Sandra Carter discovers there's more to Italian food than pasta and pizza when Pasquale is cooking.
Pasquale Russo says: "One does silly things in life,". He's explaining how he trained as an engineer in his native Puglia in north-east Italy, spent some time as an insurance broker, and somehow ended up in the heart of the Chilterns running his own Italian restaurant, Darusso, in Bledlow Ridge.
"I always knew about good food," he continues. "But the kitchen was the domain of my mother and then my wife. Sorry I'm not supposed to say that, am I? I'm a self-taught chef."
The result is a restaurant that is a one-off take on Italian cuisine. It's a far cry from the pasta houses that abound. It's also in a world of its own even among up-market authentic Italian eateries.
We recently drove past West Wycombe Hill (we should really have stopped to climb the hill to build up an appetite), then past fields of sheep and pretty beech copses to Bledlow Ridge for lunch.
The menu gave plenty of fodder for browsing. There's squid with chilli, raw beef carpaccio with Parmesan, king prawns and polenta and buffalo mozzarella... and that's just for starters.
Then plunge into pasta if you want a true Italian experience before delving into sea bass with citrus fruits, or chicken with tiger prawns, or five styles of steak led by fillet topped with foie gras mousse, marsala and brandy sauce.
Well yes, but the day was only half begun, so we settled for the more modest set three-course lunch: equally redolent with Italian atmosphere but somewhat simpler in style.
For starter, I chose grilled sardines, while my friend chose a dish of melon.
"What, no raspberry?" she cried when presented with a spread of ripe melon slices with a mere drizzle of sugar syrup. Melon-cum-raspberry are inseparable in most restaurants, with maybe a mint sprig for company. My three beautifully crisply grilled sardines were equally unadorned, with just a light garlic butter dressing. We were discovering what makes Pasquale tick.
He's one of the growing band of chefs who refuse to add unnecessary fripperies to their dishes. "I don't like decorations," he told us later. "If you decorate a dish you're hiding something. I look for simplicity."
We were happy with that. Good food served simply is great, especially when it's in such attractive and comfortable surroundings as this.
From the nine main course options on the set menu we chose roast lamb with a basil jus, and sauted escalopes of pork loin in a tarragon cream. Again the treatment was simple, the emphasis on good clean flavours. But there was a little artifice: both came with carrot and courgette sticks tied prettily into bundles with a fine ribbon of leek, a nice touch.
Desserts featured raspberry cheesecake, fruit salad or chocolate mousse. We both had a choccie moment and were very pleased we had, as it was gorgeous: rich mousse on a brandy-soaked sponge. The three-course lunch (Monday to Saturday) costs £12.50, which is excellent value.
Sunday lunch at Darusso Ristorante is an interesting four-course affair (£18.50 with coffee) with lots of choices. Starters (cured beef with Parmesan, perhaps, or smoked salmon) are followed by a pasta course. Then go for roast beef and Yorkshire pud if you must, or choose the more Mediterranean pork loin in marsala, followed by tiramisu or one of the other pudding options.
Pasquale, who has a head chef but often ends up in the kitchen himself, is trying to wean local diners towards more authentically Italian eating habits. We must leave behind our insistence on meat and three veg, he reckons. Instead, he'd like us to try pasta followed by seared tuna on a bed of peppery rocket and potato salad, topped with caramelised peaches, and not a carrot in sight. Perhaps he'll persuade us, in time.
Meanwhile he's full of energy and ideas. Already the old inn has seen many tasteful changes.
It used to be The Boot pub. When he took over 18 months ago, villagers begged him to keep a public bar area. But they didn't actually turn up to use it, so now Darusso is solely a restaurant, which manages to be a happy blend of old beamed inn and smart Mediterranean restaurant.
He has plans for a covered patio and maybe a little guest house at the back. And, of course, lots more tempting dishes to win us over to his personal take on eating Italian.
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