Restaurants / Reviews
La Panza – restaurant review
“Buongiorno!” comes the welcome from owner Riccardo as the bell above the door tinkles and a customer steps into the delightfully lopsided La Panza, most recently Beatroot, on Lower Park Row.
The front counter groans with boards covered in fresh, salt-studded focaccia, and suited office workers come in periodically to order one to take away, warmed up against the cold lunchtime outside. A vegetable-topped vegan-friendly version (£5) sits at the front, while at the back the slabs are stuffed with Parma ham (£5.50) and Gorgonzola (£5).
The flavour combinations change regularly and are complimented by a simple menu of hot food, served all day and ordered from a single menu in a plastic wallet on the counter. Starters include more focaccia plus olives (£5), a fresh mozzarella burratina (£6.50) and a soup of the day (£5). Mains range from handmade gnocchi (£11.80) to roast beef in a red wine sauce (£13.80).
is needed now More than ever
Riccardo previously owned Indian street food takeaway Chai Wallah on Stokes Croft, which sadly closed a year after opening after the landlord chose not renew the lease.
The counter at La Panza groans with freshly-made focaccia
Taking a steaming cup of tea through to the dining room down a couple of steps, Riccardo can be heard singing along to the playlist of Italian music in an enthusiastic baritone, while in the kitchen head chef Filomena joins in for a duet. She shouts something and they converse back and forth, rapid-fire, over the sounds of chopping and cooking.
The dining tables and chairs have a cobbled-together feel, propped up by scaffolding pipes and bits of 2×4 in the window where a few bricks are missing. A tiny table is squeezed inside the recess of the stone fireplace, strung with fairy lights, while an old bottle of Vecchio Amaro del Capo has been repurposed into a vase for a collection of delicate dried flowers.
Pampanella (pork belly marinated with chilli and paprika) is a local delicacy where chef Filomena hails from
Promptly, the dish of Pampanella with sautéed greens (£10.80) arrives, smelling incredible. Originating from the Molise region of Italy, where chef Filomena is from, Riccardo proudly says it’s a speciality as he finds space on the table for the meal, an extra plate and a jug of water. The massive chunk of pork belly is slathered in garlic, chilli and paprika and marinated for hours before being sliced up and served in focaccia or as a main dish.
The meat is tender and succulent, falling into perfect slices topped and tailed by a little fat. The chilli offers some heat, but it’s well balanced to avoid being as wildly hot as the bright red look of the dish might suggest. It’s the paprika that really lifts it, with a beautiful sweet note balanced by a little splash of vinegar.
Sautéed cabbage and kale, supplied by Matter Wholefoods in Easton, are slightly oiled but otherwise left to pick up the flavour of the delicious spicy rub that’s left behind on the plate by the meat. A piece of toasted bread is salty and jaw-achingly chewy in the middle, with olive pieces that pop with flavour.
Only the crackling is disappointing – limp in places, it’s quite rubbery, without the crunch you’d expect from a piece of pork belly.
La Panza – literally ‘the belly’ – is Riccardo’s first attempt at a restaurant serving the cuisine from his home country. Dishes that his grandmother taught him to make are on the menu, and in working with Filomena he’s found a perfect partner with a shared love of food. If you can forgive the restaurant for not actually being on the sparkling Adriatic sea, it’s a delightful place to fill your belly.
La Panza
20-21 Lower Park Row, Bristol, BS1 5BN
www.facebook.com/pages/category/Cafe/La-Panza
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