Hard To Choose Between Two Superb Ragus at Bella Napoli!

Hard To Choose Between Two 

Superb Ragus at Bella Napoli!

Ragu Alla Genovese

As we’ve come to expect from Italian restaurants in Ireland, you get multiple choices in a long menu. Cork’s lively Bella Napoli is no exception.

I had read it before last Saturday afternoon’s visit and was inclined towards a Ragu. They have two: Ragu Napolitano and Ragu Alla Genovese.

I was familiar with the Napolitano as I had hugely enjoyed it on a previous visit though the pasta is now pappardelle (the ribbony one!) rather than the tubular rigatoni. Saturday’s menu description read: 8-hour braised beef in an onion & tomato sauce served with pappardelle pasta, toasted sourdough and parmesan shavings.

I was tempted again by the Napolitano, but this time, I said to myself and herself that I’d go for their Ragu Alla Genovese: Slow-cooked pulled beef, onions, white wine served with paccheri pasta, fresh basil, pecorino cheese and toasted sourdough. The paccheri, by the way, is visibly larger and wider than rigatoni. It does the same job, soaking in the flavoursome ragu itself. 

They served toasted sourdough to accompany the ragu, which also helped take up the final taste bits. So, a big thumbs up for the Genovese. Hard to say if it is better than the Napolitano! Looks like I’ll have to call again.

Mussels Alla Busara

Across the table, CL was equally pleased with her choice of mains, the Chicken Scaloppine: Marinated chicken breast, dredged in flour, cooked in butter and lemon sauce, and served with crushed baked potatoes, honey and rosemary-glazed baby carrots. It is a simple enough dish but quite superb as well.

We had started with their Mussels Alla Busara. Busara is a local name for “stew”, and it is an integral part of Croatian coastal cuisine and is also claimed by parts of north-eastern Italy.

The Bella Napoli version consists of fresh mussels cooked in olive oil, garlic, freshly chopped parsley, white wine, and breadcrumbs, served with our homemade puccia bread and lemon wedge. The breadcrumbs, by the way, are used to thicken the sauce. I don't think I’ve come across puccia bread before. It is a type of bread from Puglia, and its small pocket takes a variety of fillings. However, the tasty breads served here were not for filling but for soaking up the delicious sauce that came with the mussels. An excellent dish and the only downside was that a higher proportion than usual of the mussels did not open!

Chicken Scaloppine

If you love your pizza, you won't be disappointed as they have about twenty variations. You may also order a gluten-free pizza base, which will cost an extra euro. Almost as many pasta dishes are available, plus about eight other main courses and various starters and salads, not forgetting sides.

If you manage it, you will find something you like on the dessert menu as well, though we didn’t manage it at the weekend. Previously, though, we enjoyed their traditional Tiramisu and the mega Nutella Pizza (Nutella, strawberries, bananas & icing sugar).

They do walk-ins (from their two entrances (French Church Street and Academy Street), but if you want to dine at a particular time, you’re advised to book. For instance, we saw seven people turned away in one minute around the three o’clock mark on Saturday. You may be lucky. A few minutes later, a group of four was accommodated, though they had to wait a few minutes for a table to be cleared. Bella Napoli is a very popular place, and they also do takeaway.

Ragu Napolitano  (previous visit)

 

Where's the Beef? Ten of the best in Cork City

Where's the Beef?

Ten of the best in Cork City

(beef round-up for 2022/23)

Brown's Brasserie at BT Jan 2023 €15.50
French Dip: Rotisserie North Cork Sirloin, Emmental Cheese,
Caramelized Onion Emulsion, Red Wine Jus, ODB Sourdough

Impressive steak salad at Liberty Grill Aug 22

Cork City has had a long, and continuing, history in beef. Such was the scale of the trade here in the 18th century that it was known as the slaughterhouse of Ireland. 

And it wasn’t just Ireland. In 1756, France and Britain were at each other’s throats in the Seven Years War and “the Great Ox-slaying city of Cork” emerged as the Royal Navy’s preferred supplier for beef, pork and butter.

So where’s the beef now? Let me take you on a lunch-time tour of the city and check out what is on offer. Some terrific beef-based dishes in Liberty Grill, Market Lane, Nua Asador, Oliver Plunkett, On The Pig's Back, Sketch at The Imperial and Woodside Farm, Bella Napoli and L'Atitude 51and all were enjoyed over the past few months.

We’re starting with a beauty at Liberty Grill on Washington Street: a seared beef salad (vodka and chilli marinated fillet strips, chargrilled on leaves with balsamic onions, rustic potatoes, red peppers and toasted pecans) was outstanding, a highlight being the palate pleasing combination of the meat and balsamic onions. A terrific dish for €15.50.

Market Lane: Korean bulgogi steak sandwich
Dec 2022

Now (a different day, of course!), it is the turn of Market Lane and their superb Korean bulgogi steak sandwich on sourdough baguette, chilli, sesame and soy marinade, carrots, spring onions, lime mayo and with a helping of excellent house chips (€16.90). The marinade is key here and the kitchen certainly did it well and the meat was top quality; the sourdough was moistened as well and they all worked so well together, enhanced by the crunch of carrot strips and the onions, the salad leaves and those very tasty fries. A terrific dish and well priced.

Picanha Steak by Nua Asador May 2022

We make a visit to the Marina Market and the Nua Asador stall where Chef Victor Franca, in partnership with Tom Durcan Meats, serves up, without gas or electricity, just fire, the best of Irish beef in a Brazilian style. You’ll really enjoy the Picanha Steak with sourdough bread, grilled baby potatoes, chargrilled onions, Farofa, and Chimichurri Sauce (13.00).

Oliver Plunkett's Seared Steak Sandwich July 2022

It was a visit to the Oliver Plunkett that started me on this beef trail. Here’s why: Seared Steak Sandwich was worth every cent of the €18.95. Four generous slices of beef wrapped in Garlic Ciabatta, with a red onion and Smoky Bacon Jam, Pepper Jack Chips, Brandy Pepper Sauce and a Little Salad.

I wasn’t letting go of this, clinging on until the last bite. It was sensual, an enthralling mix of textures and flavours. The steak was ace,  cooked to perfection and so easy to slice. And then the enhancement, that garlic ciabatta, the onion and the bacon jam. The Brandy Pepper Sauce was another major player on the palate, deeply enticingly enhancing everything else. The salad too was perfect and then those Pepper Jack Chips, cheesy, tasty, delicious.

On the pig's back with Bourguignon Beef Baguette Oct 2022

Next stop is Douglas to visit On the Pig’s Back and enjoy their Bourguignon Beef Baguette: Braised Beef Brisket, Mushrooms, Bacon and Pearl Onions on Toasted Arbutus Baguette with Red Wine Jus. Just five-star lunch-ing, spot-on for the cool day, quite a warming ensemble, robed deliciously in the red wine jus. Love the French touch!

Delicious steak at Sketch Oct 2022

Here we are in Sketch, the bright and airy dining room in the lovely Imperial Hotel, a room where new executive chef Ali Honour is making her mark. There was a group of us and the Steak Sandwich (6oz Sirloin, Onions, Garlic Butter, Focaccia, Lettuce, Tomato, Fries) for  €19.00 proved very popular, ordered by three of the seven adults. The meat and the Focaccia were absolute top notch and all three were well satisfied.

Beautiful! Beef Burger by Woodside Farm Oct 2022

Alphabetically, Woodside Farm is our final destination and they are found every Thursday in Mahon Point Farmers Market (and at other markets on other days). They are perhaps best known for their magnificent free range pork but they also do a highly rated Beef Burger and serve it with relish and salad in a lovely bun, for 8 euro  (if I remember rightly). Superb meat and great value.

All their offerings are cooked and filled in front of you, and there's a chat as well, as the salads and relishes are added. And, if necessary, they even provide a tailor-made insulated envelope to take your purchases back to the office or home.

Bella Napoli Dec 2022

Bella Napoli came up Rigatoni with Ragu Napoletano with six-hour braised beef in an onion and tomato sauce served with rigatoni pasta and bruschetta (17 euro). I hit the jackpot here. This was beautifully cooked, the quality of the beef was top class and plenty of it as was also the case with the ragu. Very happy with this one.

L'Atitude pic Dec 2022

Slow-Braised Beef Cheeks, Celeriac Mash, Spiced Pickled Cranberries (a cool inclusion) was one of the highlights of a recent visit to L'Atitude, a superb dish in an impressively expanded menu and well worthy of inclusion here. More details at https://www.corkbilly.com/2022/12/wine-and-dine-at-latitude-huge-choice.html

* All these dishes enjoyed relatively recently but remember that menus and chefs change.

Bella Napoli’s Pasta Delights. Spur Of Moment Visit.

Bella Napoli’s Pasta Delights. Spur Of Moment Visit. 

Sometimes it takes ages to make up your mind where you’ll eat on a Friday; we’ve been known to start talking about it early in the week and dragging it out until the night before. Sometimes it takes minutes and that happened last Friday. With an evening engagement coming up (that didn’t involve more than finger food) we realised while in the city centre that we’d need something substantial.

We knew we were in the right place, strolling down French Church Street from Patrick Street. And then I saw that bright blue and white circular sign on the high wall of the old Russell carpet business. It said Bella Napoli and that very restaurant had been recently recommended by a guy who know his Italian.

The place was busy, very busy, and we had to wait a while (not too long) before being seated. The menu is, like most Italian restaurants, long and varied. It includes six starters (including the classic Caprese Salad),plus a couple of more substantial salads, then onto the  pizzas and pastas, then items that we are more used to in local restaurants such as sandwiches, burgers and steak, before finishing with desserts, cocktails, Italian beers and wines.

We had a good look at the menu in the bright and attractive room on very comfortable chairs indeed and picked two dishes from the Pasta selection. 

Mine was the Rigatoni with Ragu Napoletano with six-hour braised beef in an onion and tomato sauce served with rigatoni pasta and bruschetta (17 euro). I hit the jackpot here. This was beautifully cooked, the quality of the beef was top class and plenty of it as was also the case with the ragu. Very happy with this one and one that would slot right into my recent list of best beef dishes in Cork.  

Lasagna Bolognese -  bolognese in bechamel sauce with parmesan, mozzarella, basil and a side salad (14.50) was our other choice. This had superb cheesy flavour with a terrific sauce. Both the sauce and the piece of lasagna were generous servings and excellent value.

Enjoyed the occasion and looking forward to going back sometime soon to try the pizzas (even if we have to share). But we’ll have a good starter first and perhaps a glass of wine or one of the Italian beers. Last Friday, I enjoyed the Italian Hazelnut Liqueur flavoured with cocoa and vanilla called Frangelico with my huge Pizza dessert!

Caution: Dessert Ahead!

Nutella Pizza: strawberry, nutella, banana, icing sugar €8.50

Tiramisu: homemade coffee flavoured Italian dessert €7.00