Stepping into the new La Bellezza, an upmarket Italian in prime place on Chamberlain Square, is like stepping into a dream world, but my bubble burst when the dishes came
Kirsty is a Black Country bab in Birmingham, a freelance contributor with a particular interest in food and drink, music, leisure, fun and adventure. She was a former Women in Local News Best What’s On Journalist and she’s particularly interested in hearing about new openings and brilliant things to do in the region. Get in touch: Kirsty.Bosley@reachplc.com.
Inside La Bellezza(Image: Kirsty Bosley)
Stepping through the long, heavy velvet curtains into La Bellezza for the first time was the biggest ‘wow’ moment I’ve had at any restaurant in this city. By far and away.
Sure, I cried tears of joy up at Orelle, but that was because the big glass windows allowed Birmingham to be the decor and I adore this city. In this new Chamberlain Square spot, the interior design is the breathtaker and they know it, hence the big curtain reveal.
Low lighting twinkled through the 5,000 liquor bottles that cover the walls. I felt like I was inside a bag of precious gems, or a chapel of stained glass, the colourful light casting jewel tones down in a way that truly filled me with joy.
Foliage dripped from the ceiling, not Ikea Fejkas but long trailing, lush greenery. The chandeliers are just stunning, shoehorn-shaped waves of hand made Murano glass I desperately wanted to hear tinkle.
It’s the kind of place you want to fall in love in, cosied up at a table illuminated by individual little lamps. Everything about it is utterly, utterly gorgeous… Except the food.
As a writer who covers restaurants, I have a constant tussle in my mind of what matters most of all when it comes to judging a venue. Does food always have to be the ‘best’ you’ve ever had to be worth the money? What constitutes good value anyway?
I’m a lover of flavour and I’d rather have the best ingredients available in a plain white room than sub-par plates in a spot built for Instagram. That time I went to EL&N is an example of when style over substance left a bad taste in my mouth.
And so I’ll write the rest of this review as though there is no huge curtain, no liquor bottles, baby lamps or chandeliers.
The menu at La Bellezza
The menu at La Bellezza is big, a giant great big sheet of options that you can’t fit on to table cluttered with plates and glasses and cutlery. We had a table for three (but for us two) in the window overlooking what, in better weather, will be the patio.
Options include antipasti, pizzas, pastas, platters and plates and service was good, everything was explained and recommendations forthcoming, confidently and with warm, inviting charm. Pizzas start from £13.50, fresh pasta dishes from £15 and most of the starters are under £10.
I ordered a spicy, non alcoholic ‘Amore Picante’ cocktail that tickled my throat the way I hoped it would, and my friend Rose had a boozier Saltburn margarita for £11. The cocktail options are cute, the Ch-Apple Roan in particular, a nod to the pop star, getting a smile from us and reminding us that this place isn’t taking itself too seriously.
Starters were a must when I saw truffle arancini was an option (£9.50) while Rose chose the pulled pork croquettes which were 50p cheaper. They came quickly, given the 150-cover restaurant was heaving.
The truffle arancini(Image: Kirsty Bosley)
My three golden globes were filled with undeniably great quality cheese, humming with truffle and yet disappointingly lukewarm. They had lost their crisp from being out of the fryer a little too long and flopped flat under my fork instead of cracking like the big old balls you get on the street in Sicily. The plate said ‘MILANO’ but they’d never serve you this in Milan.
Next up, our pasta, promised to have been hand made in Birmingham that morning. My ravioli allo strachitunt (£17.50) was a recommendation from the waiter, al dente pasta filled with ricotta in a blue cheese sauce with basil oil that slicked over my lips in a way that wasn’t particularly pleasant. Fresh basil would have been fine, given how buttery the sauce was.
The flavours were fine and again, everything tasted great quality, but it was just cold. A terrible plating decision to lay thin, flat parcels out over a massive, cold platter as far as I’m concerned (I won’t moan that it said PALERMO on it, which really should have been the arancini plate…). What’s wrong with a bowl so it all stays warm and I can scoop that sauce?
My cold ravioli(Image: Kirsty Bosley)
Rose picked clams from their shells in her linguine alle vongole (£21) and told me after the fact that her local Italian, Pizza By Goli over in Sutton, is so spectacular that most other Italian food she’s tried in the city pales in comparison. I noticed she didn’t finish the bowl.
To end our meal, we ordered ‘The Incomparable Lemon Pie’, £8, given it was described as ‘zingy, tart and humongous’ and that’s how I like to self describe on dating apps.
The meringue was, according to the menu, nearly six inches tall but who’s measuring? It had started to flop when it got to the table, like the dorsal fin of a depressed Sea World orca. It was marshmallowy, rich and plentiful and we attacked it mercilessly like the baddies in Free Willy, armed with spoons.
The pie crust took some wallop to crack through and was topped with a tangy curdy layer that I really liked. Between the two of us, we couldn’t finish it. I would love to know if any single diner has smashed the whole thing alone.
The lemon meringue pie(Image: Kirsty Bosley)The bill and the verdict
In total, when you factor in a glass of wine, another cocktail and a decaf latte, the bill came to £109.30, the 12.5% service charge taking us up to £122.99. We paid happilly because the night, if not the food, had been just as sparkling as the decor I promised I’d stop harping on about half way up this article.
It wouldn’t take much to bring the food at La Bellezza up to a higher level. The pasta might be a little less floury, the dishes hotter, the dishware a little bit better thought out. It’s still new, it can get there.
It’s undoubtely style over substance. But the style is just SO stylish, it would need to get fresh produce from the garden of Eden, prepared by a kitchen full of 50 of the world’s finest chefs, to match it. And it would need to be served up by fat, flying cherubs. With harps. Playing Black Sabbath.
La Bellezza is not a great restaurant, yet. But it is, undoubtedly, a beautiful one.
This review is independent, conducted at random, and all food and drink was paid for by the reviewer.
Dining and Cooking