Italy and Wales have a lot in common when it comes to the kitchen, including a passion for using local ingredients and sharing good food.
La Ricetta is a restaurant on the Prestatyn High Street that takes up these two elements, to serve up traditional Italian dishes using welsh produce.
Derek, the proprietor is a talented chef, who was first inspired by Italian food while working at Pasta Vinos restaurant within the Grosvenor Hotel in London.
There he developed his catering skills and forged links with local suppliers and before embarking on the restaurant business in 2008. He and his wife Jane travelled to Italy to research the menus, recipes and ingredients to ensure their authenticity.
The restaurant is small so diners are urged to book their seats early to be sure of a place. It took a few phone calls to secure a table, as it was fully booked on the first two times I tried.
The venue has a basement celler vibe although conveniently on the ground floor. The ceiling is covered in Italian newspapers and the walls are strewn with pictures of Venice and Milan.
The menu includes fish, Welsh beef and lamb and free range chicken dishes plus, traditional pizzas and vegetarian options. It is separated into primi (starters) pasta, secondi (mains) and dolci (sweet) sections with options such as veal, duck and steak among a fantastic selection of authentic Italian food.
The wine list consists of Italian wines, of which we order two small glasses of house red that has a deep damson colour and goes down rather soft and easy.
Because the place is small, the aromas drift from the kitchen and alert your senses. We are soon studying the extensive choices on offer and found it really difficult to choose as they all sounded delicious.
My wife fancies the fegati di pollo, which were chicken livers sautéed with garlic, mushrooms, sherry and a touch of cream, served on baked ciabatta. This recipe originally comes from Tuscany and has a sweet flavour with a fabulous crunch underneath when you dig your knife into the bread.
I start with oven baked goats cheese crostini that were toasted ciabatta bread topped with caramelized red onion, sun blush tomatoes, fresh basil and grilled goat’s cheese. It arrived with rocket leaves drizzled with sweet balsamic dressing. The tomatoes balanced the creamy tang of fresh goat’s cheese perfectly and the textures were a treat again thanks to the bread.
For her mains my wife went for pollo la ricotta, which was a baked fillet of free range chicken stuffed with goat’s cheese, fresh basil, sun dried tomatoes, wrapped in prosciutto ham and drizzled with warm basil pesto. It was served on a bed of tagliatelle pasta with a light butter sauce and torn basil leaves. She loved the heavenly marriage of flavours.
I ask the waitress for La Ricetta’s homemade spicy meatballs and get warned that it is very spicy. A bowl of homemade pork and beef meatballs baked in a hot and spicy tomato, garlic and onion sauce arrives served on a bed of spaghetti. It has a real delicious homemade rustic taste and I make use of the free bottle of water we were given but in truth it was not too spicy for my taste buds just served really hot.
Puddings are also a speciality, all home made by Derek in the newly refurbished kitchen. My wife loves Limon cello so a Limon cello cheesecake was too tempting to resist. It had tangy fresh lemons and the classic Italian liquor which was whipped with mascarpone cheese, eggs and sugar into a creamy and sweet topping, then piled onto a crunchy base of grape nuts, almonds and crushed amoretti biscuits. She thought she had died and gone to heaven.
I went for my favourite Italian pudding although a little bit obvious in tiramisu. This home made version comprised of mascarpone cheese, amoretti biscuits, espresso coffee, fresh cream and a dusting of rich dark chocolate. The espresso sat at the bottom of the glass so digging through with a spoon was rewarding in itself.
This great little place serves up homemade authentic Italian food at affordable prices. It’s not often that a three course meal for two with wine comes out under the £50.
Sourcing meat locally supports local producers and the local town, and that of course is good for the town and especially for the lucky diners at La Ricetta.
The Bill
Fegati di pollo: £5.25
Oven baked goat’s cheese crostini: £4.95
La Ricetta’s homemade spicy meatballs: £9.95
Pollo la ricetta: £11.95
Limoncello cheesecake: £4.95
Tiramisu: £4.95
Italian house wine: £1.75 each
Total: £49
The Facts
Atmosphere: Intimate and cosy
Car parking: Street parking
Disabled access: Front door allows access to standard wheelchair and enables a wheelchair user to sit at any table of their choice. No disabled toilet due to nature of build.
Service: Well organised
Overall: Traditional Italian dishes using welsh produce.
Opening times: Wednesday to Saturday: 6-11pm.
La Ricetta, 226 High Street, Prestatyn, Denbighshire, LL19 9BP. Tel: (01745) 856844.
