Checked in to the hotel
and the first thing I stumble upon is a quaint food market on francesco
albani, just north of the city centre. The array of fresh vegetables, cheese,
hams and the biggest selection of olives I have ever seen was overwhelming and
played havoc on my stomach, we hadn’t even
got round to lunch and I’ve already filled myself up. On the walk to the Piazza Maggiore, burning a few calories, we passed around 15-20 delicatessens and lots tiny premises where
women would sit comfortably hand preparing tortellini and ravioli, selling to
the locals, I have yet to see dried pasta shells for sale.
Nettuno Gelateria near the city centre is worth a special mention. I’m a big fan of gelato here in the UK so I have something to compare against and all I can say is there is no comparison, the quality here in Bologna excels, the tiramisu flavour was mouth-watering, apart from the texture I could have easily believed I was eating a tiramisu dessert, it was heaven in a cone. The mint chocolate chip was just as good and I highly recommend it. You need to eat quickly though, the 35 degree eat does not leave you long to devour.
Aperitivo time starts at 6pm in Bologna and lasts until around nine, which is when the locals sit down for their main meal. Drinks are generally a euro or two higher during this time but a free buffet is offered inclusive of filo pastry’s filled with cheese and hams, alongside charcuterie, cheese and sweet pastry’s, so far the best is Zanarini, strategically located next to Hermes and Louis Vuitton, great for people watching.
First stop for lunch was
Spazio Terasina, seemed good value menu without overfilling ourselves for the
rest of the day. We ordered the scallopa con parmigiana di melanzana, good
quality ingredients are used and well cooked, but a boring dish and not
very filling, the same was to say for the antipasti.
Nettuno Gelateria near the city centre is worth a special mention. I’m a big fan of gelato here in the UK so I have something to compare against and all I can say is there is no comparison, the quality here in Bologna excels, the tiramisu flavour was mouth-watering, apart from the texture I could have easily believed I was eating a tiramisu dessert, it was heaven in a cone. The mint chocolate chip was just as good and I highly recommend it. You need to eat quickly though, the 35 degree eat does not leave you long to devour.
Aperitivo time starts at 6pm in Bologna and lasts until around nine, which is when the locals sit down for their main meal. Drinks are generally a euro or two higher during this time but a free buffet is offered inclusive of filo pastry’s filled with cheese and hams, alongside charcuterie, cheese and sweet pastry’s, so far the best is Zanarini, strategically located next to Hermes and Louis Vuitton, great for people watching.
Just before dinner i sneakily squeezed in my second Gellato of the day from Gelaterio Centro which was by far the most interesting and messiest. A waffle cone with whipped cream, but almost to the texture of marshmallow, topped with a spoon of caramel ice cream and nutella chocolate sauce, extremely delicious but not as good as Nettuno, plus the mess cost me ten euros in dry cleaning, i still highly recommend for the fun factor.
.jpg "Bologna - Gelaterio Centro - londonfoodaholic")
Drinking is purely
focused on Prosecco here, but i'm sure should be Lambrusco, if I ask for a glass of white wine, I’m normally
served Prosecco and Zanarini has been the best for quality. When it comes to
red wines the quality of Sangiovese based wines has been very varied, so my advice
is to order the house red, or spend a lot! A good choice for wine is Ditta A.F Tamurini, who also sell an excellent antipasti with the best mortadella i have ever had.
I'm drinking too much Prosecco writing this now, so arrivederci, till tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment