When I suggested to my younger sisters that we have a Sunday lunch at Gallo & Galetti, I nearly had the hand taken off me, particularly by my still-in-college, sibling. Taking that as a sign of approval, I arranged a table at Gallo & Galetti, conveniently giving me the chance to check out the new restaurant from Cork chef, Brendan Cashman. Cork has missed Brendan since he closed his Augustines restaurant (formerly located in the Clarion Hotel), and people wondered where and when he would reappear. The answer has turned out to be Gallo & Galetti, an Italian restaurant
Despite being located in a drab little shopping centre across a busy road from Cork University Hospital, the interior of Gallo & Galetti is smart and fresh, with dark greens, bare stone walls and simple line drawings. Either it was a quiet Sunday or Cork eats late, as the restaurant remained largely empty during the course of our meal. While Himself is very much accustomed to the mandatory photography session at the start of every meal, my family still find it a novelty and I'm sure we amused the waitress with our food posing.
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| Interior at Gallo & Galetti |
My starter of pan roast sea bass with grapefuit and citrus segments (€9.00) was exceptional. Crispy salty fish skin contrasted wonderfully with the soft sharp juicy citrus, although it possibly could have benefited from less citrus segments. His portion of calamari fritti, or fried baby squid, came in rings, served in a "newspaper" cone along with a garlic, lemon and dill aioli served in an adorable pink "Le Crueset" style pot (€8.00). It was simple but spot on. However, all eyes at the table were on my middle sister, who had ordered the mussels (€8.50). They came piled mountainously high, dressed in a tomato, chili and basil sauce. She was still slurping up the tasty sauce long after the rest of us had cleared our plates.
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| Pan-fried seabass with citrus |
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| Calamari |
Gallo & Galetti offer gluten-free versions of all their pastas (albeit for a €1.50 supplement) and I looked forward to the gentle spiciness of a bowl of penne all 'arriabbata (€12.00 plus supplement). Despite the annoying confusion of hairball lettuce on top, the pasta itself was rich and satisfying with just the right touch of creaminess. Unfortunately, the pizza isn't available in a gluten-free version, otherwise I would have snagged a decent portion of his pizza topped with crisp pancetta, semi sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella (€14.00). All I can say is that the thin, crispy base looked great to my longing eye.
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| Penne all' arrabiatta |
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| Crispy pancetta, sun-dried tomato and mozzarella pizza |
I've often despaired of Italian food in Cork, but Gallo & Galetti is delivering top notch dishes at pleasing prices. Browsing their Facebook page reveals a promotion offering antipasto misto with a selected bottle of red or white wine for a mere €20.00 on Tuesday - Sunday between 13.00 and 18.30.
We dined at lunchtime, but it's worth noting that the menu expands in the evening to include typical Italian meat dishes. The simple wine list reads well with attractive pricing. All in all, Gallo & Galetti is somewhere to return to. Bellissimo!
Tel: +353 (0)21 434 1095
URL: www.galloandgaletti.ie
Twitter: @ChefBrendanCash
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