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Caminetto D’Oro (or Golden Hearth - the restaurant has translated the name into various languages as part of their logo), is another place that made it to my shortlist of six for our eating trip in Bologna, which ended a few days ago. Having read some interesting reviews online, I made the booking a month ago. The family-run trattoria has been around since 1927, and owned by the Carati family since 1980. The website is stylish with black and white photos, but it’s all in Italian, and the menu has to be downloaded as a zip file, making it too difficult (for me at least) to access beforehand.
You have to ring the doorbell to be buzzed in. The restaurant isn’t large, with two dining rooms, one slightly bigger than the other, where the fireplace is located. We were seated in the first, more intimate one - eight tables for two, with banquette seating on either side of the room. The style is modern and somewhat minimalist. It was eerily quiet when we arrived at 8pm. In fact in our dining room, there were only tourists - American, Japanese and possibly Dutch - until after 8.30, when the Italians arrived and the atmosphere livened up considerably. Initially though, everyone was speaking in muted tones, as it was a small room, and it felt slightly too formal, with classical music playing quietly in the background.
The service was charming though. We had two waiters, one of whom spoke good English to the Americans, although he only spoke in Italian with my husband, who would then translate everything back into English for me! The other waiter was a young Japanese guy and very efficient (incidentally one of the sous chefs is also Japanese).
An amuse-bouche of fried fish soon arrived. We couldn’t quite identify all the ingredients, although we detected a hint of mandarin or orange, but it was luke warm. The three types of bread were nice and fresh though (one has minute specks of ham in it, so vegetarians, be warned).
What we ordered:
The simple menu was in both Italian and English (I’ve copied the English translations literally for the purposes of this review). For primo piatto, vegetarian husband chose the ravioli di ricotta di capra con passatina di spinaci (ravioli goat ricotta cheese with spinach puree) (14 Euros). As I hadn’t tried one of Bologna’s specialities yet, I ordered the tortellini in brodo (tortellini soup, chicken and beef traditional broth) (14 Euros). Tortellini are supposedly based on the shape of a woman’s navel!
For secondo piatto, he had tortino di cardi e ricotta e crepe con verdure (small cardoons and ricotta pie and crepe with vegetables) (18.50 Euros), as this was the only vegetarian option. I had more choices - baked guinea fowl, lamb, pork loin, a sea bass special and bistecca all Fiorentina (grilled T-bone steak for 2) (60 Euros per kg). The couple next to us ordered this, and it was served still sizzling on a hot griddle with chips. It was an enormous steak, but they managed to consume the entire steak, leaving only the fatty edges behind. In the end, I plumped for the polpetta di chianina all griglia con carciofi e uova di quaglia (grilled beef meat-balls with artichokes and quail eggs) (22 Euros).
The portion of tortellini was gigantic. The broth was light, clear and full of subtle flavours, while the tortellini were nicely al dente (a little too much so for me). I really struggled to finish it, but didn’t want to appear rude by leaving anything behind. Husband enjoyed his ravioli tremendously, but the portion was very small compared to mine, as was his mini pie and similarly sized crepe. My polpetta was nicely presented, with grilled artichokes and sliced potato underneath it. Two fried quail eggs sat on top of the giant meat-ball. I was instructed to season it with some salt, milled celery seeds and some olive oil. Everything was incredibly tasty, but because I was stuffed after the tortellini, the sight of the rare meat inside the polpetta put me off it, and I couldn’t finish my meal (a rare occurrence for me).
I think the problem was that I wasn’t actually hungry in the first place, having had a huge lunch at Diana, while my husband was grumpy because he was still starving after his two courses, both miniscule in comparison with mine. So while he was feeling unsatisfied, I felt full to the point where I thought I would pass out from the effort of eating.
Then it was time for pudding. The ice cream served with aged traditional balsamic vinegar (10 Euros) did sound tempting, but in the end, we chose the panna cotta con frutta di stagione (panna cotta with seasonal fruit) (7 Euros) to share. This was delicious, with a base of chestnut puree, although the pomegranate seeds were too hard and didn’t blend well with the rest of the pudding. Pudding was followed by a plate of home-made biscuits on the house, some of which were filled with fresh fig, which cheered my husband up a little, and made a good accompaniment to have with an espresso.
The Sangiovese that we had was also very good – two glasses of a reserve that they had open (as opposed to ‘house’) – with a nice aroma and peppery, with a hint of blackberry (4.50 Euros per glass).
The verdict?
All in all, we had mixed feelings about Caminetto. I was too full, while the husband was too hungry. The bill came to 95.50 Euros without service. Caminetto serves classic Bolognese food with a modern twist, in terms of the ingredients used and the presentation. Had I been truly hungry, I would have enjoyed it far more. As for vegetarian options, the portion sizes should really be the same size as the meat options, otherwise vegetarians are always going to be left feeling dissatisfied. So, to sum up, do go to Caminetto for some creative cuisine, as it’s certainly not your average trattoria by any stretch of the imagination. But be prepared if you or your companion are vegetarian!
Have a look at the summary of our trip and other restaurant recommendations in Where To Eat In Bologna…
10 - Perfection, 9.5 - Sensational, 9 - Outstanding, 8.5 - Superb,
8 - Excellent, 7.5 - Very good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 - Average
Contact Details:
Trattoria Caminetto D’Oro
Via De’ Falegnami, 4
40121 Bologna
Italy
Tel: + 39 (0)51 263 494
info@caminettodoro.it
www.caminettodoro.it
Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide
