Some of the lovely fresh food offerings from Caffe Italiano
According to the folks over at Come Here to Me! the the first Italian restaurant to open in Dublin was The Unicorn on Merrion Row and that was back in 1938. Since the beginning the Irish love affair with Italian food has been an intimate one. Growing up the only nice restaurant in the town I lived in was the Italian Pizzeria. You had to book weeks in advance to eat substandard, vaguely Italian food served by a surly waiter. People loved it!
The Crow Street Bazaar
In more recent years when Irish people have visited Italy they have been confused by the food, it just wasn't the same as the Irish-Italian food that we had become used to. Mutterings began to be heard about the need for authentic Italian food. In Dublin we have been lucky with the likes of Il Vicoletto, Terre Madre and Taste of Emilia answering the call, and more recently on the scene, Caffe Italiano.
Really funky decor on the stairs up to the wine bar
Caffe Italiano began life as a small deli with a few fold up chairs in the Crow Street Bazaar. It has flourished among it's unlikely bedfellows of swap shops and reggae shops and in the last few months it has expanded to include a wine bar. The upstairs area of the bazaar has been transformed into a chic dining area. It's light and airy and relaxed. With Ella Fitzgerald on the stereo, the windows thrown open and a glass of Soave in my hand I closed my eyes and felt transported to somewhere much more Mediterranean than Dublin! Bliss!
Bright and airy, lovely atmosphere
This wasn't our first visit to Caffe Italiano, we'd been before for an aperitif and also for dessert. This time though we were after something much more substantial and we opted for the Gran Tagliere. It's a very generous platter with Italian meats, cheeses, vegetables marinated inhouse, olives and fruit along with a side of Italian bread. This is definitely for sharing! The meat included Parma ham, Italian sausages and mortadella while the cheeses were a selection including parmesan, pecorino and mozzerella. Everything had been sliced, diced and prepared downstairs so it was all incredible fresh. I can confirm that it was a million miles away from anything served in the stodgy pizzeria in my home town!
Our gran tagliere
We were served by the owner who has a deep desire to do things properly, when asked about opening the upstairs wine bar he said it was something he'd wanted to do for a while but waited until he was able to do it perfectly. He went through the menu with us, explaining anything we didn't understand and showing us pictures on his phone to illustrate what the dishes were like. His enthusiasm shines through in everything from the food to the decor.
The owner shows off some of his hand made cappellacci.
I'm rarely interested in dessert unless a place sets off sparks in my head, when we heard the dessert of the day was homemade Sicilian cannoli we did something we rarely do and ordered the same thing! The shell of the cannoli was perfectly crisp and fresh while the filling was a delicious gooey, creamy vanilla mixture. It really was heavenly.
The delicious Sicilian cannoli
I mentioned Soave earlier, we enjoyed an excellent bottle, it was light and crisp with a hint of fruit, the glutton in me wanted to order a second! We finished off the meal with a decent espresso. The bill came in under €60.00 which was great value for money and far cheaper than plane tickets to Italy! While Caffe Italiano is only open a few weeks I have a feeling it's going to fit right in with the new breed of Italian restaurants in Dublin!
Moreish Soave
Caffe Italiano7 Crow Street
Temple Bar
Dublin 2
01 547 3717
Follow them on Twitter where they often share pictures of delicious dishes that are featuring on the menu that evening!
The menu the night we were there, I don't think it's online!
