Entertainment | Restaurants | Bella Pasta
Bella Pasta
Wood Street, Stratford
OUR RATING: 3/5
Reviewer: Claire Hughes
Date of Review: October 2002
With its cosy decor and friendly staff Bella Pasta gave the impression of something much more intimate than just another branch in some national network.
The waiter was eager to help but by no means overbearing, the chatter pleasant and service good.
But the true giveaway that this was not just a family business in Warwickshire’s most famous town was the food.
Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty and looked great - the starters and dessert were both incredible.
But the main course was just a little too bland, taking the shine off what would otherwise have been a superb dining experience.
To start with, we ordered a bruschetta - Italian bread topped with tomato and red onion - which tasted as good as it looked, and the exotic-sounding funghi della casa.
Described as mushrooms with garlic sauce, with cheese and a dough stick, I was expecting breaded mushrooms with a side dip as seen in the numerous motorway-side diners up and down the country.
The reality though was a greyish substance in a long bowl with a stick of dough alongside. I tentatively prodded my fork in and found mushrooms and cheese melted together in a strong garlic sauce. Whatever it looked like, it tasted great and I paused only briefly to consider how many calories were charging their way to my waistline as I hungrily devoured it.
My appetite duly whetted, I looked forward to the main course of rigatoni pomodora - tubes of pasta smothered in a rich tomato sauce.
But I hadn’t considered how literal the menu was going to be and found myself tucking into a rapidly cooling dish with what looked like a slightly lumpy ketchup.
It appeared to be just tomato...one great red sea of the stuff smattered occasionally with pasta flotsam.
It was nice enough, but seriously lacking in the taste department with a very bland flavour washing out everything else.
On the other side of the table was a penne diavola - pasta smothered in a spicy sauce with onions and pepperoni - but again it packed no punch and certainly lacked a kick.
Feeling full after the main course with garlic ciabatta, we let our gaze wander over the dessert menu wondering if there was any possibility of squeezing in anything else when the gauntlet was laid down and the challenge set to take on The Godfather.
A sweet-tooths dream, this ambitiously named dessert easily lives up to its name. Featuring layers of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup over nutty chocolate brownies, all topped with an unhealthy amount of cream and wafers, it comes for one or two.
So in the name of research (you understand) we ordered the version for two. And ashamed as I am to admit it - we polished the lot off in next to no time.
All in all, despite the minor disappointment of the main course, Bella Pasta gave us an experience to remember and at a price of £38.45 including coffee and drinks, is one that may well be repeated.
