Mercante (UBC)

I am impressed, UBC Food's newest food outlet is more than just a food outlet but almost more like a restaurant. The Pandosa commons just opened up and it was very close to where I had class so I decided to check it out and grab a bite to eat.
From the outside, you can see that the inside is specially designed, the lighting reminded me of Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It looks slightly dark with lights that were abit yellow in colour.
What is really special about this place is that the main feature is Italian food. They have a huge flame oven (I think that's what they are called, the ones where you put a pizza in and the flames inside will cook it). Not only did the oven add on to the authentic feel of the place, the way the people preparing the food were dressed also added to the touch. The chefs making the pizza were all wearing the full white garments that you see a chef would usually wear.
 The food selection here is pretty special too. Because the theme is Italian, they have quite abit of selection such as hand made pizza ( like you can see them making the pizza and working on the dough) and pasta. In addition, they also have an assortment of baked goods like biscotti that you wouldn't usually find at a UBC food outlet.
With regards to drink, it didn't seem like this place had anything special. Because all of the UBC food places seem to use the same machine to prepare their coffees/ handcrafted drinks, the selection of drinks are the same. The taste is also similar as well. Overall, I like this place, it is abit on the busier side when it comes to student traffic, but it is definately worth it to give their pizza or pasta a try.