Went to check out newly-opened Italian restaurant Mattarello with my friend Carmen yesterday for an early dinner. We decided to share one pizza, two pastas, and a dessert:
Margherita Pizza
Homemade Pesto Gnocchi
Duck Confit Ravioli
Pistachio Tiramisu Millefoglie
Okay, let's begin with the pizza. We decided on the Margherita because every good Italian restaurant should do a great Margherita and also because we knew that this was going to be our appetizer, so we didn't want to get one of the heavier pizza options. The Margherita here is good, but not great, and the problem lies in the crust. It has proper charring on the bottom, which is excellent, but the texture of the crust is way too hard. It was so tough, in fact, that our knives couldn't even cut through it and I ended up having to eat it by hand. (Sorry, Italians.) The flavours were great, as a Margherita should be, with a nicely seasoned tomato sauce and a great ratio of ingredients, but the crust really left something to be desired.
The gnocchi was decent — the pasta was pan-fried to the perfect crispy exterior but had a nice chew, the basil pesto was flavourful, and the mozzarella added just enough creaminess to keep the dish interesting. But... it didn't excite me. I think it might be just a little too simple. I don't often toot my own horn when it comes to cooking, but I genuinely enjoyed the gnocchi dishes I made at home more than this. This is a good option for vegetarians, but I wouldn't order this again. I do have to mention, though: this dish's portion was particularly deceiving — it looks tiny in the bowl but the gnocchi is actually quite filling, especially when eaten alongside other dishes.
The ravioli was beautiful. Each piece was stuffed to the brim with chunks of tender duck leg confit. They were pan-fried in brown butter and served in a duck bone broth, and then topped with pieces of perfectly crispy duck skin. Wish there was some more crispy sage, but overall, this dish was excellent with great flavours and textures and a decent portion size.
For dessert, we decided on the pistachio tiramisu millefoglie. At $22, it's the most expensive dessert out of their three options, but it sounded the most interesting: pistachio, mascarpone, and coffee crema in between layers of baked pastry. Our server made sure we knew that it was not an actual tiramisu, but rather the cream layers use mascarpone and coffee like a tiramisu. I was really excited for this, but this was, by far, the biggest disappointment of our meal. Firstly, the presentation. It's cute, but dear god, the green colour is gaudy as fuck, as if it was getting ready for a St. Patrick's Day party. The pistachio flavour was incredibly artificial and it was strong — almost to the point where it didn't taste like pistachio anymore. The coffee crema and the baked pastry were great together and definitely saved the overall flavour, but this dessert was absolutely not worth $22. I hate to say it, but it's almost worse than supermarket quality.
That aside, our server was lovely and very nice, checked on us regularly to refill our waters and ask how the food was. The ambience is also beautiful — lots of natural lighting from the huge floor to ceiling windows, but there are still curtains that provide privacy in the direct dining area. The decor mixes classic banquet style seating but with art deco-style chairs, marble tables, and modern cubic light fixtures in a background of forest green with gold accents and stark white walls. The combination unexpectedly works to create a gorgeous, Instagram-worthy space.
Would I come back? Maybe one more time to see if the other options are worth it. You would think that with such a curated menu, they would excel in every single dish on it. But as it is, this place is way too overpriced for what you get.
Mattarello
230 Commerce Valley Dr. E., Unit #2A
Thornhill, ON L3T 7Y3
(905) 771-8866
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