La Nonna: second review on this blog!

This is my second review of La Nonna – an Italian dining establishment in Holland Village known for its authentic cuisine.

(For my first review from March 2020, check out this post right here).

The husband and I love Italian fare. As usual, with the American Express Platinum Charge Card, we enjoy its Love Dining benefits – as such, on both occassions, the both of us got to dine out at 50% off.

Italian restaurant in Holland Village

On first glance, the restaurant looks rather unassuming from the outside.

La Nonna Restaurant

Outdoor Seating

The interior is warm and cosy. Despite its simple layout, La Nonna carries welcoming vibes – and it CAN get extremely crowded during lunchtime.

So crowded, that on both times that we visited, despite making reservations, we were relegated to a corner on the second floor.

Second Floor

Despite the crowd, on both occassions, the servers were very attentive and coped well with the heavy human traffic. We were politely greeted and given a menu to review.

The à la carte menu at La Nonna

Note: to utilize Love Dining benefits, order only from the main à la carte menu. Set menus are not included for Love Dining discounts.

Want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points, vouchers and / or Krisflyer miles:

     

    Starters and bread basket

    Note: all food items featured are presented in no particular order – they are simply organized by category (starters, mains, dessert).

    To start off, the servers will always bring a complimentary bread basket along with a dish of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

    Bread basket

    I can highly recommend the Calamari.

    Calamari

    Golden crispy squid rings here are served alongside a salad and an arrabbiata (spicy tomato) sauce. Crunchy and slightly oily, these were definitely sinful but totally worth the calories.

    Mains

    What’s an Italian restaurant without some pasta and pizza?

    Ravioli Della Nonna

    The Ravioli Della Nonna is slightly spicy and unique: this is a lobster ravioli cooked in arrabbiata sauce and fresh herbs.

    Inside, it doesn’t look like much – but oh gosh, the ravioli skin embodies a complex seafood-y goodness that’s been soaked in all the herbs and spices. Love!

    I think that’s minced lobster. Not obvious to the eye, but the taste was a dead giveaway.

    And then, there’s the Fettuccine al Spinaci – Spinach Fettuccini.

    Fettuccine Al Spinaci

    This is one of La Nonna’s homemade pasta. Green spinach fettuccini is tossed with grilled chicken breast, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella, all coated in a Pesto Genovese sauce.

    Smooth and creamy – it still carried an occasional sharpness thanks to the tomatoes and olives. This is easily of the best creamed fettuccini dishes I’ve ever had.

    Spot the Olives

    If you ever visit La Nonna, and have NO IDEA what to get from their somewhat extensive menu, go for one of the pizzas – pick a vegetarian, seafood or meat version of your choice – you CANNOT go wrong with it.

    Salmone e Rucola

    Honestly – the pizzas here are among the best I’ve found – and I have been to Italy, so that just speaks volumes about the quality here.

    Love smoked salmon? Try the Salmone e Rucola. The complex combination of tomato, mozzarella, smoked salmon, raw rucola salad, mascarpone and capers – a little exotic but still accessible – just blew us away.

    Good to the last bite

    Once, we had the Pizza Con Bresaola – this wasn’t on the standard menu but one of the day’s specials at the time of visitation.

    A somewhat healtheir alternative to sausage or salammi, bresaola is a salted beef that’s been air dried and aged a few months. Combining it with rucola gives it a pizza that is both rich in flavour but light in taste. La Nonna did this one so well; I wish that it would be a part of their permanent menu.

    Pizza Con Bresaola

    Alternatively, one can kid convince themselves that the calories are better when its in the form of a high-fat protein.

    Behold, the Agnello.

    Agnello

    Here is a grilled rack of lamb, served with sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, mashed potatoes and brown sauce. We were awed at how the vegetables were arranged into a beautiful circle medly – this is something I usually see only in hotel dining establishments or high end places, so it was a pleasant surprise to witness this in a mid-range place.
    This. Was. Super. Juicy. Yes, be prepared for it to be heavy/oily – but damn, the meat was tender and luxurious in a velvety smooth kind of way.

    See how the juicy meat glistens

    Dessert

    Yes, we should have been stuffed. But sweet endings are always called for, yes?

    Tiramisu

    Simple but good – a traditional Venetian Tiramisu. The layers of mascarpone, sponge fingers and espresso came together beautifully in a bittersweet indulgence.

    Creamy goodness

    End the meal with coffee, and after this – its really hard to have a bad day.

    Coffee

    Overall Thoughts

    I’ve been here numerous times, and to date, I’ve NEVER been disappointed with the quality of  service received from La Nonna.

    The prices are reasonable (even without a discount), the food fresh and well-made, and the service staff are always welcoming and eager to share about the daily specials.

    Reservations are recommended of course, but that goes without saying for a place like that. 10/10 would highly recommend this place with no hesitation.

    Love Dining Benefits

    For this review of La Nonna, I used the Amex Platinum charge card. As such, for both occassions, we dined with a 50% discount off all food itesm. Diners included the husband and myself (two adults).

    La Nonna: First Visitation

    • Pizza Con Bresaola– $27.00
    • Fettuccine Al Spinaci – $28.00
    • Agnello – $39.00
    • Tiramisu – $12.00
    • Straight Cut Fries – $13.00
    • Coffee Macchiato  – $4.00

    – Subtotal: $111.00

    – Amex 50% discount : $53.50 (note: food only, drinks / coffee are not counted)

    – New Subtotal: $111.00 – $53.50 = $57.50

    – 8% GST: $5.06

    – 10% Service Charge: $5.75

    – Total Bill: $68.31

    La Nonna: Second Visitation

    • Calamari – $20.00
    • Pizza Salmone e Rucola – $25.00
    • Ravioli Della Nonna – $28.00

    – Subtotal: $73.00

    – Amex 50% discount : $36.50

    – New Subtotal: $73.00 – $36.50 = $36.50

    – 8% GST: $3.21

    – 10% Service Charge: $3.65

    – Total Bill: $43.36

    Want some Love Dining?

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    Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for credit card applications may be subject to change by American Express. Readers are recommended to check with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

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