4. Edinburgh - la Favorita

Tonight we went for a night out with the girls; Sarah, Mirjam and Jessica. I chose La Favorita in Edinburgh because I had been there before and I absolutely loved it. Also it is about the same price as Pizza Express which isn't nearly as nice. I already had dinner yesterday, so I wanted to be a bit more careful today. It didn't work out.... I did, however share the starter with Sarah.

I was a bit too late taking the photo as you can see, because I had already slaughtered this dish. We ordered 

Arancini di Riso alla Siciliana: Golden orbs with rice filled with mincemeat, tomatoes and mozarella. When pulled apart, the cheese forms into deliciously molten strands.

It was lovely. A nice and cheesy flavour. Since I had Calzone yesterday, I figured it would be too soon for another pizza, and I kind of remember that I'm not too fond of La Favorita's pizzas because they aren't cheesy enough. Too tomatoey.

So I ordered the next best think. Pasta! It was amazing!!

Ravioli alla Norcina: Another classic. Often spoilt and copied but perfected at La Favorita. Fresh egg parcel pasta stuffed porcini mushrooms, smooth ricotta and parmiggiano cheese, finished with fresh rocket and seasoned Italian sausage, sprinkled with fresh pachino tomatoes.

Oh how I wanted this dish to be replenished every time I took a bite. The sauce was amazing and so was the pasta. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the cream on the side. I would have like sour cream in its stead but they used sweet cream. But it's easy enough to just not eat that. Best pasta ever!!!

I tried to hold myself back by not ordering a dessert and I'm proud to say that I didn't actually finish it. But the 

Banoffee Pie on the menu looked too good to skip. So yes I had the dessert. Not the ice cream though. As if caramel and bananas are not filling enough after a full meal, they also include ice cream. Silly Italians.... 

It was an amazing dinner and I'd like to go back to La Favorita soon to try more on their menu. What an amazing restaurant!!

3. Edinburgh - Bella Italia (Hanover Street)

It seems like only a couple of days ago that I have last visited a restaurant, but last night it was time for another one. A very generic one by the name of Bella Italia in Hanover Street, Edinburgh. Tonight I went with Sarah, Carola and Juul. A little Dutch/Belgian posse. The restaurant looks nice inside, but all generic and fake Italian restaurants do. I noticed, however, that there were quite a few Italians working there, which is definitely a plus.

First I had

 
Funghi Arrosto
Large field mushrooms oven baked with a creamy mascarpone, garlic and spinach sauce with toasted ciabatta

Which I received after everyone finished their starters, because the waiter forgot to give it to me, luckily I had two people with me who have experience with hospitality and they noticed the moment he set down their plates that he forgot about mine. So from the start the service wasn't great (granted, it was a Friday night. But still, he needed to pick up his game if he wanted a tip from the Dutchies). The Funghi was really nice. You'll notice that I always pick something mushroomy/cheesy as a starter because I absolutely love mushrooms in any shape or form. This dish did not disappoint!

As opposed to the main meal which I didn't like at all...

Carne Calzone
Smoked pancetta, spiced meatballs, red onion and our own Bolognese ragu with melted mozzarella

The waiter did bring it to us on time, but this Calzone did not strike my fancy at all. The meatballs were very bland and definitely weren't freshly made. The Bolognese ragu didn't taste of more than plain tomato sauce and the pancetta was hardly noticeable. The bottle of Rose Sarah and I had with it, was quite nice and sweet though.

Trevini - Rosato Puglia, Puglia

I don't know if I'll pay Bella Italia a visit again soon, because the main dish wasn't quite what I had wanted it to be, but to be honest most pizzas in Edinburgh don't strike my fancy. It could be because of the lack of cheese, but I just don't like them that much (apart from Domino's pizza, which makes me sound absolutely horrible) Tonight I'll be going to La Favorita with some girls, so a story about that will follow soon.