Hidden in K roads St Kevin's arcade "Pici" is a modern Italian joint specializing in freshly made pastas and wine. With a seasonal menu and vibrant attitude towards Italian classics, and doing it their own way truly surprised me for such a small restaurant. Speaking of, the atmosphere of this place was truly unique and I loved it. For such a small place that only allows you to be seated for 90 minutes, their outside, inside, and upstairs seating will give you a different experience each time. Whether it was watching diners from above on couch-like seats, or a small downstairs food bar looking directly onto the packed and slightly chaotic but beautiful kitchen you're guaranteed to have a great experience. Along with the very relevant and upbeat music, which for a place like this pleasantly surprised me, there's a real youthful feel to what could be considered a place for old tastes. Just one thing to keep in mind is that some of the upstairs seating is a bit cramped, so If you don't like being super close to other people get your reservation in quick so you can book the more spacious tables downstairs. I personally loved how the menu was kept short and simple, the staff were helpful and definitely drew you into the menu, explaining the dishes in detail. Too many times have I seen places not reach their full potential by overcrowding their menu. This place keeps it tight. Five Antipasti, Six pastas, Three desserts. That really allows the kitchen to focus on quality and it shows in the food.
The Stracciatella with the in season heirloom tomatoes paired with focaccia and olive oil was simply delicious. And at its core that's what Italian food is - good ingredients, done well and this dish is the personification of that. The ratios were spot on in terms of the cheese which had a creamy and gorgeous mild flavor, then you put the naturally sweet and well seasoned tomatoes on top of that with the focaccia. Altogether is was like a mixture of everything you could be craving at one time and it was utterly delicious. If they made sure the bread was evenly cut it would have been perfect as the bread was light and had a char on some parts which added a much welcomed bitterness. Just some pieces were notably thicker than others but an amazing dish otherwise. Pair that with a glass of red wine and you're on a totally different level.
The first pasta I had was Bucatini with prawn and nduja which is a spicy spreadable pork sausage from Calabria and that got me super excited for this dish. Plating was simple and rustic as you'd hope, being able to see those chunks of prawn was fantastic and added to the drama of the dish. Pasta was uniform, well coated in sauce and had a great bite. The flavor of prawns was to die for . You can tell they have used the shells of the prawns to flavor the sauce which adds a further depth of flavor, you get that ocean hit first, followed quickly by a rich cooked prawn broth flavor and it doesn't get more delish than that! The sauce stuck to the pasta well, they had it at the perfect consistency which is a skill that gets underlooked so much but it really made this dish. I say almost because I would have loved a bit more nduja for the signature smoke and spice - whether that was cooked alone and put on the pasta, or just more in the sauce.
The second pasta was Papparedella with pork and fennel sausage Ragu and although this wasn't as saucy as the first pasta it more than made up for it with the sausage. And that's the point, to focus on the meat and they did that here because it's everything you want from a fennel sausage. I couldn't count with my fingers the amount of times I've had a fennel sausage where that fennel flavor just isn't there and at Pici you'll be finding one of, if not the best fennel sausage Ragu's in town. It worked well with the pasta and you got that parmesan hit as well which was lovely. They maybe could have had a thicker sauce with a richer flavor. I think that superb fennel sausage meat was enough to make this dish an absolute classic in my eyes.
Overall, I would highly recommend going to Pici, it's affordable for younger people (like me) but very appropriate for developed taste buds and those who really appreciate simple, quality ingredients and concepts. If you like a modern vibe then head down and give it a try.
Luke McHale,
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