couple of cappuccinos. They were very well pulled cappuccinos with just the right amount of foam to milk to coffee ratios, reminding me of the Italian cafes lining the side streets in Rome.
My Picks: Aglio e olio pasta or any pasta dish
Overall: I’ve been meaning to check out Niko’s for a really long time now and am kicking myself after this meal that I waited so long to do so. The bright side was that I did stop in and now I can’t wait to go back. Especially with the weather the way it’s been what better way to keep warm then with a nice healthy comforting dish of amazingly cooked pasta!
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