Talk about cabin fever! I have gone through 2 rounds of the flu and just as I finally got better...BAM... Claudio got hit hard. That meant staying inside and nursing ourselves back to health. Unfortunately, between my 2 jobs and our illnesses, we haven't been getting out much. When Sunday came up and Claudio's fever went down, I begged him to meet a friend OUT instead of in for an aperitivo.
My new favorite place in Bra called La Carbonaia, is tucked away in a tiny alley in the center. The foosball table downstairs is what attracts Claudio, while the international atmosphere and interesting selection of wines is what hooked me. They have more wines by the glass than your run of the mill Italian bar and the staff is extremely nice. Even though we were the first ones in this place on Sunday at 6 pm, the buffet of delicious pizza triangles, cheese and olives was already out. The best part is that you meet all kinds of English speaking foreigners from the nearby University of Gastronomic Science which gives it a nice buzz and laid back feeling.
Claudio and our friend Matteo started off the evening with two glasses of Nebbiolo. Claudio chose Massolino which is one of the best and most highly regarded Barolo producers in our area. This is exactly what I love about this place, they serve you fantastic producer's wines like this for just 3.50€/glass. They offer you only the best and many which happen to be on my "TO TRY" list but can't afford by the bottle! My sparkling Alta Langa spumante by Borgo Maragliano was the perfect aperitivo. I was just getting going when I finished my first glass and decided to mix things up with my old favorite Barbaresco. I chose a 2006 (another unique plus about this place..older vintage) Lodali Barbaresco but unfortunately could only get some sort of bleachy chemical smell from it.
As 7:30 rolled around, our neighbors called us and invited us out to another place that I have been wanting to try, RossoPomodoro. This is a Neapolitan style pizza chain which I have always heard good things about. It is definitely a more flashy, modern and almost tacky American style joint, but I must admit is was nice for a change. My mozzarella di bufala pizza was really good while Claudio's quattro stagioni was quite soggy in the middle. But overall it was a fun experience and a great place to go with a big group of friends.
So after a week of going stir crazy and not going out, we managed to pack in discovering a few new places in the final moments of our weekend!
Wow Anna! 3.50€ for a glass of Barolo? This place is heaven!
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I had lunch at an Italian restaurant here in SIngapore today... and had wine by the glass at 12€/glass?! I'm sure I can have almost a bottle there at La Carbonaia with that kind of money!
well.. let's get one thing straight... barolo is made from the Nebbiolo grape, so nebbiolo is shortly aged wine without having to be DOCG from the Barolo zone. Anyway, it is still a very lovely wine, easier to drink with softer tannins and lower priced. For the producers that we tried though it was a great deal! 12 euros for a glass is not that bad depending on what it was...what was it? do you remember?
DeleteI had 2 glasses of house wine. A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for the starter and an Australian Merlot for the main. They were already the cheapest in the restaurant wine list. Bottle prices start from about 60€ for the... Too costly in my opinion... There are better and cheaper places in Singapore.
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