Mua - Genoa, Italy
It's always a problem finding a decent restaurant open in August in a big European
city, but as luck would have it, I did manage to find one in the Italian City of
Genoa last month.
It's a new-ish restaurant - been open for about a year, which is probably why it
was still open in August. The decor is cool and modern and there is a shaded outside
terrace where you can eat or just have an apéritif. And the apéritif is one of the
plus points at this restaurant. Between the hours of 5.30 and 8.30, you can get a
drink, but at the same time helping yourself to a gorgeous buffet of charcuterie,
pasta, smoked salmon, shrimps, oysters, foccaccie, marinated vegetables, salads and
various different kinds of breads. Eat as much as you like, until you burst, (as
some do) - all for 9 euros - a meal in itself! BUT beware; having had your glass
of something, or one of the long list of cocktails (alcoholic or non-alcoholic),
ordering another one will set you back another 9 euros and if you have already stuffed
yourself with the grub, that's just too bad!
Dinner itself in congenial surroundings is taken from a short menu (4 antipasti,
5 primi piatti and 5 secondi piatti) and, as any good Genoese restaurant worth it's
salt - concentrates on fish. An intriguing appetiser was a Tartare di Ricciola al
lime e ginepro. Ricciola, or Amberjack, is a fish not usually found on a restaurant
menu and I also couldn't be sure whether this was of the king size battling type
(up to 70 kg. in weight) or a lesser Amberjack which is probably not more than a
foot long. I have assumed the latter (see picture on the right) and it's probably
related to the japanese hamachi fish which you so often find in sushi, which is probably
why the chef chose to marinate this in lime and juniper. It's a firm textured white
meat fish which was chopped into little pieces for this dish. The texture was fine,
but I found the lime marinade a little to acid to go well enough with my bottle of
Feudo San Gregorio Fano d'Avellino 2008, which was just a little too rich for this
dish.
My primo piatto was Orecchiette al Pesto di Rucola. Normally in Genoa, the famous
pesto sauce is made with basil which can give it a rich, slightly sweet taste. Here
the rucola (rocket) again produced just a bit more acidity than my wine felt comfortable
with although the dish in itself, with the little ear-shaped pasta, correctly cooked
al dente, was enjoyable enough.
Redemption for my wine (quince on the nose and then confirmed on the palate) came
with the Filetto di Branzino su Crema di Melenzane - a perfectly cooked pair of sea
bass fillets with crispy skin on a bed of a creamed aubergine purée - the smokiness
of the purée being particularly complimentary to the wine.
Dessert menus today inevitably include a "crumble" of some sorts. It seems to be
all the rage this year and what is more there seems to be no translation for this
word. I have eaten "crumble" this year in France, Italy, Germany and Luxembourg (no
doubt pronounced differently in each of those countries) and on this occasion it
was a crisp, grainy apple crumble with shortbread cookie chips and nuts.
All in all, this is a very pleasant experience. The food is not haute cuisine -
it's not intended to be - but it's good modern fare, making use of local ingredients
and in the top quartile for competence of execution. Prices are fair - count on 50
euros without wine for four courses, of if you want to miss out either the appetiser,
pasta or dessert course, count on 10 to 15 euros less. Service is smiling and competent
by pretty young ladies, whilst the bar and reception are manned by some of the more
macho species on the Genovese scene. Another plus point is the fact that they are
just a short walk from the Carlo Felice opera house in Genoa and are open until 2
a.m. - this is great for after opera Spanish style dining - the last time we went
there was after seeing Tristan and Isolde which was late enough anyway and we had
the added bonus of meeting the performers who wandered in well after midnight.
The wine list is fairly short, but long enough to give one a reasonable choice of
Italian wines from all over the country, from Fruili to Sicily. There are some good
producers on the list, too, with one or two heavyweights such as Guido al Tasso.
Prices are reasonable, starting at 15 euros going up to 60 euros for some top stuff.
(The Guido al Tasso was 50 euros, by the way). My Fano d'Avellino was 27 euros which
I felt was reasonable enough.
This is a vibrant, modern place, frequented mainly by a young clientele (apart from
a few old codgers like me) and those who are young at heart and are not taking their
food too seriously whilst nevertheless appreciating the skill and effort that goes
into producing this very cool and modern experience.
Ratings
Food 40
Wine 14
Service 8
Ambience 5
Value for Money 12
Total 79
(For an explanation of the ratings - click here)
Mua Lounge and Restaurant
Via San Sebastiano, 13
16123 Genova, Italy
Open all week - all major cards accepted.
The cool interior of Mua
Ricciola - before it’s cooked!
