Vâgh íñ ufézzí — Restaurant in Bologna

This cosy, traditional place was the culinary standout of the small time I spent in Bologna recently. I reserved over the phone after reading about the handwritten, ever-changing menu, and from when we arrived it was clear we weren't going to be disappointed with this meal.

The co-owner of the place took us to our table and explained the entire menu to us in near perfect English, a massively appreciated gesture which allowed us to choose carefully and with great variety. We began with one of the main highlights, a grand board decked with a range of Bolognese cold cuts, ranging from the fattier cuts of Mortadella and Pancetta to Prosciutto di Parma and a local Salami. These were all paired with a block of soft, rich cheese, the name of which I don't know, and freshly fried crescentine breads. These three elements combined together made for the perfect start to the meal. The fatty, salty, rich meat cut thin so as not to bloat us up but to just get the taste of Bologna, paired with something creamier like the cheese and the freshness of the bread, was all simply to die for.

If possible, things escalated with the pasta course, as we shared a Ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach coated in butter, sage and parmesan. This was the best pasta of my entire trip and up there with the best pasta I've had. The Ravioli casing was richly yellow with egg and perfectly thin, delicious in and of itself, the pasta making here a true labour of love. The filling made the dish, as the salty ricotta and parmesan paired perfectly with the buttery sage-y sauce and a dash of what I think was lemon, adding some acidity to the beautiful fats. This, to me, is a faultless pasta dish.

This was followed by the special meat dish of the day, grilled pork neck with courgettes cured in vinegar. The pork was perfectly grilled, seasoned simply but expertly with crunchy sea salt and black pepper. While the flavours here were simple, the meat was truly allowed to shine as the centerpiece of the dish, its rich fat and sweet meat melting in our mouths with every bite. A special mention should go to the courgettes too; they were clearly absolutely fresh, slightly crunchy from their being just cured, and with their dousing in an acidic but not overbearing vinegar, paired perfectly with the pork.

For the meal we had, the value was also truly excellent, coming in at €70 for this wonderful meal. This included two carafes of house red wine, which; for a non wine snob like me, paired perfectly well with the meal. I cannot recommend this place enough for a true, uninhibited feeling of the Bolognese way when it comes to food, with the fresh, local ingredients...

We ate here tonight and all I can say is it was absolutely awesome! Its a small, authentic and family run restaurant that chooses dishes for each day depending on ingredient sourcing, so I imagine the menu changes regularly and a couple run the kitchen and front of house between them. There was a selection of 9 or so dishes plus a mix of meats, cheese and bread to start (and deserts!), and everything was excellent - we were directed to order more than one of the dishes (so 3 x 2, instead of 6 x 6) so it's easier for them to prepare, which again added to the genuine and homely feel of the place. The warm bread for the starter and the platter were immense and all of the mains (pasta and meat) were great. I'd advise booking in advance to make sure you can get in (we tried the night before but it was full so booked the next day, the 2nd night there were a few walk ins but book to be on the safe side). I can't recommend this place enough, grazi!! We hope to come back in...

Sconsigliato. I proprietari sono 2, uno in cucina, una in sala, che è molto piccola. Con la scusa del pagamento ad ore, tantissimo tempo si perde nell'attesa e si viene scoraggiati dall'ordinare più di un piatto a testa. Il vino sfuso è molto allungato con acqua. Il cibo è normale, direi casalingo, buona qualità e ben cotto, ma in quel giorno le offerte proposte erano davvero limitate e con ingredienti economici (zuppa di lenticchie, tagliatelle alla cipolla, cervella fritte, o stufato di maiale, e poco altro). Eravamo un gruppo di amici, alla richiesta di ordinare almeno una MEZZA porzione a testa di salumi e Crescentine, siamo stati subito ammoniti dalla cameriera/proprietaria che più volte ci teneva a farci desistere dall'ordinare, tant'è che per 5 persone non ha voluto farci ordinare più di 2 porzioni di salumi, effettivamente pochi rispetto alla quantità di Crescentine. Uno di noi ha preso la tagliatella alla cipolla (buona la pasta, ma nel complesso niente di che) ed abbiamo poi ordinato il maiale stufato con verdure (porzioni piccole, senza cura nei dettagli, per esempio alcuni non avevano le patate, altri non avevano la salsiccia ed altri ancora avevano solo salsiccia o tante patate). Siamo rimasti negativamente colpiti dalla scortesia. È impensabile che dei clienti (che pagano per un servizio) debbano sentirsi rimproverare per delle semplici richieste, come un po' di pane nell'attesa del cibo, per il quale ci è stato detto di aspettare perché sarebbe arrivato col secondo. Anche quando abbiamo chiesto se fosse disponibile qualche tipo di verdura fuori menù come contorno, siamo stati trattati con sgarbo. Alla fine, rimasti poco soddisfatti, abbiamo preso tutti il dolce, che invece era molto buono. Gestire un ristorante o un'osteria richiede, oltre alla passione e una buona cucina, anche una certa attenzione e gentilezza verso i clienti, che qui non ho trovato. A Bologna è pieno di ottime osterie, anche piccole ed economiche, in cui grazie al buon cibo, accoglienza e ospitalità, i clienti son felici di tornare, mentre qui non vedono...