Paparazzi, Edinburgh - Restaurants in Edinburgh | s1play.com

The Real Deal

Review published on 13/02/2006 © Sunday Herald

You would have to be pretty dedicated to visit Paparazzi just at the moment. A neighbourhood restaurant in the Polwarth area of Edinburgh, it is not that noticeable at the best of times but now it has all but disappeared under a mammoth scaffolding.

To add insult to injury, major roadworks have started up, or, to be more precise, restarted on the road right in front of the restaurant.

Déjà vu roadworks, some kind of problem with a pipe not fixed the first time round – or was that the second time? At any rate, it’s as if there is some noisy, dirty, disruptive conspiracy to keep would-be diners away from Paparazzi.

This is an unfortunate state of affairs because Paparazzi is a bit of a find, one of those rare Italian eateries where the food actually tastes better than it sounds, food that might please you, even in its mother country.

The cooking is committed and optimistic, that is to say you sense the chef takes a pride in doing things the right way, even if many of the clients don’t know the difference and he could get away with a lesser effort.

Paparazzi feels like a restaurant where someone cares enough to source authentic ingredients. Shimmery lardo di Colonnato (a silken pork fat cured with rosemary) is served over hot, crusty bread with a black, chewy crust, the fat dissolving into the crevices of the bread.

Dishes with porcini (cep) mushrooms use the fresh wild variety, not the more available dried stand-by. A splendid 100 per cent porky Norcina sausage, hot with pepper and fragrant with fennel, makes a simple dish of creamy tagliatelle quite addictive.

Even the wines are not the commercial brands you’ll find in the supermarket, but wine lovers’ labels from the lesser-known regions such as Lazio, Campania and the Marche.

We lapped up an exceptional Feudi San Gregorio 2004 Falanghina, a distinguished white wine, full-bodied and aromatic, made in Campania from a grape variety that goes right back to the Romans. At £19, we couldn’t believe our luck either.

On both visits, the pasta dishes in Paparazzi were a delight. On the fresh, hand-made front, there were tortelloni filled with tender meat anointed in melting butter and dusted with Parmesan, or a lobster version served in a sauce made from sweet fresh tomatoes.

Even the dried pastas here are of the superior sort. For instance a firm, eggy linguine came swathed in a fragrant home-made pesto, while bouncy tagliatelle was sauced seductively with brandy, cream and nuggets of the wonderful Norcina sausage or slippy, scented porcini.

Moving away from pasta, it is hard to overlook the stracciatella, the classic Roman egg-drop soup, thanks to its exemplary, sparkling-clear chicken stock. A dauntingly large-looking ham hock with creamy haricot beans and tomato sauce proved edible right down to the last fleshy sliver, thanks to unsalty meat that tasted as though it had been poached in a bouillon perfumed with aromatic vegetables.

Basics are well done too. A salad of rocket consisted of the spiky, peppery wild sort (as opposed to the flaccid, floppy stuff) dressed with a gentle extra-virgin olive oil. Desserts surpass the usual Scottish-Italian standard with a memorably delightful crème brulée and a powerful tiramisu.

As a space to eat, Paparazzi is pleasant enough, although relatively featureless. It is warm, comfortable and well-appointed, with proper table linen and so on, but it feels slightly bare and new, like a new restaurant that still needs to bed down.

This is scarcely a problem, given the total package of generous portions of very good food at reasonable prices. Show any interest in Italian food or wine and the knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff will share with you their knowledge and experience.

© Sunday Herald