Latest news with #ItalianCuisine
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Barbarella, London E14: ‘A large scoop of Lady Gaga does House of Gucci' – restaurant review
The Big Mamma group's gargantuan, flamboyant, frothily decorated pleasure palaces, which have grown rapidly across London – from Gloria in Shoreditch to Circolo Popolare in Fitzrovia and from Avo Mario in Covent Garden to Jacuzzi in Marylebone, among others – not to mention across Europe in general, tend to cause earnest food sorts to sigh wearily. If the lofty scofferati could have found a way to scupper Big Mamma's growth, they probably would have, because these restaurants are unashamedly focused on big, sexy, silly and Italian-inspired fun. The dining rooms are styled with the chaotic yet elegant detail of a big-budget movie set; no two are remotely the same, but each branch is connected by dependably over-the-top Italian serving staff, usually male and every one of them determined to be your best friend all the way from the antipasti to the dolci, even if your stiff British mentality fights their displays of chumminess. The latest Big Mamma opening, Barbarella in Canary Wharf, east London, is no different, and features all of those elements with which we've become so familiar: the tall, wobbly lemon meringue pie, the camp banquettes, the huge flappy menu with 100-plus items all written in Italian and in a teensy-tiny red font. At Barbarella, there are also oversized sculptures, vintage Fiorucci in glass display cases and, vibe-wise, a large scoop of Gaga does House of Gucci. Why are clever food people so sniffy about Big Mamma, despite its restaurants being full to the brim every night? Well, there are two reasons: first, Barbarella and her sisters are determinedly fun; almost forced fun, if we're completely honest. Just try telling your server that you're not here to have a laugh, but instead have come for a sparse, sensible, calorie-counting meal, so there's no need for a double martini or to be spooned tiramisu from a huge bowl by a winking man from Sicily called Gianluca. They just won't understand you. The second, and possibly more logical reason for the raised eyebrows is because – let's cut to the chase – the food in all of these restaurants isn't always terribly good and is sometimes actively awful. Not that you'll ever cajole any of the staff into admitting that: 'This tiramisu is my favourite tiramisu in the world, even better than my own nonna's,' is just one line directed at me at Barbarella. The staff simply cannot break character, so all the pasta is, according to them at least, 'freshly made this hour' and 'better than they serve in the village I come from in Italy'. Every T-bone steak is the juiciest and every brunello on the extensive wine-list is the most thoughtfully sourced. You've more chance of seeing Mickey Mouse at the front of a Disney parade with his headpiece off and smoking a Marlboro than hear a Barbarella server admit that this food is just OK – and hugely overpriced, too. Not that you'd really want that, either. Barbarella, like all of these places, is about escapism, boisterous group dining and being swept up in the moment, with someone else – a lover, a boss, a father-in-law – hopefully picking up the hefty bill afterwards. Lunching here stone-cold sober is a real eye-opener. I've only ever been to a Big Mamma restaurant while a bit tipsy, but here I'm being served a £24 plate of 'millefoglie di patate con tartare di manzo e tartufo', or a sort of cold fried potato rösti with a spoon of unseasoned beef tartare that's not remotely delicious. A courgette and cheese insalata limps on to my table hoping for love, but it's another hopeless state of affairs. This is not good courgette, these are not pleasant croutons. Next up, lobster linguine for £36 in a thick, one-note bisque sauce and with half a lobster on top – fine, but nothing earth-shattering. A £38 fillet steak with green peppercorn sauce is by some distance the most delicious thing we eat, and comes with a side of actually great rosemary potatoes. Then again, it's also probably the least Italian thing on the menu. But the tiramisu is, as ever, rich, thick, cocoa-covered and comes with that timeworn trick of offering a second scoop to denote largesse. Upstairs is the place to sit, it being the room with all the movie-star glamour; downstairs is, dare I say, a little less exciting. But, from my seat by the till (not somewhere I wanted to linger) and having to move plates about to make them fit on a tiny table that's about as big as one of the pizzas, there's just something about Barbarella that left me a little cold. Perhaps glamour isn't supposed to be practical. The wild Italian party continues in Canary Wharf regardless, but I don't think I'll be running back for a scoop of gelato any time soon. Barbarella Unit 3, YY London, 30 South Colonnade, London E14 (no phone). Open all week, noon-midnight. From about £40 a head à la carte, plus drinks and service. The next episode of Grace's Comfort Eating podcast is out on Tuesday 15 July – listen to it here.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Barbarella, London E14: ‘A large scoop of Lady Gaga does House of Gucci' – restaurant review
The Big Mamma group's gargantuan, flamboyant, frothily decorated pleasure palaces, which have grown rapidly across London – from Gloria in Shoreditch to Circolo Popolare in Fitzrovia and from Avo Mario in Covent Garden to Jacuzzi in Marylebone, among others – not to mention across Europe in general, tend to cause earnest food sorts to sigh wearily. If the lofty scofferati could have found a way to scupper Big Mamma's growth, they probably would have, because these restaurants are unashamedly focused on big, sexy, silly and Italian-inspired fun. The dining rooms are styled with the chaotic yet elegant detail of a big-budget movie set; no two are remotely the same, but each branch is connected by dependably over-the-top Italian serving staff, usually male and every one of them determined to be your best friend all the way from the antipasti to the dolci, even if your stiff British mentality fights their displays of chumminess. The latest Big Mamma opening, Barbarella in Canary Wharf, east London, is no different, and features all of those elements with which we've become so familiar: the tall, wobbly lemon meringue pie, the camp banquettes, the huge flappy menu with 100-plus items all written in Italian and in a teensy-tiny red font. At Barbarella, there are also oversized sculptures, vintage Fiorucci in glass display cases and, vibe-wise, a large scoop of Gaga does House of Gucci. Why are clever food people so sniffy about Big Mamma, despite its restaurants being full to the brim every night? Well, there are two reasons: first, Barbarella and her sisters are determinedly fun; almost forced fun, if we're completely honest. Just try telling your server that you're not here to have a laugh, but instead have come for a sparse, sensible, calorie-counting meal, so there's no need for a double martini or to be spooned tiramisu from a huge bowl by a winking man from Sicily called Gianluca. They just won't understand you. The second, and possibly more logical reason for the raised eyebrows is because – let's cut to the chase – the food in all of these restaurants isn't always terribly good and is sometimes actively awful. Not that you'll ever cajole any of the staff into admitting that: 'This tiramisu is my favourite tiramisu in the world, even better than my own nonna's,' is just one line directed at me at Barbarella. The staff simply cannot break character, so all the pasta is, according to them at least, 'freshly made this hour' and 'better than they serve in the village I come from in Italy'. Every T-bone steak is the juiciest and every brunello on the extensive wine-list is the most thoughtfully sourced. You've more chance of seeing Mickey Mouse at the front of a Disney parade with his headpiece off and smoking a Marlboro than hear a Barbarella server admit that this food is just OK – and hugely overpriced, too. Not that you'd really want that, either. Barbarella, like all of these places, is about escapism, boisterous group dining and being swept up in the moment, with someone else – a lover, a boss, a father-in-law – hopefully picking up the hefty bill afterwards. Lunching here stone-cold sober is a real eye-opener. I've only ever been to a Big Mamma restaurant while a bit tipsy, but here I'm being served a £24 plate of 'millefoglie di patate con tartare di manzo e tartufo', or a sort of cold fried potato rösti with a spoon of unseasoned beef tartare that's not remotely delicious. A courgette and cheese insalata limps on to my table hoping for love, but it's another hopeless state of affairs. This is not good courgette, these are not pleasant croutons. Next up, lobster linguine for £36 in a thick, one-note bisque sauce and with half a lobster on top – fine, but nothing earth-shattering. A £38 fillet steak with green peppercorn sauce is by some distance the most delicious thing we eat, and comes with a side of actually great rosemary potatoes. Then again, it's also probably the least Italian thing on the menu. But the tiramisu is, as ever, rich, thick, cocoa-covered and comes with that timeworn trick of offering a second scoop to denote largesse. Upstairs is the place to sit, it being the room with all the movie-star glamour; downstairs is, dare I say, a little less exciting. But, from my seat by the till (not somewhere I wanted to linger) and having to move plates about to make them fit on a tiny table that's about as big as one of the pizzas, there's just something about Barbarella that left me a little cold. Perhaps glamour isn't supposed to be practical. The wild Italian party continues in Canary Wharf regardless, but I don't think I'll be running back for a scoop of gelato any time soon. Barbarella Unit 3, YY London, 30 South Colonnade, London E14 (no phone). Open all week, noon-midnight. From about £40 a head à la carte, plus drinks and service. The next episode of Grace's Comfort Eating podcast is out on Tuesday 15 July – listen to it here.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I'm a YOLO dieter & lost 1st in 3 months… but 5 tips could have stopped me putting half of it back on in a WEEK on hols
ADMIRING the Italian scenery in the sunshine, I take a piece of warm focaccia bread, dip it in olive oil and pop it in my mouth. It is my third, but not final, piece as I enjoy some foodie foreplay to warm up for lunch. Next is a plate of spaghetti carbonara, liberally sprinkled with Parmesan, followed by the creamiest tiramisu imaginable. It is all washed down with half a bottle of white wine that I share with my husband Brian, 53, who works in marketing. We were in Lake Garda in northern Italy on a rare holiday without our teenage boys, and as we strolled back to our apartment, we stopped for an ice cream, too. Then came a siesta . . . and soon it was supper time. That started with an Aperol spritz with crisps and a tomato and mozzarella salad with more focaccia, before a salami pizza and yet more wine. At a conservative estimate, I must have eaten and drunk my way through a 5,725 calories a day, which is almost three times the NHS daily recommended amount of 2,000 for a woman. Over a week, that's more than 40,000 calories. And that's without the incidental ones — the odd beer by the pool, the extra glass of wine as you linger over food so delicious you can't rush it. By day five, I had to ditch any clothes with a waistband that bit into my tummy as I didn't want a constant and uncomfortable reminder I was over-indulging. Instead, I wore long, flowing dresses that skimmed over my expanding tummy. I lost half a stone eating cold chips Frankly, you only live once — or 'YOLO' as my two sons frequently say. My weight had edged up over Christmas And sipping on mineral water while picking at some grilled fish and salad is not my idea of a fun holiday. So I put the scales out of my mind and ate and drank whatever I wanted. When I got home I faced the reality — though it took me a couple of days to brace myself — and sure enough I'd put on 7lbs. My holiday routine is about as far from my real life as it's possible to get. Since March, when I tipped the scales at just over 10st, which is verging on overweight for my 5ft 3in height, I'd been on a rigid diet in preparation for donning my bikini. My weight had edged up over Christmas, and the cold months of January and February saw me reach for stodgy pies and warming roasts. But a glimpse of spring sunshine was a timely reminder that in three months I'd be by the pool exposing my wobbly flesh. I pretty much gave up alcohol, as it's my absolute downfall. It's not only the calories in wine and cocktails, but the vast amount I eat with a hangover. It's a menu a sumo wrestler would be proud of, taking in everything from Pot Noodles to bacon sandwiches and adding up to some 3,500 calories per day. I swim for half an hour every day, but I added in a 45-minute gym workout. And I started the Atkins diet, cutting all carbs and sugar and eating only meat, vegetables, eggs and a tiny bit of cheese. The weight dropped off and before I went away I'd shed over a stone and hit my target weight of 9st. In many ways it was easy with a few changes to my routine. For example, rather than meeting friends in the pub, I'd suggest we went for a walk. Many of them were trying to lose weight too and were more than happy with the idea. And my sister and I dieted together, ringing each other daily to compare what we'd eaten and how much we'd lost. She went on holiday a few days before me and was clearly letting her hair down, WhatsApping me pictures of the ice cream she was devouring. It made me even more excited about my own holiday. It was as if she was giving me permission to indulge. 5 'Over-indulge' Mindset coach Vivienne Joy ( who specialises in weight loss, says: 'It's a very common phenomenon to let go on holiday as you switch identity. 'At home you're an adult, with responsibilities. You're anchored in a routine and you control what you're doing. 'When you go away, you switch identities and let go as you're in a different environment. 'You often adopt your teenage identity, one that is carefree with no responsibilities. That's why so many of us over-indulge.' According to Vivienne, the more controlled you are at home, the more likely you are to pig out when abroad. 'I advise people to not be so rigid at home so they don't feel the need to let go so much,' she says. Those 7lbs I put on are now thankfully on the way out, and I don't regret a second of gaining them 'Because you will have to come home and face the music — or the scales.' Vivienne's words resonate. When it comes to food, my holiday and home personas are poles apart. While I feel guilty if I eat even a Malteser at home, abroad I didn't think twice as I dithered between two flavours of ice cream . . . then plumped for both. It feels as if nothing counts while on holiday, and I'm certainly not going to count calories as I tuck into a delicious bowl of pasta in the sunshine. It helps that cocktails are cheaper too When you're warm and happy, it's hard to care about anything more taxing than whether you fancy beer or an Aperol spritz. It's a completely different mindset to when you're constantly juggling the needs of work and parenting two teenage boys. At home I'm in a routine. I have to be organised, and in a way it's easier to be on a diet as I don't waste headspace and time deciding what to eat. It's going to be chicken or fish and vegetables. Abroad, you drift blissfully from your breakfast — in my case, freshly baked croissants from a favoured cafe that you can smell as you walk down the street — to exploring local eateries to see which does the best pizza or pasta. FIVE WAYS TO STAY IN SHAPE ON VACATION TO stay trim on holiday, sustainable weight-loss expert Harriet Morris ( has these tips for you: You will be surrounded by cues to overeat, so aim for weight maintenance, not loss. Nobody goes on holiday every month, so cut yourself some slack. Before you go for dinner, look at the restaurant menu online or as you stroll past, and plan your meal ahead. Allow yourself the food you want, but eat it slowly. This will help you digest your meal better, which keeps you fuller for longer. Instead of denying yourself dessert, ask for a separate side plate when it arrives. Put a third of it on the plate and give it back to the waiter before you eat. That really is having your cake and eating it. Everyone's metabolism is faster at lunchtime, so eat bigger, more indulgent meals then instead of in the evening. Relax as much as possible. Stress raises blood sugar levels which – unless you do vigorous exercise – sends a message to your body to store fat. So make your holiday a time to unwind, not rush. Everyone seems so happy, and warm-from-the-oven bread arrives just as you sit down at your table to peruse the menu. That menu is devoid of the nutritional information that holds me back from ordering calorific treats when I'm out in London. And it helps that the cocktails are cheaper, too, so just one more isn't going to break the bank. Everything that encourages restraint at home has gone. And of course, I'm not in a rush, so the brisk walk to the Tube that helps shed the pounds isn't happening. I still swim, but with no time restraints, I float happily on my back. But getting home was a rude awakening. Those 7lbs I put on are now thankfully on the way out, and I don't regret a second of gaining them. I loved my holiday and you only live once. After all, there's no point spending money going away if you just do the same as you do at home. The 5 best exercises to lose weight By Lucy Gornall, personal trainer and health journalist EXERCISE can be intimidating and hard to devote yourself to. So how do you find the right workout for you? As a PT and fitness journalist, I've tried everything. I've taken part in endless fitness competitions, marathons and I maintain a regime of runs, strength training and Pilates. Fitness is so entrenched in my life, I stick to it even at Christmas! The key is finding an activity you love that can become a habit. My top five forms of exercise, especially if you're trying to lose weight, are: Walking Running Pilates High-intensity interval training (HIIT) Strength training
CNET
15-07-2025
- General
- CNET
These Viral 'Pasta Hacks' Are Doing More Harm Than Good, According to an Italian Chef
Pasta is a great place for new cooks to start. The basic premise is dropping noodles into boiling water and waiting for them to cook, then adding sauce and eating. Sounds simple enough, but there are nuances to making perfect penne or linguini that shouldn't go overlooked. Along with pasta's undeniable popularity comes a swell of hacks promising better, faster cooking results. And while some of these viral tips may do some good, many of them are pure farce, according to an Italian chef I spoke with. To learn the biggest pasta-making mistakes folks are making, I talked to professional chef and pasta pro Filippo de Marchi, chef de cuisine at De Majo Restaurant & Terrace. 1. Throwing pasta against a wall to see if it sticks Cooked pasta will indeed stick to a wall but that doesn't mean it's a good way to determine doneness. Laura Ciapponi/Getty One of the worst offenses, according to Marchi, is adding pricey olive oil to pasta water thinking it will keep noodles from sticking. "This isn't the best way to check for doneness," says de Marchi. "The texture of the pasta can change when it hits the wall and it doesn't give an accurate indication of whether it's properly cooked." Plus, you're likely to splatter your wall with starchy noodle juice or worse, watch it slide down the wall and behind the stove. Instead, scoop out a single strand and taste it. You'll then be able to tell if it's achieved that perfect al dente texture. 2. Adding olive oil to pasta water Olive oil in your water isn't the best fix for sticky pasta. Alina Bradford/CNET Olive oil is a necessary addition to most pasta dishes, but save it for the plate. Some folks think it will help keep pasta from sticking when added to boiling pasta water but "the oil just floats on top of the water and doesn't coat the pasta effectively," says de Marchi. "The best way to prevent sticking is to use plenty of water, stir the pasta regularly during the first few minutes of cooking and make sure to use the right size pot for the amount of pasta you're cooking. "This way, the pasta has enough space to move around and cook evenly," he adds. 3. Leaving the pot covered while the pasta is cooking Stopping your pot from boiling over can be as easy as putting a wooden spoon across the top. JannHuizenga/Getty Images "Leaving the lid off the pot while the pasta is cooking is the way to go," advises de Marchi. "This prevents the water from boiling over and helps control the cooking process. Plus, it allows the steam to escape, which helps prevent the water from foaming up and making a starchy mess." As recommended, be sure to also pick an appropriately sized pot so that your pasta cooks evenly. 4. Adding salt and thinking it will help the water boil faster Salt won't get your pasta water boiling significantly faster. Morton Salt/Amazon Based on a recent Reddit discussion, quite a few people are confused about whether adding salt to pasta water makes any real difference. The truth is that salt plays an important role in pasta water, but not when it comes to heat. (Impurities do change the boiling point of water, but the amount of salt you add to pasta water doesn't make a significant difference.) Rather, it's essential to add salt so that the pasta can absorb its flavor. "If you're cooking without enough salt, the pasta can end up tasting a bit bland," warns de Marchi, whose signature dish at NHC Murano Villa is spaghetti alle vongole. The seafood dish hails from the region of ocean-adjacent Venice and consists of vongole (typically clams, garlic, white wine, and chili flakes), sea asparagus, and lemon zest. 5. Draining pasta until it's completely dry Leaving a whisper of pasta water will help the sauce adhere. David Watsky/CNET There is a reason why salted pasta water is held in such high regard. Not only does it contain a delicious brine to enhance sauces, but it also helps the sauce adhere to the pasta itself. "This creates a more cohesive and flavorful dish," argues De Marchi. "A little moisture can go a long way in making your pasta dish extra tasty." 6. Running cooked pasta under water before serving Rinsing pasta after cooking may not be the special trick we all thought it was. Getty Images If you want to subject yourself to a potential injury via a rolling pin or wooden spoon by Nonna, run your cooked pasta under fresh water. "This can remove the starchy coating that helps the sauce adhere to the pasta," says de Marchi. "The residual heat from the pasta helps the sauce to marry with the pasta, creating a more flavorful and cohesive dish. Think of it like a beautiful marriage -- you want the sauce and the pasta to come together and live happily ever after, not to undergo a cold shower right before serving." 7. Precooking sheets of lasagna Not all lasagna recipes require precooked noodles. CNET "Precooking lasagna sheets isn't always necessary, especially if you're using a sauce with plenty of moisture," he says. "In fact, many lasagna recipes call for using the sheets directly without precooking, allowing them to absorb liquid from the sauce and cook during the baking process." Set it, forget it and let the magic happen in the oven. Pasta is not something to overthink or stress over. Its simple preparation makes it all the more enjoyable.
Khaleej Times
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Why Chic Nonna's chef Francesco Torcasio likes his pasta a bit burnt
The glow was warm and inviting. The clang of pots and pans, the shuffle of feet, the gentle shower of flour as dough scratched the table and was kneaded into submission, the burble of the tomato sauce boiling on the stove, and the mumble of voices swapping stories amid it all – young Italian Francesco Torcasio found himself mesmerised as watched his mother and grandmother cook for the family. 'I kept wanting to try helping with the preparation and everything, but they would keep refusing,' says the recently appointed executive chef of Chic Nonna, DIFC. 'It was like a big secret that I wanted to know. Especially when I tasted the food, I wanted to know how they did it,' he laughs. Not one to ignore his curiosity, by 15 the Calabria-born Francesco was working at a local pastry shop, learning about precise measurements and the science of creating treats from scratch. He went on to work in kitchens across the country, exploring delicacies from different regions, cultivating a skill that would work greatly in his favour when he made his move to the UAE in 2017. It was here that he joined the Il Borro Tuscan Bistro's foundational team as a commis at 18. By 21, he had worked his way to senior chef de partie. And in 2021, he helped the brand expand to London. Two years ago, he returned to Dubai as the head chef of Chic Nonna, which pays homage to Italy and the nonnas (or grandmothers) who truly perfected the cuisine. This is where his vision found expression; he is currently known for making the traditional unconventional through the subtle use of flavours and the expert use of technique. Take, for example, the spaghetti all'assassina – a dish traced to the Puglia region in Italy – that is almost burnt to perfection. 'Basically, the spaghetti doesn't go in the water,' explains Francesco. It's made using leftover pasta that is directly put in a pan with garlic, chilli, spic-es, and tomato sauce until it's a bit charred and superbly crunchy. To contemporise the dish, Francesco added burrata to it. 'For someone who is not Italian, this may be a little difficult to navigate, because the dish is spicy. But by adding the burrata, I balanced the flavours,' he says. It was a calculated addition to the restaurant's offerings because in the UAE, he ex-plains, people like the Arrabbiata sauce. Which is similar, if not as concentrated. 'Adding burrata was like taking two things locals loved and putting them together.' Another interesting addition is the risotto Milanese, which is made by slow cooking veal shank. 'I added locally produced saffron (from Sharjah) to this dish. The colour is perfect, the risotto is very balanced and has a nice taste,' he says. His efforts have won him plenty of fans – and Chic Nona a Golden Lion at the Venice Festival, for its role in preserving and exporting Italian culinary heritage. And the brand is all set to reach further; it has already expanded to Courchevel, and looking at branches in Monaco, London and Miami. To take an international favourite and give it a local twist is something the chef excels in. He hopes the familiarity will help people discover new dishes. 'One of the common mistakes people make in Dubai is that they always order the same food, because maybe they think that this is all there is to Italian food. But Italian cuisine is very deep in the region, and there is a lot of variance in dishes when you go from south to north. When I go to the table to meet a guest, I always bring something from the south and something from the north, because I want them to try all of the different dishes that we have in the region,' he says. That said, the inventor isn't pleased with all the pasta cooking trends that dominate social media feeds (sorry Meghan Markle). He grimaces at the thought of overcooking pasta as much as he does a one-pot pasta dish. 'Pasta is simple but it's not something basic. Dropping everything into one pot is not pasta. For one thing, there are so many different types – and they should be cooked differently. So, when I see people maybe making fun of the dish or just putting everything -cream, pasta, tomato in a dish and put in the oven... That is something strange,' he says. He would never do it himself, he claims, adding that when he is in a hurry, his go-to is spaghetti with cherry tomato. 'It is a quick pasta, but full of flavour with just some nice, extra virgin olive oil, sweet cherry tomato, a little bit of garlic,' he says. Simple notes that remind him of home; of growing up in a place where the kitchen was full of cheer as knives worked to cleave meat, pasta was kneaded by practiced hands, and tomatoes and spices burbled together to create a rich sauce that would be the day's conversation starter at the dinner table.
