One of my favorite little treats during the work week is busting out of the office for a quick lunch. And thankfully grabbing a delicious but fast and affordable meal doesn’t have to involve a drive-through window. If you are looking for a great noontime meal in London, you would be hard pressed to find a better option than Dolcetto Risto on Colonel Talbot Road.
One of my favorite things about Dolcetto is the decor. I love the amount of sunlight that washes in from the floor to ceiling windows. The stylish upscale atmosphere reminds me of Jamie Kennedy’s Windows restaurant overlooking the Falls. Not quite the view, but a bright and energizing lunch spot all the same.
Dolcetto is currently running an amazing lunch promotion – all for only $15 (yes…you read correctly). You could easily spend this amount on burgers and fries at a fast food joint. But instead, you can start your meal with a perfectly prepared Caesar Salad or a rich and delicious house-made soup. On this day, it was carrot and thyme.
Now I fancy myself a bit of a soup connoisseur. I pretty much start all my meals with a bowl – especially in the cold winter months. This soup was like baby food for adults. Incredibly creamy with a depth of flavour only achieved with quality ingredients and outstanding stock. This ain’t your typical bowl of Cambell’s.
For your main lunch course, you can select a generously sized Margherita Pizza or my personal favorite, the Salsiccia Pizza, featuring tomato, mozzarella, gorgonzola, red onions and delicious house-made Italian sausage. And again, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill take-out pie. Beautiful traditional thin crispy crust (love the corn meal) and outstanding toppings. Very flavourful and very filling.
And if that wasn’t enough, you get to satisfy your sweet-tooth with a big slice of decadent Tiramisu. Not too sweet and light and fluffy – but after all this food, we shared a slice and took a slice home for our daughter. And the best part, we were in and out in one hour. Now that’s food that’s fast, but it’s worlds away from fast food.
In closing, I need to add a disclaimer. Yes, this is my second rave review about Dolcetto (almost exactly 1 year ago and thankfully they are still going strong today). But no, I am not receiving any form of compensation from this wonderful establishment (not even an extra generous dusting from that block of fresh and fine Parmigiano-Reggiano). But I do confess that I have somewhat of a vested interest. It’s the best restaurant in my neighbourhood and one of my favorites in London, Ontario and I want to ensure it stays there for many years to come! So do yourself a favour, check out Dolcetto for lunch. You’ll be glad you did!
