Lucinda O'Sullivan's Ireland

About The Restaurant

Botticelli is a long established Italian Restaurant in the heart of Temple Bar with a very loyal following. I always say if a restaurant is long established it has to be doing something right and, very clearly, Botticelli does a lot right. It has a great atmosphere in simple surroundings and décor with views, on one side, of the old streets of Temple Bar, and on the other, views of the Quays and River Liffey. It provides decent Italian food at good prices, and it opens right through from 12 noon to 12 midnight right through lunch and dinner, and is one of the few restaurants in the City serving food up to midnight.

Friend Rena and I went along one night recently whilst in town on a Thursday night shopping, followed by an art exhibition in Temple Bar, and found an extensive menu with prices and dishes to suit everyone.

A dozen starters included Gamberi con Rucola – Tiger Prawns in lemon juice and olive oil on a bed of Rocket salad; Suppli which are deep fried and crumbed risotto croquettes filled with warm Mozzarella cheese. Bresaola con Rucola, a traditional Italian cured beef, on a bed of rocket dressed with olive oil and lemon juice whilst the popular Caprese salad with Buffalo Mozzarella, fresh tomato, basil and olive oil, is also featured. There are a couple of starters which have Irish smoked salmon, which you don’t normally see in an Italian restaurant, probably due to its location to cater for visitors, but why not for I love smoked salmon and eat quite a lot of it. There was also an Antipasto selection of traditional Italian charcuterie – which is something I always love. Rena had Crostino Alle Acciughe, which was delicious oven baked bread topped with Mozzarella cheese and anchovies, whilst I had Carpaccio di Filetto which was superb wafer thin raw fillet of Irish beef bathed with olive oil and lemon juice, topped with Rocket salad and shaved Parmesan cheese.

There are some fourteen varieties of pasta on offer including many of my favourite ways with pasta. Fettuccine can be had with either a Bolognese sauce or with wild Porcini mushroom and rosemary sauce. Spaghetti Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino, is always delicious, just the pasta with olive oil, garlic and chilli, or you have have it just with a classic tomato and Basil sauce. Puttanesca sauce is attributed to the ladies of the night in Italy – I adore it – it has tomatoes, garlic, black olives, anchovies and capers, and at Botticelli they serve it with rigatoni pasta. You can have Penne Gorgonzola, Lasagne Al Forno, Ravioli di Magro, which is fresh egg pasta filled with Ricotta cheese and spinach served in a tomato sauce, and they also do a traditional North Italian dish called Agnolotti Piemontesi which are little squares of pasta filled with meat and served with Brasato, a white braised meat sauce. Fillings vary in Italy, meat, cheese, and sometimes calves brains. They also do 12” pizzas – Margherita, Funghi, Prosciutto, and lots more.

Mains include over a dozen meat, fish and chicken dishes. Cotoletta Alla Milanese is bread crumbed and deep fried escalope of striploin beef, and you can also have a chicken version of this dish. Pollo alla Cacciatora is a popular Italian stalwart, chicken with peppers, olives, mushrooms and tomato sauce, or you can have chicken with mushroom and white wine sauce. They have five different veal dishes for real Italian fans including Scaloppine al Vino Bianco, escalope of veal in a white wine sauce; Straccetti con Rucola, pan fried strips of veal in a light Rocket salad and white wine sauce, and Piccata al Limone, escalope of veal in a light butter lemon sauce. I had Saltimbocca Alla Romana, one of the all time great Italian favourites, an escalope of veal lined with Parma ham, sage, and Mozzarella, rolled and served in a white wine sauce – delicious. Rena had had a gorgeous very well priced Filetto al Pepe Verde – a succulent Irish fillet steak in a rich Brandy and whole green pepper sauce. They also do grilled fillets of Seabass which are lovely and another of my favourites is Melzane Parmigiana – layers of grilled aubergine, tomato sauce and basil, topped with Parmesan cheese and baked.

They have their own icecream shop next door to the restaurant so they have fab homemade Italian Gelato – what more could you ask. They have twelve varieties including lemon, pistaccchio nut, chocolate, coffee, strawberry…or of course you can indulge in homemade Tiramisu, pear tart, chocolate cake or Pannacotta…

They do a great value lunch menu as well as early bird menus….

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