Reviews

Pasta Loco - Bristol Food Review

Posted on: 2017-04-04

Pasta Loco is perhaps one of Bristol’s finest Italian restaurants if reputation is anything to go by. Fresh pasta is assured but we found much more besides. It was an intriguing night for many reasons and one we won’t forget in a hurry.

---

Set in a beautifully decorated venue in Cotham Hill, just off Whiteladies Road, it is perfectly welcoming from the outside. However, perhaps the most memorable welcome ever received by myself and my wife – and we’re lucky to eat out enough to be a decent judge of this – was given by Dominic Borel, one of the two cousins that own Pasta Loco and all-round front of house supremo. You couldn’t help but feel immediately at home as this ball of energy perfectly toed the line between enthusiastic and in your face. He’s as much an asset to a restaurant as any food could ever be. You’re there for the full dining experience after all.

Now to the food. Step forward, Ben Harvey. Dom’s cousin and the other half of the family duo that gives Pasta Loco its authenticity and theme. A wide career has seen his work in Bristol, via northern Italy, and now here. His menus change regularly and utilise local produce in both old and new styles. On the evening my wife and I visited we could have chosen any of the options available.

Luckily for us, we were greeted with both a ravioli amuse bouche and Dom plonking himself down next to us as if he’d known us a lifetime. Somehow his infectious personality made this such a great part of our night that we couldn’t help but love him. He talked us through the menu and even recommended a particular off-menu carbonara that Ben could knock up if I would like as he’d had it made for him recently. Jesse and I looked through the menu but there was no way I was going to say no to Dom and his carbonara...

We started with a bruschetta of crab and crayfish with Sicilian tomatoes, rocket and capers along with spiced aubergine Imam Bayildi, puquillo peppers, pasta fritti youghurt and coriander (both £6). My crab and crayfish was one of those dishes you didn’t want to end. It was almost perfect, though could have perhaps done with a little more citrus for my taste. I’m being very picky there but, as you’ll see, the standards were so high I feel I have to be. My wife’s aubergine even convinced me that aubergine can be more than just an ingredient in moussaka. I’m usually not a huge fan but the whole dish worked beautifully together.

Tarragon gnocchi on Celeriac puree with cime di rape and squash followed (£13.50) alongside the aforementioned carbonara (off-menu but I would imagine it to be around £14-15 judging by the menu). The gnocchi were somehow simultaneously light as a feather yet still with enough bite to feel like you were getting your teeth into something. Paired perfectly with the slightly bitter celeriac and sweet squash, it was a vegetarian dish that any carnivore would be happy to devour.

My carbonara was served with a huge, thick pressed slab of belly pork and topped with a poached egg. To say this was ‘indulgent’ would be the understatement of my 2017 work thus far. Mushrooms were a welcome addition to this dish as I had mentioned I was a fan, though these could easily be omitted for the less funghi-friendly. Perfectly cooked pasta welcomed the pork like a warm blanket and left this diner more than happy. I usually stay away from ordering dishes I could make at home but this is one classic that deserves attention and really shows that the kitchen knows what they are doing.  A classic dish re-imagined perfectly.

 

To finish we ordered ricotta fritter, basil ice cream and pistachio meringue along with chocolate delice with an espresso and grappa panna cotta and salt caramel (both £6.50). For anybody that has read my previous reviews, you’ll know I’m not a fan of chocolate desserts, though my wife is. Luckily that means that I can give her opinion and it usually means that if it’s too rich and chocolaty for me then it must be at least half-decent. Well, that was certainly the case here! I could appreciate the fact the chocolate was consummately made and Jesse could not sing its rich praises highly enough. What I can say is that the panna cotta accompaniment could have been a dessert in its own right.

My ricotta fritter looked like a doughnut-ball from the outside, and was similar in texture, but the flavour was far richer and warming than any bakery could hope for. The basil ice cream and pistachio meringue were perfect for my savoury palette but were still sweet and made for a wonderful finish to a great meal.

Overall, I really could not recommend this restaurant highly enough. Italian restaurants are everywhere – especially in Bristol – so it takes something to stand out in this hugely populated crowd. I’ve had many, many great Italian meals in this city and I would happily recommend a number of them...but none would come more highly rated than Pasta Loco. Some could be on a par for certain things but there’s a lot to be said for doing something that’s already being done well all around you, yet still standing out. Great job, Dom and Ben.

 

Food: 5

Value: 4

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5 (can I give a 6?)

 

For more info please visit pastaloco.co.uk. Address: 37A Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6JY. Tel: 0117 973 3000.

---