There is only one thing better in life than getting to experience great Italian food, and that’s the nap you get to enjoy after your massive carb overload. Fresh ingredients, simply prepared is all it takes to make a great dish – and when Italians have been getting it right for so long, why mess with tradition?
So, when Bella Italia Liverpool reached out to offer The Daily Struggle the chance to sample some of their new menu, I was on it faster than Super Mario on a Vespa.
Launched back in early May, the new menu boasts a whopping thirty new dishes. As indecisive as I am, figuring out what to order soon become a bit of an overwhelming Sophie’s choice situation… but in a good way.
Bella Italia Liverpool Menu
One thing that wasn’t so difficult was picking the starters. I’m a simple man, I see calamari on a menu: I order it. A new addition to the team, their salt and pepper calamari is lightly battered and served with gremolata aioli. For the curious, gremolata is a herb sauce made up of lemon zest, garlic and parsley. Don’t worry, I had to google it too.
The other starter we ordered was an old favourite, given a new twist: Bruschetta. Remember before when I said about fresh ingredients used simply? Well Bella Italia’s Bruschetta is the embodiment of that. A toasted ciabatta covered in fresh red and yellow vine tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic and basil for good measure.
The Bruschetta was so good that we even took some home with us since I’m finally at an age where asking for a doggy bag feels like your God-given right rather than something your embarrassing aunt does at every family meal. I can confirm that next-day bruschetta is just as good for your hangover as any cold slice of pizza.
Next up, the mains. I opted for a taste of what seemed to be the figurehead of the new menu: Cacio E Pepe. After all, it must be good if they’re spending that much time trying to let you know about its existence. Gramigna pasta with roast chicken & pancetta tossed in a pecorino cheese, wild garlic & black pepper sauce with crispy Granello cheese and Parma ham on top – this dish apparently dates back to Roman times! When in an Italian restaurant, do as the Roman’s do.
The Polpette Americano, or spaghetti and meatballs if you don’t want to have airs about oneself, is a classic dish. Beef and pork meatballs with roasted onions in a spicy garlic and tomato sauce, simple yet solid – and delicious!
The Italians do a lot right when it comes to food. But in my opinion, it’s not their pizza or pasta that sets them apart from the rest (shock horror), it’s their ice cream. Smooth and creamy Italian Gelato is worth its weight in gold. So naturally, I skipped over the entire dessert menu until I found what their gelato section was chatting.
With a decent selection of treats available, I picked the Banoffee Sundae. Vanilla and honeycomb gelato (sweet Jesus), with fresh banana, chocolate marshmallow sauce and honeycomb pieces – this dessert had all the bells and whistles.
![Banoffee Sundae]](https://www.thedailystruggle.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/6-1024x768.jpg)
To finish us off, we sampled their chocolate brownie. Featuring white chocolate chunks, topped with chocolate marshmallow sauce, malted chocolate balls and honeycomb pieces. Oh and vanilla gelato. Just in case we needed any more sugar in our lives.
Having never been to Bella Italia before, but always being somewhat suspicious of chain restaurants, I can honestly say that the new menu had me wanting to go back in for more next week. Waistline permitting. If you’re a lover of Italian food at a reasonable cost, Bella Italia is an excellent choice – as long as you pencil in an hour or two afterwards for a nap!
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Tom is the Mens lifestyle editor here at The Daily Struggle. Interested in Mens health and fashion, theater and eats copious amounts of cheese toasties when he thinks no one is looking.
