Nestled in a side street of restaurants is Pasta Ripiena, Bristol the little sister of Pasta Loco, the setting of cosy delicious Italian food, that will have you moping your plates with the homemade focaccia bread to savour every drop of flavoursome sauce.
I grabbed dinner with Alice from The Bristol Food Tour, for a catch up and the best thing when you have dinner with a like minded foodie, sharing dishes is a bonus so you get to try double the plates of luscious food!
Aged Parmesan and Polenta Fitta with Aioli and Oregano
Crispy exterior to the fritta, with ultra-creamy middle just perfect from dunking into the aioli for a good garlic kick with the tang of the salty aged parmesan. Could have happy just had a mountain of these bad boys, but then I wouldn’t experience the joy of piercing the creamy heart of the burrata of our second starter.
Burrata with Striata Aubergine Caponata with Pine Nuts and Basil.
Burrata, mozzarella’s very naughty cousin, is so decadent with its added cream, that the fruity richness of the aubergine caponata cuts through the creaminess to lighten the dish as well as the buttery nuggets of the toasted pine nuts. Glad we shared this starter, not sure I would have managed to finish the whole burrata, I mean I would have given it a good go!
Caramelle with Heritage Pumpkin, Véloute, Walnuts and Goats’ Cheese Spring Rolls.
On to the serious business of the main courses. I had never had the pasta shape Caramelle, like old fashioned wrapped up sweets, filled sweet fruity heritage pumpkin and earthy walnuts to balance the sweetness and charred onion with sage oil to add a vibrant note. To top all those delicious flavours and textures off, nestled amongst the Caramelle and the silken pumpkin velouté, little crisp spring onions filled with the lightest goats’ cheese, genius!
Mezzeluna of Black truffle and Porcini , Wild Mushrooms and Sage Butter.
I love the woody, earthy richness of black truffles and especially paired with porcini mushrooms, I was going to order this dish when spotted on the menu, back in September when there was a nip in the air and Autumn had come to play. Nothing says Autumn then a perfect dish showcasing the best mushrooms available that time of year. Felt this should be eaten, whilst snuggled under a blanket, in front of a log fire.
Tuscan Chocolate and Rum Torte with Mascarpone and Hazelnuts.
I have a sneaky suspicion the chocolate in this torte was by Amedei Tuscany, who I always try to pick up a bar of her beautiful chocolate when in Italy. Rich with a depth of the flavour with the rum enhancing the layers of flavours from the chocolate. Decadent but lighter than air, melting to a chocolate dream.
What are you waiting for?? You need to get some Ripiena in your lives. One last big selling point, they bring you handmade focaccia right at the point you need it to mop up sauces rather than fill up on, and trust me you’ll need it as you won’t want to miss a drop of sauce! It’s just to help the clean up right??
Address Book
Pasta Ripiena
33 St Stephen’s St, Bristol BS1 1JX
Tel: 0117 329 3131
Website: http://pastaripiena.co.uk/
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