A soup-er finish to a great city break
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As I’m sure you all read the previous feature about Bologna very keenly, you’ll have noticed the quote “you could spend years talking about the culinary scene”. Well it’s no lie, you definitely could write bowlfulls about it, but it deserves more than one article. Conveniently, I sampled Ristorante Nino to bring you a bit of extra helpings.
As it was my last day in this frankly wonderful place before a flight that evening, plus a storm was on its way (weather in Northern Italy can be very British, let’s say), time was of the essence. With so many eateries to choose from, the pressure was on.
With its menu boldly displayed in the corner, a quick squizz made my mind up. There it was: ‘zuppa di verdure’, or vegetable soup. What’s so amazing about that? Believe it or not, I’d never seen soup on an Italian menu before, so it was the undoubted high only a novelty factor can give that did the trick. That, and the rest was bound to be rather on the hearty side, this being Bologna and all that. In fact, it was the only time I saw soup on a menu here, such is the mystery of why Italy doesn’t embrace it; up there with the Bermuda Triangle and why Stephen Gray always crumbles under pressure on a pool table.
Anyway, the rain had turned heavy, so it was time for a hop, skip and jump to Ristorante Nino. With the weather so inclement I was half-expecting the place to be full, but there it was, one table left under its portico shelter. This provided an excellent way of staying dry and dining, whilst still being able to appreciate the majesty of the storm. Ristorante Nino was already proving to be a unique experience, and I hadn’t even ordered!
But after some chit-chat, with the waiter about the weather, in true British fashion, it was time to do just that. The remarkable inclusion of soup on the menu meant the starter was ordered before I’d even sat down, but prior to that predictability there was a surprise. The basket of bread that arrived contained cuts from five different loaves, with a small bowl of parmesan to accompany it – only in this town, eh. And the soup? I stopped counting how many different veggies were in it, but it really was a true and tasty seasonal representation of Italy. So far, so Bologna.
With the starter being on the lighter side, I was afraid of no main course. Roast guinea fowl stuffed with artichokes and meatloaf sounded ambiguous. Was this to be a whole guinea fowl? No matter, I thought, as these are one of the featherweights of the game bird division, so there was plenty of room left. When it came out it was, perhaps mercifully, in slices and in one of the best white wine sauces I’ve ever had. The stuffing provided just the right amount of different flavours, whilst the oven baked chips – not as good as my own air fryer version (whose are?) – were near perfect in texture.
I’d already had cheesecake and tiramisu during my Italian travels this year, so it was time for something else: that something else being chocolate panacotta. It differed in size, shape and pretty much every other way to the norm, so here was Ristorante Nino’s own take on a classic. It was creamier than the usual, but somehow this ramped up the hits of dairy and chocolate to another level. Nothing more to be said except that this is one of the best desserts I’ve ever had, comparable to a tiramisu I tried in Calabria two years ago.
And if that wasn’t enough to put the ‘dolce’ into dolce vita, there was a complimentary canister of limoncello to finish. This is Bologna, it couldn’t just be a glass, now could it. Ristorante Nino, the all-weather restaurant, that’s all-round awesome as well.
The Early Whistle 