Sprezzatura where no main course costs more than €10

So far my old college friend and I have had three good meals this year, all in diverse restaurants. This week’s restaurant Sprezzatura would prove to be just as interesting and diverse. As Sprezzatura has been getting a lot of coverage online, I felt we should pay it a visit and see what all the fuss is about. So what is sprezzatura? Well in Italian it is studied carelessness, especially as a characteristic quality or style of art or literature.

Sprezzatura opened late last year and they do wholesome Italian food with an Irish twist that won’t break the bank. All the pasta and bread is made fresh daily and all their suppliers are some of the best Irish food producers around. The restaurant has two rooms. One with a big table for large group bookings and the main room which has little tables and booths.

The menu which is chalked up on the wall is changed daily. It is made up of eight plates, seven pasta dishes and two desserts. The plates are like starters and whet your appetite as you wait for your main course.

For our starters, we both had the Toonsbridge Stracciatella at €6.50 which was lightly drizzled in Wicklow rapeseed oil, and some rye sourdough bread at €2.50.

The cheese which comes from Cork was very creamy and the rye bread matched it very well. Stracciatella is member of the mozzarella cheese family and in Italian, it means to shred.

For our main courses, we both went for different dishes. As the pasta is made fresh every day, you know that you will be getting something special. My college friend had the Pappardelle with fennel sausage and ragu at €9.50, whilst I had Spaghetti cacio e pepe at €8.50.

The star of the show was the Spaghetti cacio e pepe, which has just 4 ingredients, pasta, Pecorino cheese, salt and pepper.

Both of these dishes were delicious and just the right size for lunch.

Wine is available on tap and starts at €6.50. My college friend had the house white wine which was not to his liking but the Sprezzatura lager at €3.50 a glass was nicely crisp and refreshing. There was also no coffee which is very surprising to see in an Italian restaurant.

One thing I really found admirable was that the restaurant is environmentally friendly with sustainable goals. You won’t find any paper here. The only plastic you will see is your credit or debit card as they don’t take cash. The only downsides were the slightly cramped tables, the lack of coffee and the wine which I am sure will get better. On the plus side, no main course costs over €10 which is astounding. This plus the amazing cooking by head chef Alexandre Braz ex Forest Avenue is drawing the crowds in. I look forward to coming here again so that I can try a different main course. As a fussy eater, it was great to see at least 3 main course dishes I could have.

Sprezzatura 5/6 Camden Market, Grantham St Dublin 8

See more reviews here.