I think I should preface this review by telling you
upfront that Bottelino’s in Bath (click here to go to the website) serves possibly the best pizza I’ve ever
eaten. And I’ve eaten quite a lot of pizza. Plus – listen up, my fellow
students – every day from Monday to Saturday, at lunchtimes and in the early
evening, all their pizzas and pasta dishes are £6, which considering the
quality of the food is a fantastic offer. So if you’re put off by the fact that
it’s a chain, or you’ve eaten in another branch and been disappointed, I beg
you to give it another chance.
For a start, if you didn’t already know it was a chain, I
don’t believe you’d notice. The waiters are friendly and charming, and almost
all of them are Italian. The décor is, I must admit, slightly naff – but in a
lovably genuine way. Yes, there are raffia-wrapped chianti bottles, paintings
of Italia on the walls and postcards from regulars pinned to the bar, but there
is no sense of objects mandated and mass-produced by head office – these are
personal touches. The service is swift and thoughtful. And the food is really,
really good.
My personal recommendation would be the Gino Rosso pizza,
which combines passata, garlic, cheddar & mozzarella cheeses, and fresh
basil. You may be thinking that sounds like a bog-standard Margherita, but in
my defence I offer two points. First of all, this is one instance where
simplicity really does work. The flavours are fresh, bold and well-balanced.
Secondly, many pizza purists insist that there are only two truly Italian
pizzas, and one of them is the Margherita. However, if you’re still hesitant, I
would also heartily recommend the salmon linguini, which is sumptuously rich
and decadently creamy, exactly as pasta should be.
So please do give Bottelino’s in Bath a go, not for my
sake, but for your own. I promise it will change your entire life and make you
a nicer, kinder, funnier and better-looking person. Not that you need it, of
course.