Terra Madre, Bachelor's Walk, Dublin 1

Sometimes you want to eat out and have good, simple food. Nothing fancy nor too expensive, just good dishes in a nice atmosphere, especially for a little break during the working week. I craved for Italian food and remembered that I’ve heard good things about Terra Madre from another blogger Yolene (Creme de Citron).

 Terra Madre is an Italian restaurant located in a basement on Bachelor’s Walk on the north side of the Liffey. It's very small and feels homey.


We were welcomed by a gorgeous smiley Italian man (sorry Mr. FFID, this was noticed only for the purpose of the review) who offered us a seat and brought the simple menus. Nothing fancy in Terra Madre, the menu is compact. You can choose from 2 types of bruchettas, 3 specialities, 2 types of pasta, 2 types of gnocchi and a dish of lentils. The décor is also simple; it’s intimate and makes you feel like you’re eating in someone’s home. We were brought a plate of bread dipped in gorgeous olive oil before our meal, which was a nice touch and really opened our appetites.

 

I couldn’t decide between the 2 types of bruschettas (€7.50) so the waiter offered to bring a plate of mixed bruschettas so we could taste both. The “talli di Cappero” is made with wild caper sprouts that are harvested in the mountains following an old tradition as the other man (probably the owner) kindly explained to us. He said that they’re very rare and might disappear as the tradition is only kept by elderly women and may die out over the coming decades. It was simple but delicious. The other bruschetta was the amazing “Lardo di Colonnata”, a traditional Tuscan delicacy made of pork fat, mixed herbs and spices. I loved it: salty, not the lightest but so tasty.

For choosing the mains, I asked our helpful waiter for a recommendation, he told me to pick what I was already considering going for, the “Tagiliolini a la gricia” (€13.50). This is a white pasta sauce made of pig cheek, aged Pecorino cheese and white onion. It was a good rustic pasta dish made with quality ingredients.

Mr. FFID went for the gnocchi with rabbit and peppers (€13.50) and enjoyed it, cleaning his plate with the bread until it looked ready to go back to the cupboard! The sauce was full of flavours.

During the meal, we had a bottle of the Italian house red for €22, which went down very well. We were regularly poured water and the man was very kind to us, always joking or making sure we were having a good time. The tiny room filled up quickly and it really felt like we were brought somewhere in Italy off the beaten tourist track, in a small village where authenticity prevails. Molto bene Terra Madre!

Terra Madre
13a Bachelor's Walk
Dublin 1
Tel: 01 8735300

This is an independent review, I paid for my meal.