Coppi

With Belfast about to go pedal mad with the arrival of the Giro d’Italia, and the projected million, billion tourists that will fill our hotels to capacity, the time seems ripe to visit Tony O’Neill and Sam Spain’s Coppi, named for Fausto Coppi, the Italian cyclist who dominated the sport in the mid part of the 20th Century.

Aside from the drop handlebars that double as coat hooks, there’s little enough of the cycling theme. The room is cavernous, almost warehouse-like, but is rolling hard at seven on a Saturday night, even for somewhere on the restaurant heavy St. Anne’s Square. Booths line the sides, the middle of the room hosts larger tables and the bar has several islands suitable for lighter eating and aperitifs. All of which are full.

The menu is divided in two, with around a dozen chichetti, (the Italian spin on tapas) available, alongside Pizzetta and several large plates that revolve around the company‘s well regarded fresh pasta. A Florentine is also available for the meat hungry couple or the well heeled libertine.

The wine is sensibly priced with still room to push the boat out if necessary, and there’s at least a dozen options by the glass, freeing the lunchtime diner from the traditional triumvirate of Red, White or Rose. Craft beers are covered, with the welcome inclusion of Whitewater’s Bee’s Endeavour on the specials list and a small, but well crafted selection of the hard stuff.

We start with a selection of small plates and the aforementioned Pizzetta, which is a million miles away from the horror of the old school deep pan we all know and loathe, instead thin, crispy and piping hot from the oven. Chichetti involved the compulsory marinated olives and other Mediterranean themed treats.

Highlights included the Feta Fritters with Truffle Infused Honey, which, for essentially being deep-fried and crumbed cheese had a surprisingly light heft, given a veneer of decadence with the sticky, rich dressing. Polenta Fritti has a moreish crunch, but struggles to inspire flavour wise, while Spiced Pork and Fennel Sausages put to rest the ghosts of a million cocktail-sized monstrosities.

Things come slightly apart at the mains. Braised Beef Cheek is served with a frankly amazing jus and topped with half a dozen vine tomatoes, but leaves a sour taste in the mouth when you realise that you’ve spent £15 for this dish, without any starch. No chips, no spuds, nothing. The hake was similarly bereft and looked a bit lonely in the middle of a standard sized plate. Five bits of Goat’s Cheese Ravioli completed the foursome.

The flavours were well balanced, the Beef cooked to that amazing level just before total disintegration and the jus hovered tastefully below the sickly barrier, but it’s galling to pay a premium for what is still a cheap cut of meat.  Parmesan and truffle oil fries ease the pain a bit, but bring the cost up to just shy of 19 quid.

Service is perfunctory, the waitress aiming for an air of hardcore efficiency which instead comes across as hurried and curt. The Chocolate Pot is voted the winner of the desserts, a high class Nutella tinged treat that begs you to get messy with it. Coffees are of a high standard and cocktails rise above the pre-mixed herd.

With a Michelin bib to it’s name you’d expect better value for money from Coppi. While the quality of food sets it ahead of the peloton, it just about falls short of the yellow jersey.

Shane Horan

Coppi Website
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