... There are about 10 restaurants altogether in this area, and yet every time they go, they end up in Bella Pasta. Calling him a boring git the last time he did it, he explained that they think about going to other places, but end up at BP as it’s reasonably priced, near to home, always pretty ... Read review
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: good price, good food Disadvantages: not suitable if you don't like chains
...go, they end up in Bella Pasta. Calling him a boring git the last time he did it, he explained that they think about going to other places, but end up at BP as it’s reasonably priced, near to home, always pretty empty, good car parking and most importantly the food is always nice.
Last Bank Holiday, Ian wanted to treat me to a meal somewhere, despite me being on a diet, so he suggested going there. I’d been before, and to the Bella ... ...this particular visit to this Bella Pasta, but I might mention other visits that Ian talked about, and my experiences at other restaurants in the chain.
WHAT IS BELLA PASTA?
Bella Pasta is a chain of Italian restaurants. They usually turn up on those industrial estate affairs, with a bowling alley and cinema, and about 4 other restaurant chains. They serve a fixed menu in each restaurant, with some seasonal specials, ... more
My husband regularly goes out for lunch with his Mum (‘Mum and Son’ days as they are known) and although they talk about new and exciting places, they always seem to end up at the area about 2 minutes drive away called ‘Centre 27’. There are about 10 restaurants altogether in this area, and yet every time they go, they end up in Bella Pasta. Calling him a boring git the last time he did it, he explained that they think about going to other places, but end up at BP as it’s reasonably priced, near to home, always pretty empty, good car parking and most importantly the food is always nice.
Last Bank Holiday, Ian wanted to treat me to a meal somewhere, despite me being on a diet, so he suggested going there. I’d been before, and to the Bella Pasta in Liverpool, but not for a long time, usually preferring Mexican if offered a meal out. After checking the WW site to make sure there was food I could eat there without going over my allowance (TONS of it) I agreed. I’m going to talk about this particular visit to this Bella Pasta, but I might mention other visits that Ian talked about, and my experiences at other restaurants in the chain.
WHAT IS BELLA PASTA?
Bella Pasta is a chain of Italian restaurants. They usually turn up on those industrial estate affairs, with a bowling alley and cinema, and about 4 other restaurant chains. They serve a fixed menu in each restaurant, with some seasonal specials, and other specials that are only available in that particular location.
I’ve been to three different restaurants in the chain – one in Liverpool, which is located in the middle of the high street, and is fairly cramped, one in Birmingham, which is near a cinema, and next door to about three other chains, and this one in Birstall.
LOCATION AND HOW TO FIND IT
This restaurant is located at Centre 27. If you’re familiar with Leeds, I’m sure you know where I mean. If not, it’s a huge Americanised area off junction 27 of the M62 – it’s basically where the M62 and the M621 meet. It’s based around the huge Showcase cinema, but has expanded over the road to include the Ikea. I provided a map below as well, just in case you don’t know what I’m on about.
DISABLED ACCESS
The car park has 4 disabled spaces, often taken up by lazy people without badges as usual. Unlike most places, this isn’t too much of a problem. The whole car park is on level ground, so it doesn’t really matter where you park. We need side access to our van, so we usually park in a space with an empty space next to us as the disabled spaces aren’t any wider, and it’s very rare that anyone parks next to us.
There is a ramp up to the front door, but it can be obscured. There is a patio area to one side of the entrance, and they clear it of tables and chairs in the evening, and stack them on the entrance to the ramp.
The doors are fairly heavy, and whether anyone helps you rather depends on how busy they are. If there’s no one near the door, or no one sees you, you have to struggle on your own. Once inside, the tables are fairly close together, and to get in or out of the restaurant when other people are sitting at tables can be a nightmare. The tables themselves are high, and the chairs are not fixed, so they can be removed to allow someone who cannot transfer from their wheelchair to sit underneath the table.
CAR PARKING
There are about 30 car parking spaces, all on one level, which is ample. Most people seem to park at the cinema, and walk over afterwards to eat. I’ve never seen the car park full, even in the evening, but then again, I personally wouldn’t go on a weekend. Even if the Bella Pasta car park is full, there are ample parking spaces nearby if you don’t mind a short walk.
THE BUILDING AND ENTRANCE
The building is styled to look like it belongs in Italy, with its pale stone walls and many hanging baskets outside. There are a couple of steps (or a ramp) up to the front door, and the whole impression is pleasant. There is a patio area with metal tables and chairs - however, if you eat outside, the fumes and noise from the nearby cars, as well as the site of a KFC and cinema nearby, can ruin the impression of al Fresco dining in a small Tuscan village. I highly recommend going inside, even on a hot day, as they usually open the large windows, and it’s quieter.
DECORATION
The inside continues the Italian theme, with big jars of pasta, Italian adverts and many paintings of chilli peppers and tomatoes adorning the walls. It’s kind of like TGI Fridays, but with Italian memorabilia instead of American. I enjoy looking at all the things they have, even though they never change from one time to the next, and am often inspired to get the paints out after being there (mainly because I usually think ‘I could paint something better than that’).
FOOD CHOICE – IS IT ALL PASTA?
Despite the name, not everything is pasta – it is all Italian food though, so if you’re not a big fan of hot tomatoes and garlic, you’re probably onto a loser coming here.
The menu is divided into 10 sections. If you want to see it before you go, it’s available on the website with prices, which I think is an excellent idea. You can check in advance if there’s going to be anything you want to eat, and see how much money you’re going to need to take.
***Antipasti (starters)*** Starters are priced at £2.95 and upwards. They include soup, bruschetta, mushrooms, as well as the more exotic mussels and an assortment for two people to share.
***Panini (sandwiches)*** Whilst not strictly a main course, they make an ideal light lunch. Prices range from £3.45 for a simple cheese and tomato, to £3.75 for something with chicken. They all come served with a mixed salad, and you can choose to add rosemary potato wedges for an extra £1.50.
***Insalate (salads)*** Salads are available as a starter or as a main course. It’s a little bit over half price to order it as a starter – for example, a main course chicken Caesar salad is £7.65, but as a starter it’s £3.95.
***Pasta *** These are the pasta with sauces – there are twelve different ones to choose from, ranging in price from £5.45 for a simple tomato and basil sauce on pasta, up to £7.95 for meatballs. There are three marked as veggie, but there is one you can choose without the sausage, and another two that are not marked as veggie because of parmesan, so the choice is wide.
***Pizza *** All the pizzas are baked on a thin crispy ‘proper Italian’ pizza base, with 100% mozzarella. They range from £5.75 for a mushroom one, to £7.95 for one with salmon. Extra toppings are available at 95p.
***Al Forno (baked)*** These are pasta baked in the oven, such as cannelloni and lasagne. They cost between £6.95 and £7.95. This range is not as wide, but includes most people’s favourite baked dishes.
***Casa Speciali (house specials)*** These are Italian inspired dishes. There is disappointingly only one type of risotto (mushroom, £7.95), but this is the area to order from if you don’t like pasta or pizza and have been dragged along. They serve sausages, lamb or chicken, with various potatoes and vegetables. The prices are more expensive, ranging from £7.95 to £9.95.
***Side Orders *** Pad out your meal (if you feel you need to) with this range of side dishes, including garlic bread (£2.95) side salad (£2.95) and roasted vegetables (£2.75).
***Dolci (desserts)*** Classic Italian deserts such as Tiramisu and Limoncello (both £3.75), as well as the usual cheesecake and ice cream. The biggest desert is the disgustingly rich The Godfather (£4.25 for one, or £6.25 for two to share) – it’ll make your teeth hurt just thinking about it.
***Bella Bambino (Kids Menu)*** Not recommended for children under nine. £3.95 includes a main course, a sweet and a drink (fizzy or still). Main courses include spaghetti Bolognese, and other child friendly pasta dishes, as well as two different pizzas, and chicken strips with chips. Deserts are ice cream, jelly or a sundae.
IS THERE A DECENT VEGETARIAN SELECTION?
A good veggie selection to me means not only a choice in each section of the menu, but also a choice WITHIN each section. I don’t like the idea some restaurants have that as long as they have one veggie starter, that’s enough – it’s almost like saying ‘If you don’t happen to like what we’ve offered, it’s hard cheese’.
Luckily, Bella Pasta offers at least one veggie option in each section of the menu, giving vegetarians a choice of three starters (salad, baked mushrooms or bruschetta), and a massive eleven possible main courses, not to mention any specials the restaurant might be offering. Some of the main courses are not marked as veggie due to the use of parmesan, so if you’re not a particularly strict vegetarian, there would be even more choice.
ARE THE ‘SPECIALS’ SPECIAL?
The specials at the Bella Pasta we frequent are usually ‘Lasagne Affumicato’ or smoky lasagne. I tried this one, and it was very nice, but I don’t need to see it every time I go. However, Ian once had ‘Lamb Cassoulet’ off the specials board, and won’t shut up about how they don’t make it any more. Why don’t restaurants change all the specials at the same time, and why do they take food off the menu when it’s really popular?
FOOD PORTION SIZE
My personal opinion on food portions is that they are getting too large, and encouraging people to overeat – when we went to America, the portions there were enormous, and it’s getting like that over here as well. I personally like a portion that will not leave me feeling stuffed to bursting, and has a more reasonable price.
Bella Pasta in my opinion, have got this exactly right. When I have pasta with a nice sauce I like to have garlic bread to mop the sauce up, but some places the pasta portion is so enormous, you feel pogged out if you have bread as well. I can always manage the entire pasta portion, as well as half a garlic loaf, with no problems. Even Ian, who has a poor appetite, can manage nearly all of a main course.
FOOD QUALITY
The food is always hot and seems freshly cooked, even though the speed of service means it is probably not (see below). It is always beautifully presented on clean white plates (no other plate says ‘class’ quite like a large white one) with ‘Bella Pasta’ printed subtly on the rim. Unlike many other pasta places I have been to, they also provide a spoon without you having to ask for it.
I chose the Penne al Tonno Pomodoro (penne pasta with flaked tuna and a tomato and red onion sauce) while Ian chose Linguine Pollo Rustica (linguine with chicken and semi-dried tomatoes in a basil pesto sauce). We also chose a garlic ciabatta as a side order. We didn’t have any starters, because we know the main course is the right sort of size for us, but in the past I have had the baked mushrooms, which are an interesting take on the usual breaded garlic mushrooms – they are baked in a little dish, in a creamy garlic sauce with mozzarella.
My pasta was cooked to perfection, just a little al dente (with a bit of bite). I’m not well versed on different quality of pasta, but it tasted okay to me. The tomato sauce was thick, and full of good-sized chunks of red onion, and the flaked tuna was still in big chunks, and well distributed throughout the sauce. The tastes complimented each other beautifully, and yet it seemed such a simple meal, I did get the impression it would be easy enough to copy at home.
Ian’s meal (which he permitted me to sample) was the nicest thing I think I’ve ever had there. The pesto was deliciously homemade tasting, the chicken was juicy and not greasy, and the tomatoes were slightly chewy and a little tart, adding to the texture of the smooth linguine. I wanted to swap with him, but he wouldn’t let me, as he was enjoying it too much.
We resisted a pudding, but I have had tiramisu before, and it’s fairly nice, but it doesn’t look or taste home made, and the portion isn’t nearly big enough. I watched a friend eat a Godfather before, and it looked very sweet and fattening, and I can’t say I really fancied the look of it.
SERVICE QUALITY
The service is always fast, but the last time we went it was phenomenal. When the waiter brought over the garlic bread, I thought he had made a mistake and was bringing it as a starter – he only took the order less than five minutes before. But then he brought over the rest of the food, piping hot, and looking freshly cooked.
Everyone there is very helpful, and even though they didn’t help with the door, I felt there was a genuine reason, and it wasn’t because they were ignoring us. It did take a long time to get the bill, as three of the waiters/waitresses were talking in the bar, but once the manager came out of the office, they went back to wandering around and were easier to collar.
OTHER INFORMATION YOU MIGHT NEED
This particular Bella Pasta also provides a take-away service. You ring them up, and then go and pick up the meal about ten minutes later. I think this is why the service is so fast for some pasta dishes – they already have a couple of batches on the go of the most ordered take-away meals, and if you happen to choose one of them, you get super-fast service. Pick up a take-away menu from the restaurant to try the service. Just a pity they don’t deliver.
WHAT’S THE WEBSITE LIKE?
As I couldn’t steal a menu this time, I was pleased the website showed the entire menu. It’s quick to load, and easy to navigate, with maps of how to find every restaurant, and how to apply for a job to work for them. The site looks the same as the menus, continuing the theme of the chain nicely.
SUMMARY
Whilst you might find better Italian food at your local Italian restaurant, you can find much worse. Bella Pasta provides good Italian food, albeit it from a nationwide menu, at good prices, and consistent quality. If you find yourself in a strange town, and you find a Bella Pasta, you automatically know it’s going to be good food – of course this can take some of the adventure of finding a new restaurant out of your experience, but it might mean you don’t eat in a dodgy Italian down a back street in the middle of Northampton.
UPDATE - this chain is now known as Bella Italia, and the names of most of the dishes have been changed to reflect this; e.g. Linguine Pesto Genovese is now known as Linguine Rustica. We went there on Wednesday night just to see how much had changed, and it's basically still the same restaurant; the food and service is still fantastic and very quick. ……………………………………………………………………..
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY REVIEW. IT’D BE GREAT IF YOU COULD RATE IT AND PERHAPS COMMENT ON IT FOR ME TOO!!
