Ristorante Teresina, Bologna

Ristorante Teresina, Bologna

Hub had an appointment in Bologna to remove 2 suspicious-looking moles and I had to go to Burberry to have the 2 anti-theft tags removed from my new coat (no, I didn't steal it). And before that, we wanted to visit Decathlon to buy a few sports stuff. Hub remarked that even a store like Decathlon which can be found almost everywhere in France had to be lousy in Italy. It is true that the choice is limited here. He was hoping to find a branded ski suit, but they do mainly their house brands in this store.

Anyway, we decided to book a table in a restaurant recommended by a colleague living in Bologna for lunch. Though it was snowing non-stop that day and we couldn't find parking near the restaurant (watch out for the cameras just outside the city centre!) therefore turning up an hour late for the meal. They kindly kept our place for us though they had already locked up when we finally arrived.

Quite a nice dry white wine

Ristorante Teresina is a small charming restaurant situated in a tiny side alley filled with pots of plants and tables where one could dine out when the weather permits. They had a small menu with both meat and fish dishes, mainly classics, but of a good quality. They had home-made pasta in sauce or in broth, grilled or fried fish dishes, grilled or roasted meats...

Passetelli in brodo di pesce

Hub and I both started with fresh Passetelli in Brodo di Pesce. It's a spongy 'bread' pasta (passetelli dough is made from breadcrumbs rather than flour) in a very aromatic fish broth. The passetelli swelled up as it soaked up the broth, a simple and delicious first course. Baby Boy had the famous Tagliatelle al ragu di Bologna (I've read the official recipe published by the Bologna Chamber of Commerce once somewhere) while Baby Girl had Tortellini in Brodo. Prices here were double what you would pay in a simple trattoria for the same thing, but the broth is probably richer here.

Grilled Branzino (Seabass) with Sliced Potatoes

The Teenager had Stinco arrosto for his main course while Hub had a nicely-done Grilled Branzino with browned bits of sliced potatoes on it. I had a second pasta dish with mantis shrimp while the Babies each had for their second course what the other had before for the first. We didn't have any more room for dessert after that, which I suspect was a pity as they looked quite good when served to the other tables.

Mantis Shrimp Rigatoni

Anytime there is broth (either meat or fish) being served, I would recommend that one goes for it. Broth needs numbers to be good, something we can't really achieve at home. And when you add fresh pasta to it, it's a winning combination.

Ristorante Teresina

via Oberdan, 4

40126 Bologna

Tel : 051 228985