This April, Port Moody’s Pizzeria Spacca Napoli marks 10 years of wood-fired Neapolitan craft – a milestone that arrives with a new addition to the kitchen and two firsts for the restaurant.
Recently arrived from Naples, pizzaiolo Salvatore Russo brings more than 25 years of experience in Neapolitan pizzerias, including overseeing multiple kitchens. His arrival deepens a program already rooted in traditional technique, where dough, fire and timing are treated as a discipline rather than a formula.
I was invited to visit the restaurant with a friend, and to try a range of their dishes together with a delicious bottle of Chianti Classico wine. Below are the dishes we enjoyed with some comments.
Food & Wine
For this delicious dinner, we enjoyed:
- FRITTELLE – Neapolitan fried street food, warm pomodoro sauce
- SUPPLÌ – crispy, fried risotto croquettes
- TAGLIATELLE AL RAGÙ – beef ragù, fresh basil, and parmigiano reggiano
- TORTELLINI ALLA PANNA – cheese and prosciutto di Parma filled tortellini, cream, peas, and prosciutto cotto ham
- CAFONATA (Vancouver Foodster Pizza Challenge Winner 2020) – San Marzano DOP pomodoro base, ‘nduja, (spicy calabrese spread), sausage, roasted potatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, auricchio provolone cheese, and ricotta stuffed crust
- NONNO’S TIRAMISU – espresso, savoiardi biscuits, whipped mascarpone, and cocoa dusting
- Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico 2023
The Frittelle and Supplì were our two appetizers. Supplì are the Romana version of arancini. They are made with arborio rice together with a tomato sauce and cheese then are deep fried. I enjoyed the creamy and strechy cheese and the texture of the arborio rice. It had a light tomato sauce flavour to it, and was not greasy, even though it was deep fried. The Fritelle could be viewed as a Romana version of savoury donuts. Into the batter of these frittelle was small pieces of seaweed that gives you a savoury marine flavour. The frittelle were light and chewy and the pomodoro sauce for dipping was not overpowering. It was a light, delight.
Our two pastas were the Tagliatelle al Ragù and the Tortellini alla Panna. The tagliatelle, flat noodles, were cooked al dente with the ragu sauce, a slow-cooked meat sauce made from ground beef, had deep beef flavour and was mixed in with the noodles. The amount of sauce did not completely cover the noodles, so you were able to enjoy both. Not heavy. I was quite surprised and enjoyed the Tortellini alla Panna. The tortellini were tiny and the cream, cotto ham, and peas mixture added wonderful texture and subtle flavour to this dish. Recommended. The Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico 2023 wine was dry with light body, medium-plus acidity, light tannins and tasty red fruit flavours. It was complementary to both of these pasta dishes, not overpowering either one.
The Cafonata pizza is special. It is their only stuffed crust pizza and I was told that it is quite difficult to make as you have to hand stretch the dough in such a way that the thicker stuffed crust (with ricotta cheese) cooks at the same rate as the thinner crust in the middle of the pizza. I asked if stuffed crust pizza is something that is happening in Italy, or if it is just in North America. The pizziolo, Salvatore, relayed back to me that stuffed crust pizza has been around in Italy for the past 20 years. Interesting. The pizza with the stuffed crust is very rich and filling. I enjoyed the bright tomato flavour and the nduja spiciness, which is medium spicy for me. It is probably okay for most people other than those that do not like spiciness at all. I also have not had roasted, sliced potatoes on my pizza before. It added texture to the pizza, which I enjoyed. Give this pizza a try.
Lastly we enjoyed the Nonno’s Tiramisu. It was rich and creamy with soft biscuits and flavourful espresso and cocoa. Not overly sweet. A great way to end a meal, if you have any room left in your stomach.
Happy Hour and More Offers
To mark the anniversary, Spacca Napoli is expanding its ‘Late Night Happy Hour, running Friday nights in April with the full menu offered at 25 percent off after 9pm, alongside extended midnight hours on April 10, 17 and 24. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6pm, the restaurant is also launching a wine and pizza feature, where any bottle comes with a complimentary Margherita pizza, or can be upgraded to a Nostrano for $5.
Thank you to Spacca Napoli for providing me the opportunity to try their dishes and write about it for all my readers.
