Padella Italian Bistro - gnocchi near the beach

Tucked away in Estevan Village (deep, dark Oak Bay!), a few blocks up from Willows Beach is Padella Italian Bistro - a lovely little restaurant serving dinner. {Tangent: for only being a block long, this little village is great - in addition to this great Italian place you can get top notch breakfasts from The Village, classic fish & chips from Willows F&C and fancy cupcakes from Crumsby's (well curated greeting card selection at Bungalow too...but this is a food blog ;-) }

Padella's bright red door greets you on the outside....

Padella's welcoming red door

...leading to cozy sections on the inside with a mix of tables and comfortable booths.

This post covers two recent dinners there - both of which were started the way every good Italian meal should - with a glass of Prosecco! Conveniently on tap at Padella. Well twist my braccio in gomma.

Prosecco starter

To accompany your bubbly sipping and menu reading - a basket of freshly baked, warm focaccia is dropped at your table.

Freshly baked (and warm) focaccia

The menu changes constantly at Padella - as is the case with good restaurants reflecting what's fresh & available.

We started off the meals with calamari salad and arancini. The calamari was delicious! It was incredibly fresh tasting and tender, lightly marinated and served with chickpeas & edible flowers.

Calamari Salad

The arancini was also delicious - deep fried risotto & smoked mozzarella balls with marinara sauce. Um, you had me at risotto....

Risotto Balls (arrival)

Risotto Balls (dissection)

And onto the entrees - first up is the Finocchio Gnocchi. Handmade gnocchi with spicy sausage, fennel and tomatoes. Delicious, soft gnocchi and a nice bite to the sausage - great dish.

Gnocchi with spicy sausage & fennel

Next up is the fish of the day - snapper. Perfectly prepared (still moist), stacked on crisp green beans and half new potatoes.

Fish of the day (snapper)

And the final entree - lamb meatballs in a fresh tomato sauce served with polenta and kale (although the sides do change up a bit at the restaurant).

Lamb meatballs

We had enough room to split a chocolate panacotta for dessert. Silky smooth and topped with a chocolate curl and decadent tasting amarena cherries. The cherries were so delicious, when offered the chance to buy a jar, we did (and the container is beautiful as well - a definite keeper).

Chocolate panacotta with amarena cherries

A sweet ending to a lovely meal.

If you are lucky enough to live around Estevan - how wonderful to have such a delightful restaurant in your backyard. If you don't live in the 'hood - head there - you won't be disappointed.

Padella Italian Bistro
2524 Estevan Ave
250-592-7424

Tue-Thu 5pm-9pm
Fri/Sat 5pm-10pm

web: padellaitalianbistro.com
Facebook: Padella Italian Bistro
Twitter: padellabistro