Italian food is a favourite across the UK, and for good reason. But chefs say diners should think twice before ordering certain dishes at their local Italian restaurant if they want an authentic meal.
Italian food experts have singled out several common menu choices, including carbonara made with cream, chicken served with pasta and the ever-popular garlic bread.
Roberto Roncolato, head chef at The Franklin in Knightsbridge, grew up near Verona and trained in Michelin-starred kitchens. He says the essence of Italian cooking is based on “great ingredients treated simply”.
Speaking to the Daily Mail about shortcuts diners should watch for, he said: “There’s nothing wrong with a chef putting a creative twist on a dish, but there’s a big difference between reinventing a classic and faking one.”
From pizzas piled high with toppings to risotto served suspiciously quickly, these are the dishes some of the UK’s leading Italian chefs say could leave diners disappointed with their choice…
Italian food is a firm favourite across the UK, but top chefs say diners should be cautious about ordering certain dishes at their local Italian restaurant
Chicken on pasta
“Italians never put chicken with pasta. Chicken is a course of its own,” said Roberto, who is also head chef at The Pelham in South Kensington. Both restaurants are part of the Italian-owned Starhotels Collezione group.
“Seeing it in a creamy penne usually means the menu is built around what’s cheap and easy, not tradition.”
Spaghetti bolognese
“You won’t find it in Bologna. There, ragù is cooked slowly for hours and served with fresh egg tagliatelle, which is designed to hold the sauce.”
“If spaghetti alla bolognese is on the menu, the kitchen is most likely cooking for tourists, not Italians,” Roberto insisted.
Carbonara made with cream
“A real carbonara is made with egg yolk, guanciale, pecorino and black pepper. Its creamy texture comes from the technique, not from cream.”
“Cream is often a shortcut, or a sign that the sauce was prepared in a batch earlier, and we don’t use shortcuts,” the chef explained.
Garlic bread
Garlic bread may be a reliable side dish when preparing an Italian meal at home, but Roberto said diners should not expect to find it on the menu at a good Italian restaurant.
He said: “It isn’t really Italian and is very often frozen. Look for bruschetta or focaccia made in-house instead.”
Risotto that arrives in five minutes
Risotto is another popular choice, but diners should be suspicious if it reaches the table within five or 10 minutes. Roberto explained: “A proper risotto takes around 18 minutes and is stirred to order.”
“If it arrives almost instantly, it was pre-cooked earlier and simply finished off. If the menu warns that it will take a while, that’s a good sign.”
An enormous menu
Roberto also urged diners to be wary of restaurants offering an enormous number of dishes. “If there are 60 dishes, they can’t all be fresh. A short, seasonal menu is a sign of a kitchen cooking from scratch. Less is more.”
Diego Reali, owner and head chef at Stefania in London, agrees. Having grown up in Rome, he said: “If a small restaurant offers dozens of pasta dishes, pizzas, meat, fish and every Italian speciality imaginable, I would ask how everything is prepared and stored.”
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“A focused menu that changes with the seasons often suggests greater attention to ingredients and consistency.”
Pizza
Roberto added that unusual pizza toppings can also be a warning sign. “Toppings Italians would never recognise – such as BBQ chicken – usually hide poor dough and poor ingredients,” he explained.
‘A Margherita – tomato, mozzarella, basil – is the real test. If that’s excellent, the pizza is good.’
Diego also warned against pizzas with too many toppings, explaining: ‘A pizza overloaded with ingredients can hide the quality of the dough and the balance of flavours.’
Seafood pasta
‘Be careful with seafood pasta that is overcooked or swimming in sauce,’ insisted Diego.
‘Seafood should taste of the sea, not be overwhelmed by garlic, cream or heavy sauces.
‘Look for dishes where the fish or shellfish is cooked properly and the ingredients complement one another.’