/ Reviews / Italian
An Italian Island Home
by Monica Liau
on Friday, March 19, 2010 12:00 AM
Isola Bella has been a mainstay of Italian cooking for eight years in Shanghai and mainstay it remains. While the restaurant has gotten a recent facelift with new walls and a beautiful raised platform for private parties, customers may still feel like they are entering the dining room of someone's home. Chef Armando Galantucci has children who help around the restaurant, and many of the clientele have the comfortable ease of people who have been regulars at their tables for years.
The kitchen turns out solid Italian food that you might find when you go home to Grandma's. When ordering appetizers, remember all dishes are intended to be shared.
Tuna Carpaccio (RMB70) was an expansive plate of crimson medallions, nicely garnished with bright lemon juice. An entire colony of mussels appeared to have gone in the gratin of the chef's specialty (RMB55); while the cheese and breadcrumbs mounded into each shell were tasty enough, they lacked a little in seafood flavor. The bread basket, an oft-neglected piece of the starter puzzle, actually bolstered the beginning: everything, from the onion-stuffed foccacia to the breadsticks, was handmade and piping hot.
Isola's mains follow the trend of rich and large. A high-quality cow is slaughtered and a big portion flown in from Japan to provide the diner with an excellent T-bone (RMB220). It's not on the menu and needs to be ordered in advance - call ahead to arrange the aforementioned cow's demise. Simple cod fillet with lemon sauce (RMB150) was well cooked, as was sea bass baked with potatoes (RMB160). However, all the vegetable accompaniments could have done with a dash more imagination.
Due to some zoning regulations, Isola doesn't have a proper brick oven to flame up their pizzas, but the electric version that Galantucci utilizes works surprisingly well. The Pizza Isola Bella (RMB75) had a proper crust that was crisp on the outside and chewy within. The top was heavy with cheese and a lovely, hearty combination of sausage, Italian ham and salami.
If there's any room left in your now well-rounded stomach, the tiramisu (RMB45) is homemade, moist and very good. Make sure to ask for at least three spoons.
The Bottom Line: Hearty and simple, Isola still delivers crowd pleasers.
