Review – Bella Cosa tasting menu

TastingBritain.co.uk - Bella Cosa, Marsh Wall, London
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Bella Cosa is the latest culinary contender to grace the docklands of Canary Wharf, opening just three month’s ago. Hidden away on the South Quay (and I really do mean hidden away. Top tip: alight at South Quay station, not Canary Wharf to avoid getting lost) it’s well worth a visit. Jack and I, we were invited to check out the restaurant last week and were treated to the Taster Menu.

Rating

star-rating-4

In a word…

Welcoming 

(..the assistant manager’s motto is that diners should feel like guests not clients, and they live and breathe this ethos.)

Cuisine

Italian with a hint of Japanese (it’s London’s first Italian restaurant with a Japanese chef).

Appeals to…

It’s location makes it an obvious target for the city crowd. But the beauty of this place is its versatility. The venue design has been cleverly thought out to suit an array of dining experiences.

The downstairs set up is perfect for the working lunches (even there’s a bar stool area for lone diners), whilst upstairs suits those after fine dining and there’s even a private room which caters for up to 12 guests.

The Drink

Well, where do I start on the drinks? These guys are passionate their wines, with an impressive wine list that boasts 270 wines. Yes! 270 wines!!! Of which 90% are Italian. Catering to all budgets, they’re keen to show diners that you don’t need to spend a fortune on great wine (that said, if your looking to treat yourself, there are the wine A-listers available too).

Bella Cosa. Sounds a bit like some kind of mundane pasta chain - but turns out to be a pretty mind-blowing place for Italian fine dining (which is a thing I have just recently become exposed to). It’s also a pizzeria. What’s the score? Two floors, two different offerings. Upstairs lives the restaurant, with a glass front that offers sky facing views of the city. Here you shall find fascinating things - The Wine Room: which sits 14 and does exactly what it says on the label. If I ran this place I’d call in ‘The Wine Porn Room’, but as you can tell, nobody’s let me run a fine dining restaurant yet (and they have their reasons...). On the subject of wine, you probably wouldn’t expect it, but I’m gonna put it out there and say that Bella Cosa have one of THE most comprehensive Italian wine lists in the city - each of Italy’s 21 winemaking regions is represented to one extent or another. They also have an extensive selection of grappa, including an amarone grappa which is, without a doubt, the best grappa I have ever tried. Downstairs is where you find the pizzeria (with its stone ovens) and the central bar. There’s a bit they’re calling ‘The Chef’s Isle’ where you can watch Bella Cosa’s chefs doing their thing in the open kitchen. Kinda like Benihana but I suppose with less culinary theatre. Downstairs stays open a little later than upstairs, closing at 23:00 Monday to Sunday - last orders on dinner upstairs are at 22:00. As you can see, they’ve taken to celebrating alcohol in its many forms by using old Italian beer glasses as vases for flowers, and enshrining expensive bottles of cognac and champagne on the walls. Downstairs also has a ‘living wall’ - made up of what looks like ivy or something related to it. Green walls are the shit, in this writer’s humble opinion. Another thing I should probably mention is that if you’re interested in the Italian craft beer movement, these guys have a very large and exciting selection. Head

We started with an Italian prosecco (Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Veneto Glera 100 %, Col Vetoraz ) which was light and refreshing. The was followed by wine pairing to match our taster menu experience:
White wine: Soave classico (Pieropan)
Red wine: Chianti classico (Lamole di lamole)

The night was rounded off with a almond flavoured grappa (Amarone stravecchia grappa). This stuff was potent at 40% but amazingly didn’t burn at all…potentially making it rather dangerous. Delicious, but dangerous…

If wine isn’t your thing, worry not. There’s a wonderful selection of craft beers, that look incredible – you can even opt for beer pairing with your meal.

The Food

We started the evening with a selection of canapés. Although, it looked more like a piece of art! The tasty selection included squid polenta, ricotta cannelloni, a mini burger and a fried meatball. All washed down with the lovely prosecco.

TastingBritain.co.uk - Bella Cosa, Marsh Wall, London
…and how’s THAT for presentation?

After the canapés and bubbles, we headed upstairs to for the fine dining experience…

Amuse bouche

We started with an amuse bouche of potato foam, mushroom jelly and Parma ham. The unusual textures worked well together and it was packed full of flavour.

TastingBritain.co.uk - Bella Cosa, Marsh Wall, London

Course 1

Next up was the Seafood carpaccio – comprised of red prawn, turbot, tuna, salmon and mackerel. As a big fish lover, I loved this. The fish was top quality and it tasted delicious.

Bella Cosa. Sounds a bit like some kind of mundane pasta chain - but turns out to be a pretty mind-blowing place for Italian fine dining (which is a thing I have just recently become exposed to). It’s also a pizzeria. What’s the score? Two floors, two different offerings. Upstairs lives the restaurant, with a glass front that offers sky facing views of the city. Here you shall find fascinating things - The Wine Room: which sits 14 and does exactly what it says on the label. If I ran this place I’d call in ‘The Wine Porn Room’, but as you can tell, nobody’s let me run a fine dining restaurant yet (and they have their reasons...). On the subject of wine, you probably wouldn’t expect it, but I’m gonna put it out there and say that Bella Cosa have one of THE most comprehensive Italian wine lists in the city - each of Italy’s 21 winemaking regions is represented to one extent or another. They also have an extensive selection of grappa, including an amarone grappa which is, without a doubt, the best grappa I have ever tried. Downstairs is where you find the pizzeria (with its stone ovens) and the central bar. There’s a bit they’re calling ‘The Chef’s Isle’ where you can watch Bella Cosa’s chefs doing their thing in the open kitchen. Kinda like Benihana but I suppose with less culinary theatre. Downstairs stays open a little later than upstairs, closing at 23:00 Monday to Sunday - last orders on dinner upstairs are at 22:00. As you can see, they’ve taken to celebrating alcohol in its many forms by using old Italian beer glasses as vases for flowers, and enshrining expensive bottles of cognac and champagne on the walls. Downstairs also has a ‘living wall’ - made up of what looks like ivy or something related to it. Green walls are the shit, in this writer’s humble opinion. Another thing I should probably mention is that if you’re interested in the Italian craft beer movement, these guys have a very large and exciting selection. Head

Course 2

This was followed by Octopus. Which looked INCREDIBLE. It was seriously beautiful, both in aesthetics and flavour. I’d go so far as to say it’s the best octopus I’ve ever eaten and it was definitely my favourite course of the evening.

Bella Cosa. Sounds a bit like some kind of mundane pasta chain - but turns out to be a pretty mind-blowing place for Italian fine dining (which is a thing I have just recently become exposed to). It’s also a pizzeria. What’s the score? Two floors, two different offerings. Upstairs lives the restaurant, with a glass front that offers sky facing views of the city. Here you shall find fascinating things - The Wine Room: which sits 14 and does exactly what it says on the label. If I ran this place I’d call in ‘The Wine Porn Room’, but as you can tell, nobody’s let me run a fine dining restaurant yet (and they have their reasons...). On the subject of wine, you probably wouldn’t expect it, but I’m gonna put it out there and say that Bella Cosa have one of THE most comprehensive Italian wine lists in the city - each of Italy’s 21 winemaking regions is represented to one extent or another. They also have an extensive selection of grappa, including an amarone grappa which is, without a doubt, the best grappa I have ever tried. Downstairs is where you find the pizzeria (with its stone ovens) and the central bar. There’s a bit they’re calling ‘The Chef’s Isle’ where you can watch Bella Cosa’s chefs doing their thing in the open kitchen. Kinda like Benihana but I suppose with less culinary theatre. Downstairs stays open a little later than upstairs, closing at 23:00 Monday to Sunday - last orders on dinner upstairs are at 22:00. As you can see, they’ve taken to celebrating alcohol in its many forms by using old Italian beer glasses as vases for flowers, and enshrining expensive bottles of cognac and champagne on the walls. Downstairs also has a ‘living wall’ - made up of what looks like ivy or something related to it. Green walls are the shit, in this writer’s humble opinion. Another thing I should probably mention is that if you’re interested in the Italian craft beer movement, these guys have a very large and exciting selection. Head

Course 3

With the fish ticked off, it was time to sample the meat. Up came the pork cheeks with five cheese ravioli. Again, another delicious dish. It was packed with flavour (with an added twist of Truffle) and the saffron sauce/beetroot purée worked really well together.

TastingBritain.co.uk - Bella Cosa, Marsh Wall, London

Course 4

We then moved on to pork belly served with wild mushrooms, sausage tortellini and Jerusalem artichoke purée. I often steer clear of pork belly as it can be very fatty. However this pork belly had been boiled for 24 hours before roasting, which meant it wasn’t fatty at all and it was wonderfully tender!! A big thumbs up from me.

Bella Cosa. Sounds a bit like some kind of mundane pasta chain - but turns out to be a pretty mind-blowing place for Italian fine dining (which is a thing I have just recently become exposed to). It’s also a pizzeria. What’s the score? Two floors, two different offerings. Upstairs lives the restaurant, with a glass front that offers sky facing views of the city. Here you shall find fascinating things - The Wine Room: which sits 14 and does exactly what it says on the label. If I ran this place I’d call in ‘The Wine Porn Room’, but as you can tell, nobody’s let me run a fine dining restaurant yet (and they have their reasons...). On the subject of wine, you probably wouldn’t expect it, but I’m gonna put it out there and say that Bella Cosa have one of THE most comprehensive Italian wine lists in the city - each of Italy’s 21 winemaking regions is represented to one extent or another. They also have an extensive selection of grappa, including an amarone grappa which is, without a doubt, the best grappa I have ever tried. Downstairs is where you find the pizzeria (with its stone ovens) and the central bar. There’s a bit they’re calling ‘The Chef’s Isle’ where you can watch Bella Cosa’s chefs doing their thing in the open kitchen. Kinda like Benihana but I suppose with less culinary theatre. Downstairs stays open a little later than upstairs, closing at 23:00 Monday to Sunday - last orders on dinner upstairs are at 22:00. As you can see, they’ve taken to celebrating alcohol in its many forms by using old Italian beer glasses as vases for flowers, and enshrining expensive bottles of cognac and champagne on the walls. Downstairs also has a ‘living wall’ - made up of what looks like ivy or something related to it. Green walls are the shit, in this writer’s humble opinion. Another thing I should probably mention is that if you’re interested in the Italian craft beer movement, these guys have a very large and exciting selection. Head

Course 5

Moving onto the sweets, we were served Piña colada panne cotta. And this was my kind of dessert!!! It captured the flavours of piña colada to a tee. The coconut panna cotta was delightfully creamy and combined with the fresh pineapple and crumbled meringue it was absolutely mouth watering.

TastingBritain.co.uk - Bella Cosa, Marsh Wall, London

Course 6

Reaching the final leg of this culinary experience, we were given a Chocolatey delight comprising of chocolate ice cream, chocolate and hazelnut sponge, cherry jelly and the richest chocolate I’ve tasted for a very long time. If you’re a chocolate fan, you will love this!

TastingBritain.co.uk - Bella Cosa, Marsh Wall, London

The taster menu was rounded off with a selection of petit fours. Which, despite being incredibly full, it was impossible to turn down.

TastingBritain.co.uk - Bella Cosa, Marsh Wall, London
Served on a bed of cacao nibs…

Once again, they tasted as good as they looked.

The Verdict

Having looked at the restaurants website (which is functional and rather…ordinary) I wasn’t expecting great things. But, boy was I wrong…. This restaurant exceeded all of my expectations and taught me a valuable lesson about judging a book by it’s cover.

I was dazzled on all sensory levels – the flavours, the visuals, the overall experience, were exceptional – as was the service. This restaurant has only been open 3 months, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a great success. I’d recommend it over and over again.

The Details

www.bellacosarestaurant.com
info@bellacosarestaurant.com
reservation@bellacosarestaurant.com

Bella Cosa Restaurant,
Drewry House,
213 Marsh Wall,
London,
E14 9FJ
0207 132 1212

Bella Cosa. Sounds a bit like some kind of mundane pasta chain - but turns out to be a pretty mind-blowing place for Italian fine dining (which is a thing I have just recently become exposed to). It’s also a pizzeria. What’s the score? Two floors, two different offerings. Upstairs lives the restaurant, with a glass front that offers sky facing views of the city. Here you shall find fascinating things - The Wine Room: which sits 14 and does exactly what it says on the label. If I ran this place I’d call in ‘The Wine Porn Room’, but as you can tell, nobody’s let me run a fine dining restaurant yet (and they have their reasons...). On the subject of wine, you probably wouldn’t expect it, but I’m gonna put it out there and say that Bella Cosa have one of THE most comprehensive Italian wine lists in the city - each of Italy’s 21 winemaking regions is represented to one extent or another. They also have an extensive selection of grappa, including an amarone grappa which is, without a doubt, the best grappa I have ever tried. Downstairs is where you find the pizzeria (with its stone ovens) and the central bar. There’s a bit they’re calling ‘The Chef’s Isle’ where you can watch Bella Cosa’s chefs doing their thing in the open kitchen. Kinda like Benihana but I suppose with less culinary theatre. Downstairs stays open a little later than upstairs, closing at 23:00 Monday to Sunday - last orders on dinner upstairs are at 22:00. As you can see, they’ve taken to celebrating alcohol in its many forms by using old Italian beer glasses as vases for flowers, and enshrining expensive bottles of cognac and champagne on the walls. Downstairs also has a ‘living wall’ - made up of what looks like ivy or something related to it. Green walls are the shit, in this writer’s humble opinion. Another thing I should probably mention is that if you’re interested in the Italian craft beer movement, these guys have a very large and exciting selection. Head

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