Book A Table: 0207 132 1212
Monday to Friday: Lunch 12 to 3pm
Dinner 5.00pm to 11pm
Saturday and Sunday: 12pm to 11pm
Book A Table: 0207 132 1212
Monday to Friday: Lunch 12 to 3pm
Dinner 5.00pm to 11pm
Saturday and Sunday: 12pm to 11pm
Nobody does food like the Italians, whether its pasta, pizza, desserts or risotto. And the best thing is that at its heart, Italian cooking is wonderfully simple.
No matter how fancy a recipe is, it always has a simple base to work off, making it easy for anyone to try at home.
Here are some of the classic Italian dishes which you can try for yourself at home, without needing a Michelin star.
Carbonara is a true Italian classic, but the version that you’ve tried in Italian restaurants around the UK is probably not true carbonara.
Our team at Bella Cosa, based in Canary Wharf, love their Italian food and have found many British restaurants often add unnecessary ingredients such as cream, onions, mushrooms and most bizarrely to Italians, chicken.
Instead, a proper Italian carbonara should simply contain pancetta, eggs, hard cheese and black pepper.
We can’t make a list of Italian dishes without including a pizza and the Margherita is the classic basis that every other pizza comes from.
For the base, pour your flour into a large bowl and stir in yeast and salt. Then make a well and pour in 200ml of warm water and olive oil, before bringing together until you’ve got a soft dough which you can knead until smooth and set aside.
For the sauce, mix up passata, basil and crushed garlic, which you can leave to stand while you roll out the dough into your base (this should be left thin as it will rise in the oven).
Finally, smooth the sauce over the base and scatter with cheese and tomato and bake at 220˚C for about eight to ten minutes.
Recipe from The Great British Bake Off
Pesto is a classic Italian sauce which is super easy to mix with pasta for a quick and simple meal.
Start out by reducing garlic and pine nuts into a cream using a pestle and mortar before adding dried basil leaves and salt.
A mixture of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino cheese is then added, with a dash of extra-virgin olive oil, then stored in a jar or other air-tight container to be left for up to a week, ready to be added to your choice of pasta.
If there’s one Italian dessert that’s more well-known than any others (and super easy to make) it’s tiramisu.
To make it, all you need are some finger biscuits, egg yolks, sugar, coffee, mascarpone cheese and cocoa powder (liqueur and egg whites can also be added).
All you need to do is layers the ingredients up in a bowl or cake tin and leave to chill, simple as that!
Another simple Italian dessert which is a little less known than tiramisu is an authentic chocolate and ricotta cake.
Best of all, these impressive sponges can be made in under an hour too. All you need to do is whisk up some ricotta and sugar, adding the eggs one by one.
Sift flour and baking powder and stir well, before finally stirring in butter, vanilla and chopped chocolate. Pour into a cake tin and bake for about 30 minutes, leave to cool and you’re done!
If you aren’t sure which one to try out, visit our restaurant to try some out for yourself from our delicious menu or perhaps our special offers
We care what our customers think of us and so should you. We are partners in your business and your success is ours in your business.
Me and my friends had the most amazing night at Bella Cosa celebrating mine and a friend’s 21st. The view of the docks was lovely, the food was delicious and... read more
24emiliak
Intimate dining in the wharf - If you haven’t tried Bella Cosa yet I highly recommend it.
It is truly a hidden gem and offers an intimate dining experience with a refined and sophisticated atmosphere.
Elvira B
Loved my dinner at Bella Costa at Canary Wharf. Amazing customer service and easy bookings! Experience the actual Authentic Italian cusine and hospitality here!!
MeChasingDreams
I attened with my wife for our anniversary dinner.
We really enjoyed the evening, the food was tasty and the staff, Narcisa and Jimmy were fantastic with us. Thank... read more
MrSlimfit
Attended a Bridal shower and I could not find any fault. The staff provided excellent customer service. The waiters and manager went out of their way to accommodate our needs.... read more
SandySN92
I spent some time trying to decipher whether this restaurant served Italian or Indian food and was excited to discover it was BOTH!
Housed on the ground floor of... read more
messalanaj
I hosted my very FIRST Bridal Shower EVER here and I am truly impressed by the service that they provided. Sunil (the manager) was consistently available, giving me updates and... read more
PJay217
Very good food. - Great food, good service at reasonable prices all served by friendly staff.
Having previously only ever ordered food to be delivered, I wanted to go in and... read more
Donna E
Amazing food and a very nice lady called narcisa serving us , super cute and very gentle lady..
Amazing place to have lunch or dinner .. I will come... read more
juhf92
Went with my family for a birthday dinner and staff were so understanding and pleasant about the fact that we were late. We got amazing service and the food was... read more
249iqraa
Monday to Friday: Lunch 12 to 3pm Dinner 5.00pm to 11pm Saturday and Sunday: 12pm to 11pm
