When many of the tastiest pasta dishes require a handful of ingredients and a bag of dried pasta, and so many restaurants offer little more exciting than spaghetti bolognese or cream heavy carbonara, I don't really see the point.
However, I'll make an exception for the places which go to the trouble of lovingly making pasta from scratch as well as creating labour-intensive sauces which I can’t be faffed to cook at home.
The Heathcock, Trullo, Padella, Manteca, Marmo and Zucchini are all places which fall into this category.
Another place is Pasta Ripiena in Bristol, part of the Bianchis Group, a set of restaurants that have been on my to visit list for a very long time. They always seem to be fully booked on Saturday nights; fortunately a last minute cancellation meant we managed to snag a 5.30pm table.
Located in Bristol city centre, Pasta Ripiena’s cosy dining room has a lovely vibe. And their compact menu doesn’t have a dud sounding dish on it. The focus is a selection of handmade filled pastas in shapes that I've almost universally never heard of.
Whilst Mrs G glugged a glass of Trebbiano d’Abruzzo (£6.20), I enjoyed a can of light and funky Lost and Grounded Farmhouse Pale Ale (£5.95).
A pair of big flavoured starters were a statement of intent.
Dinky sweet Queen scallops (£10) baked in the shell were slathered in garlic butter and topped with toasted crumbs.
Thankfully, we'd ordered a portion of first class light crumbed, olive oil rich and rosemary fragranced focaccia (£3.50). It was an essential mop for every last drop of butter and breadcrumb.
Boat shaped casoncelli (£18.50) were filled with slow cooked dry aged beef shin and sailed on a sea of silky celeriac puree, earthy wild mushrooms and a rich meat jus. It was one of my favourite flavour combinations translated into a pasta dish.
Twizzled tortelli piacentini (£16.50) were filled with a soft and porky mix of potato and prosciutto. The dish's pigginess was dialled up even further by a deeply savoury and porky broth studded with tender pieces of slow cooked wild boar, soft onions and cavolo nero.
With all that leftover sauce, we were tempted to order another portion of focaccia but as if by magic two more pieces of bread arrived at the table unprompted. We were informed that this Italian tradition is called ‘scarpetta’, and it’s one I'm very much in favour of.
Desserts were both belting.
The lightest, creamiest and wibbly-wobbliest of panna cottas (£6) was topped with a vivid green pistachio crumb and a drizzle of olive oil. Whilst the olive oil potentially could have tipped an already rich dish over the edge, it actually had the opposite effect with its grassy bitterness providing a lovely counterpoint.
The lightest, creamiest and wibbly-wobbliest of panna cottas (£6) was topped with a vivid green pistachio crumb and a drizzle of olive oil. Whilst the olive oil potentially could have tipped an already rich dish over the edge, it actually had the opposite effect with its grassy bitterness providing a lovely counterpoint.
Finally, a pair of meringues (£6.50) with a crisp exterior and a light and delicately fluffy interior were filled with chantilly cream and slices of sweet and sharp rhubarb. A rhubarb coulis also provided balance.
We had a superb meal at Pasta Ripiena. This is the kind of pasta it’s worth going out for.
The details:
Address - Pasta Ripiena, 33 St Stephen's Street, Bristol BS1 1JX
Telephone - 0117 329 3131
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