A good-value slice of authentic dolce vita to beat the post-holiday blues

‘There’s a lovely little place I know tucked away at the top of town that serves really authentic Italian food just like we ate on holiday last year…’ They’re the words I dread being on the receiving end of. Nowhere serves food like anybody ate on holiday anywhere last year, because that was an ‘in the moment’ experience, unlikely to be replicated again. And anyway, despite the fact that Bath boasts around 20 supposedly Italian restaurants, it’s my bet that few of them would float Massimiliano Alajmo’s imbarcazione. But despite all this cynical, disparaging bluster, let’s return to that opening sentence – because that’s me, that is, urging you to join me on a trip to the Rustico Bistro Italiano, a restaurant that, despite the rather naff name, honestly does offer a delightfully cheerful, authentic dolce vita experience.

Situated on a super-pretty traffic-free lane at the heart of Bath’s most prestigious housing estate (that’ll be the Royal Crescent and the Circus, then), this sweet little diner packs an awfully big character punch. The neat, well-considered menu infuses freshly prepared, classic Italian dishes (soups, pastas, fish and seafood, meat and poultry, risotto, etc) with an up-to-the-minute zeitgeist based around intelligent sourcing and non-scary prices, and Bergamo-born brothers Darix and Franco Cinesi oversee the operation with effortless, elegant efficiency, keeping everybody happy either inside the intimate bistro itself (which features a lively open kitchen) or on the pavement tables, undoubtedly the best seats in (or rather, outside) the house when the weather complies.

It was at such a table that I ate very fresh, chargrilled mackerel served with a fennel- and sultana-infused tangle of terrific tagliatelle, while my ragazzo ciao-ed down on an intensely meaty wild game ragu (both dishes circa £9 from a selection that never goes much above £14). On another occasion, a full-on feast that included crisp calamari fritti, proper bresaola carpaccio, a salaciously sexy pumpkin, parmesan & sage tortellini and a huge pile of griddled lamb chops from the specials board graced a table in old-school trattoria surroundings below stairs, while Medad declares the good old bolognese (another £9-ish bargain) to be good and old-fashioned enough to make him feel naughty and young again.

So yes, there is indeed a lovely little place I know… and in this instance, it’s a gioia to eat my words there. (Melissa Blease)

Bistro Rustico Italiano 2 Margarets Buildings, Bath. Ffi: 01225 310064, www.rusticobistroitaliano.co.uk

THE VERDICT

A year-round staycation experience

Copyright Melissa Blease 2011