By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

The Caesar Salad was done right. The romaine was fresh and crisp while the dressing wasn't heavy. The parmesan yogurt dressing was tangy and light and the dehydrated olives provided a rich saltiness. Finishing off the salad was a sprinkling of honey and herb croutons.

The Truffle Mushroom pizza had thyme roasted mushrooms, truffle cream, mozzarella, and baby arugula. This pizza was nicely balanced. The truffle cream was impactful. It had enough flavourful mushrooms. The arugula added brightness to balance the cream and cheese. The Wagyu Carpaccio came with pecorino romano, dehydrated olives, arugula, oven-dried grape tomatoes, and truffle aioli. It was beef carpaccio on a pizza crust and it melted in our mouths. It didn't disappoint. The complementary flavours were on point with a creamy saltiness accented by a tanginess.

The best pasta was the Ricotta Gnocchi Pomodoro bathed in fresh grape tomato sauce, garlic, basil, Tuscan olive oil, and grana padano. These were pillowy soft while still retaining its texture.  They were seared nicely where there was a caramelized smokiness. The sauce was perfect. It was a nice combination of fresh tomatoes with accents of garlic and basil.

The Spaghetti Carbonara was too salty with too much speck and guanciale. I enjoyed this pasta despite the salt. The Braised Short rib Pappardelle was also too salty but was more balanced due to the spicy tomato sauce. The fresh pasta was al dente while the short rib, tender. In the end, we went away satisfied. We liked how much thought and effort was put into bringing a restaurant like The Italian out to Walnut Grove. With a few tweaks to the pizza crust and the seasoning for the pasta's, the food could rival spots in Vancouver.

The Italian - Osteria & Cheese bar

20330 88 Avenue, Langley, BC

The Good:

• Decent portions for the price

• No absence of impactful flavours

• Family-friendly

The Bad:

• Pizza crust was a little dry

• Pastas could use less salt

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.