I have always wanted to try out Ristorante Pulcinella in Kensington (1147 Kensington Cres NW): from the outside, it looks trendy and promising. A few days ago, we finally gave it a try. The restaurant has a white, minimalist design. In the middle of the back section, there’s a big oven where the pizza is made.The menu features the usual appetizers (deep-fried calamari, salad, antipasti platters) and a fair selection of pizzas.
We decided to share the meal – an appetizer, a pizza and a tiramisu. The calamari ($14) came first: a handful of crispy, spicy calamari rings on a huge, square plate. Although I’m not a big eater, I was still disappointed by this tiny portion. After a long (read 45 minutes) wait, the pizza finally arrived! We chose a thin-crust, tomato sauce base quatro stagioni ($18), which came neatly divided into four big slices – one slice with cheese, one with ham, one with artichokes and one with mushrooms. The pizza was good, but not impressive. Last came the tiramisu ($7.95): I am a big fan of this dessert, so I was eagerly awaiting to try it. The portion was huge and nowhere near what I expected: the mascarpone cream was not smooth enough, the base was dry and had the texture of bread. The creamy top was slowly falling apart, dripping in all directions. Needless to say, this only added to my disappointment. There are other thin-crust Italian pizzerias in town that are faster, cheaper and have a far better tiramisu. Our bill came to $41 before tip.
