Brisla Trattoria

Dishes mentioned

• Salumi (Spalla cruda e cotta)

  I'm not a huge expert on cured meats, but this raw shoulder is really good — sweet, it melts in your mouth in an incredible way, very pleasant. The pan brioche is spherical and super soft. The cooked shoulder is sweeter in flavor. The mostarda packs a punch, it doesn't hit your nose much but you can feel it. It's a playful appetizer where you make different combinations, very simple, reminiscent of a classic cured meat platter.

• Bomba di riso con piccione

  Oh, here's the serious stuff. A single portion of bomba di riso. The rice is beautifully golden, the crust looks super crunchy, and inside there's pigeon leg. The plate is hot — I notice that with pleasure. A clean cut, and there it is. Oh my God, what a spectacle! Creamy rice, with a beautifully caramelized outer edge. I'm drooling. The smell is almost like ragù, like a stew, incredible. It's hot as hell. How good is this! I haven't tasted much yet but I felt the textures — they're just right, absolutely right. I was afraid the pigeon would be dry, but it melts in your mouth. You feel the crunchy rice mixing with the creamy interior. This is a traditional dish from Emilia-Romagna, specifically Piacenza, also Parma — you don't find it often in trattorias because the preparation isn't easy, you need all the molds, it takes time, 25 minutes to prepare, they assemble and cook it on the spot so the rice gets perfectly crunchy, then you have to do the pigeon, so it's labor-intensive. It was served at feasts and banquets. It's like eating light supplì, because it's not fried in oil, but this crunchy outer shell gives texture and sweetness from caramelization, and inside there's this pigeon stew that tastes like a well-made ragù. What a spectacle! The bomba! 8.5, 9. We're shooting stars now. What a dish this is.

• Coscia d'anatra al mosto d'uva con purè di patate

  Duck leg in grape must with mashed potatoes. Glaze. It looks fake, it's so beautiful. Three elements: vegetables, mashed potatoes as carbs, and then the protein. A nice piece of meat, a nice piece of duck with its sauce. Nothing incredible in terms of recipe, but with a technique, a simplicity, an elegance that's enviable. What a spectacle! Let's see the cooking of the meat. Just right. Perfect. It falls off the bone. Let's taste it. Oh, look at that layer of fat under the skin. It melts like butter over the meat. Here the sweet reduction sticks to your lips. The mash. Good mash. But this meat, what stuff! A dish that makes you pull your hair out. Super tasty, fun to eat. This is the kind of cooking that satisfies you more than anything, without a doubt. Look what I'm pulling out — the little focaccia I saved on purpose. Mashed potatoes. I know it sounds weird, but follow me. Chard like this, and then a nice touch of meat on top. Look at this work of art. Great dish. I have nothing to say about this place at the moment.

• Zuppa Inglese

  I'm going with a classic zuppa inglese, a dear old zuppa inglese. All the other desserts are good, super classic, but I feel at home with zuppa inglese, also because I saw it as soon as I entered, it was a sign of fate. Perfect, very simple, classic, no extravagances. A right portion, a nice rectangle, all solid and compact. The chocolate is very dense. You can really taste the alcoholic part, but accompanied by the cream and chocolate, they soften it well. I don't understand if I like this layer of chocolate so dense that it reminds me a bit of gianduiotto, a bit softer, but more or less that texture. Maybe I prefer the classic chocolate cream. Anyway, it was an excellent dinner.