Brussels’ Little Italy: Part VII – Nuovo Rosso, dinner on a pan
Nuovo Rosso – An Italian place that serves traditional dishes and puts a lot of love into it. Ingredients like ham, cheese and pasta are imported from local producers all over Italy, while other ingredients are local and from Belgium. The owner, who is chef in the kitchen from Tuesdays to Saturdays, is from Napoli. His son, who is in the kitchen on Mondays (and cooks as good), is half Italian and half Belgian.
The place is located in the heart of St Gilles, on a street corner not far from the Metro station Porte de Hal. I passed by several times on my way home from work, seeing the place always packed with people, be it inside or outside on a nice day. So I was looking a lot forward to dinner at what was to become my favourite neighborhood Italian place a few weeks ago. When Julia and I entered the place on a warm July’s evening, Matthieu, the owner’s son greeted us with a big, friendly smile on his face and showed us our table. Be wise, people: make a reservation! Otherwise waiting times might be the case.
We sat down, ordered a glass of Sangiovese each and were curious what the menu will have to offer. From Burrata over Carpaccio to a platter with fresh cut ham and cheese… there is a lot to choose from on the starters menu. We got ‘Ciccillo’, tomatoes cooked on a pan, well seasoned with a bunch of Italian herbs and melted Scarmorza (smoked Mozzarella) on top. The dish quickly disappeared into our bellies and already saturated to one-third, we were happy that our Italian food journey was about to continue. As a main we shared two big (yes, big!) pans of fresh pasta.
The first pan was filled with Pappardelle al ragù -made from a spicy Italian sausage, red onions and red wine. This one was very delicious and had this particular something that made our taste buds celebrate. The other one was Paccheri del Prete, thick pasta in a sauce made from tomatoes, roasted eggplants and Mozzarella. The creamy texture, freshness of the ingredients and how they matched made this a truly perfect dish. Now saturated to four-thirds, we shared a big saucepan filled with freshly prepared, warm and delicious Zabaglione.
The interior is nothing too special, simple wooden chairs, yellow walls, an open kitchen and some decorative pieces. And this is absolutely fine, as it is the charm of this place fills the whole room. The waiters and waitresses are nice and attentive and happy to chat with you for a little while. I would go there any time again – with a bunch of friends, to enjoy an evening of good food, wine and a lot of laughter.
The evening couldn’t have been better and the best part was that it took me 5 minutes to get home and fall into bed after an exhausting food marathon.
Prices: Around 11-18€ for a starter, 12-28€ for a main course
Good to know: Address: Rue Bosquet 62, 1060 Saint-Gilles
