Piacenza 218 Review
From Moscowiki
| Piacenza 218 |
Cuisine: Italian
Address: Dubravnaya ul., 34/29, Ladiya shopping center
Metro: Tushinskaya
Tel: 723-7509
Open from 12:00 until 24:00.
All major credit cards accepted.
By DJ Biscuit and DPG
On Monday DJ Biscuit and DPG ventured to a land beyond the Moscow Metro and past the homes of the rich and tasteless on Rublyovskoe Shosse to review Piacenza Restaurant located in Mitino, in the Ladiya shopping centre.
As we entered we were immediately pleasantly surprised by the spacious and clean interior. The good impressions continued as the hostess who greeted us asked if we would like smoking or non smoking. Now normally this is a trick. The non smoking section, a wobbly old table is usually located next to the man sucking on a fat Cuban (cigar I mean) but out here in distant Mitino the smoking section is on an entirely different floor.
A few words on the interior would be appropriate here as some thought and taste has gone into the design. Both floors are airy, comfortable and pristine. We were impressed with the bright and comfortable furniture and the unfussy bar counters. Bottles of wine bring alcoves warmth and life and downstairs where the pizza oven is located and in full view of diners, there are logs stacked against clean bright white walls. It was clear that there was a larger force at work here than a single operation local restaurant.
On reaching the second floor we were immediately given menus in English and asked to take our choice of tables, not easy as we were the only people there! The first thing that struck us about the menu was the easy to follow layout and the little explanations of some of the dishes and cooking methods at the bottom of the page .Within the pages of the menu we learn that Piacenza is the gastronomic region of Italy from where the restaurant gets its name and most of the important ingredients for its dishes. Also comforting was the claim that the menu was designed by an Italian, Ettore Ferri. So far so good.
So onto the food itself. The choice is vast and varied with a few more unusual dishes than the normal Trattoria fair. First off the staple of any Italian meal, Pizza. They have 22 varieties each offered in small or large sizes with all the old favorites plus one with Salami, sausages and Quails eggs and even a sweet Pizza topped with Mozzarella, strawberries and pears!
For our starters we chose Burrata, a fresh soft Italian cheese with mashed rukkola and tomatoes. Beware with this and some of the other dishes however; the price is per 100 grams and not the price of the dish. We ended up paying 750 Rbs but the cheese was delicious and highly recommended. Next up was Carpaccio (290 Rbs). Strangely the explanation notes told us it was boiled veal! And indeed it was thick slices of boiled veal hidden beneath a heavy mustard and anchovy sauce with more than a hint of tuna. While it tasted fine it was certainly not Carpaccio and would have been more at home in a crusty baguette. We also tried a small pizza with Parma ham and Rukkola (290 Rbs) which was simply divine. Real Parma ham and fresh nutty rukkola, probably the best choice of the meal.
The drinks choice like the pizza was a triumph. We tried the strawberry and the wild berries ‘Frep’ (135 Rbs) and the ‘El Ninno’ (179 Rbs) strawberry shake. All three were superb and similar to smoothies but far more refreshing.
Onto the entrees and another slight lost in translation moment. DJ Biscuit chose the Australian Beef Fillet, believing it would come out as a steak a la Goodman’s. DPG plumped for the duck with potatoes Gratin (750 Rbs). The beef fillet was in fact eight slices of veal with a few grilled vegetables swimming in oil at a whopping 750 Rbs. The duck was somewhat overcooked but tasted fine and the potatoes were enough to feed a family and were also swimming in oil and stuffed heavily with full fat cheese. Our waitress was efficient enough although she did not ask us how we would like our meat and despite the fact she was a grown woman did not seem to have developed the muscles required to smile.
Looking through the menu as we ate we decided that other choices for mains may have been more economical and a little more Italian.
Onto dessert and coffee. The Cappuccino (179 Rbs) choice was inspired. You can have it made with milk or cream and to be honest the milk version was creamy and smooth enough. A huge bowl of real Cappuccino beautifully presented and just right.
The Panna Cotta of Mango and Pineapple (179 Rbs) was light and not at all cloying while the chefs recommendation, Sabayon (270 Rbs) was a delightful mousse in a waffle basket topped with raspberries.
As to drinks they have a wide choice of German beers on tap (from 170 Rbs for half a liter), Italian Peroni in bottles and a reasonable choice of wines (from 950 Rbs a bottle and house wine by the glass at 210 Rbs).
At the end of the meal we discovered that the restaurant was part of the Coffeemania chain so there’s hope that one will open in the centre. We both agreed that if that was the case we definitely would visit. Piacenza would be somewhere to sit and enjoy the atmosphere, a glass of wine and a decent pizza but unless you are abducted by aliens and dumped in Mitino or have got seriously lost on your way back from IKEA this is a long way out to go for a meal which in all fairness while having it’s high moments was expensive especially when taking location into account.
Having fed ourselves and warmed our ears on the decent lounge music playing we headed into the dark and cold of Mitino to make the 50 minute journey back into the centre, hoping we may find they had already built the second Piacenzo by the time we arrived.
14.11.05.
