It was a typical Nottingham grey and damp wintery day. We wanted some lunch, and felt like we could do with being transported away to sunnier climes. I hadn’t been to Compà since just after they opened a few years back. What’s more my partner had never been!
Compà is a short walk from the centre of Beeston heading north on Wollaton Road. They specialise in authentic Sicilian food and are a family owned and run business. They moved to the UK from Italy, settled in Nottingham and bought their love of food with them.
Ciao Compà! – Authentic Sicilian street food has to be served in the authentic Sicilian way – fresh, and with a big Sicilian smile. For us, food is family and food is love.
Our first impressions on walking through the door were of a bright, light and clean interior. The white walls and colourful decorations reminded us of being on holiday by the Mediterranean, transporting our minds far away from Beeston. We especially liked the ceiling with its beams draped in foliage and lit with mock oil lamps. The welcome was very warm and welcoming as we choose our seats and sat down to look at the menus.
THE FOOD
The menu has changed a lot since my initial visit shortly after Compa opened. Back then the opening hours were limited to lunchtime and early afternoon and the focus was on small plates and street food. It’s great to see the restaurant now has a later supper service and the menu is more extensive with a selection of starters, sides, small plates, meat dishes, pasta and deserts. The restaurant is also licensed and has a range of beers, wine, spirits and soft drinks on offer. Many of these are Italian to match the food. We choose the house white wine and a Sicilian lager both of which were great.
At the time of visiting there was a lunch offer of bruschetta, olives and a pasta dish at £9.95. We decided to order off the menu as I’ve recently found out that I’m somewhat gluten intolerant. This has made dining out more challenging, so I was really pleased to see clearly labelled vegetarian, vegan, gluten free food and items that had a gluten free alternative. This takes a lot of the trepidation out of choosing what to eat. When we booked online there was an option to disclose any food allergies as well.
We went with a shared starter of Arancine (£6.95). These were four small breadcrumbed risotto balls with a prosciutto and mozzarella filling. Other fillings are also available. They were served fresh from the fryer delightfully crispy on the outside and soft and tasty on the inside.
For our main course I went with the Salsiccia Sicilian con Insalata (£14.95) – Sicilian sausage served with rice salad and a mixed salad. The sausage came in a tight curl reminiscent of a Cumberland type with a lovely spicing and texture. The fluffy rice was delicious too with vegetables running through it.
Pasta al Forno (£13.95) – rigatoni pasta with beef ragù, béchamel, mozzarella and fried aubergines.
This had a very deep rich meat sauce as a base with freshly grated parmesan over the top. The aubergine and mozzarella added a variety of different textures to the dish.
We were undecided about having dessert, but one look at the menu made us change our minds. Having not had a cake in several months my eyes were immediately drawn to the gluten free Torta al Caramello.
(£5.95). This had a very good texture for a ‘free-from’ cake with smooth caramel layers between the moist sponge.
Intrigued we also went for the Lemon Tiramisu (£6.95) which came in an individual Kilner jar. It was light, fresh and zesty with candied zest and limoncello and an indulgent lemon curd at the bottom. We’re going to have a go at making it ourselves at home!
THOUGHTS
One of our good friends is in the food trade, has Sicilian heritage and when walking past recently and after seeing the table cloths and decorations was then intrigued enough to pay them a visit. She felt that the food was tasty, unpretentious and authentic which is a good enough endorsement for me. A lot of chain Italian restaurants can be very predictable with their offerings so it’s fantastic so have an independent place in Beeston offering regional dishes for those wanting to try something a little difference. The team at Compà are always very friendly and happy to see customers and provide first class customer service.
At the time of writing Compà have announced that they are opening their second restaurant in the centre of Nottingham. It will be situated in Hockley on the corner of Heathcoat and High Cross streets. It’s fantastic to see them expand and bring their dishes to a new audience.
CONTACT DETAILS
Website:
Compà, Sicilian Restaurant | Sicilian Street Food | 31 Wollaton Road, Beeston, Nottingham, UK
Instagram:
Address:
31 Wollaton Road,
Beeston Nottingham,
NG9 2NG
[Tel: +4](Tel: +4 “”) 4 1159 227 580 / MOB: +447380376189
Email: compafoodslimited@gmail.com
Opening & Closing Hours
Tuesday – Friday: 8:30 am – 3 pm / 6 pm – 9 pm
Saturday: 9:30 am – 3 pm / 6pm – 9pm
Sunday: 9:30 am – 3pm
Closed Monday
Reservations may be needed at popular times. Ring ahead or book via the website.
TH