Pazzo, Whiteladies Road: ‘It’s hard not to go crazy for Pazzo’ – restaurant review

Pazzo is the Bianchis Group’s biggest and most adventurous opening to date.

Situated in the old Bar Humbug site on Whiteladies Road, the cosy venue is deceptively big, decked out in the usual Bianchis style, with nods to Pasta Loco in the paper lamps and wild flowers on each table.

The newest venture from the group, after Pasta Loco sadly closed in July, Pazzo is headed up by owners and cousins, Dominic Borel and Ben and Joe Harvey – all of who graced the restaurant on a recent evening – alongside kitchen lead Theo Eggleston.

Many of Pasta Loco’s loyal staff have also moved here from nearby Cotham Hill, helping with painting, sanding, and neatly arranging bottles of Campari above the bar in the run up to the restaurant’s grand opening.

There are also stylish black and white photos of the people that make up Bristol’s burgeoning food and drink scene lining Pazzo’s walls.

Pazzo said its Italian cuisine “hopes to take inspiration from the many cultures that have settled in Bristol”

Pazzo literally translates to ‘crazy’ or ‘lunatic’ in Italian – perhaps another nod to its predecessor, or more fittingly a symbol of a new era of experimentation and creativity for the Bianchis Group.

Because while Pasta Loco, Bianchis, Cotto and Pasta Ripiena have found fortune in simple and contemporary Italian dishes, Pazzo opens up its plates to the rest of the world.

Dishes like curried goat tortellini in pepe boro and parmesan dumpling, and sea bass ceviche, yuzu, Calabrian chilli and Wye Valley agretti, prove Bianchis is looking further afield for inspiration, honouring the rich culinary history of Bristol.

As one guest noted, there was something both refreshing and symbolic about the curried goat tortellini. In a city bursting with Italian restaurants, the dishes of the city’s Afro-Caribbean counterparts have often been overlooked – such is the historic nature of fine dining culture.

But here, that cuisine is honoured, infused with an Italian twist but not forgetting its fundamental elements.

The curried goat tortellini was a wonderful shout out to Bristol

The dumpling, traditionally made out of maize or corn, takes many forms across south and west Africa, but the principle remains the same.

And it was necessary here, where a light curried broth could be soaked up by the spongy parmesan crusted dumplings.

Also on the menu was a Cornish crab pappardelle, with charred leeks, nori, chilli and langoustine oil.

The star of the show all round, the velvety pappardelle was covered with a moreish and creamy sauce, with heaps of tarragon and a hint of citrus.

We mourned the frugal amount of crab, however, and were left hankering for more of the luxurious white meat.

The fondanello and datterini tomatoes, goats curd, crostini and consummé got away with using the last of the season’s tomatoes, and will sadly but surely leave the menu soon, as Pazzo adjusts to the seasons.

As greedy diners, we pined for more crab meat, which was spread fairly frugally across this otherwise shining dish

The humble soffritto has been catapulted into the spotlight at Pazzo

The spaghetti, soffritto, fried artichokes, lemon and mozzarella di bufala was a vegetarian’s heaven.

Usually reserved for the base of stock or stews, here the soffritto was the main event: morsels of carrot, celery and onion and crispy salted artichoke leaves swimming in an unctuous sauce.

The mozzarella was arguably not needed, but did add a luxurious feel to the dish.

We finished off with the Iberico pork abanico, nduja cannellini beans and cime di rapa – a ‘turnip’ broccoli like green prized in Italy for its sweet and slightly bitter taste, befitting for the rich nduja beans.

The pork was delicious on its own but was slightly overpowered by the beans and nduja (which were also delicious).

A rich chocolate almond torte with a boozy zabaione and espresso caramel cream was shared for dessert, accompanied by proper espresso martinis, an old fashioned and a negroni.

It was a luxurious finish to a restaurant experience that is difficult to walk away from.

It’s hard not to go crazy – or ‘pazzo’ – for Pazzo, whose team has once again found a way to elevate its Italian foundations to culturally inspired and ambitious new heights.

Pazzo, 89 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2NT
www.pazzobristol.co.uk 

All photos: Mia Vines Booth

Read next:

• The Baffled King, Easton – ‘A charming addition to Bristol’s food scene’ – restaurant review 
• Pazzo promises to ‘take things to the next level’ for Bianchis group
• Cotto, St Stephen’s Street: ‘Have they created the formula for perfection?’ – restaurant review

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