East Lothian Life - Summer 2008
by Ailsa Fortune.
Two years ago the appearance of Angelo Cocchia as the proprietor of a newly opened restaurant Osteria, in North Berwick caused a stir. For many years, Angelo had managed Edinburgh's Cosmo Restaurante - a name synonymous with fine dining. It was the favoured eating house of Edinburgh's movers and shakers. Eventually the proprietor Cosmo Tamburro sold up and Angelo moved on - to North Berwick.
The front of Osteria looks onto the High St. The space is neat, with room to seat 30 at small tables with comfort. Customers are greeted at the door by Angelo, as if they are long lost friends invited to a special dinner. Starched white table cloths and napkins add to the sense of occasion. Does the food match up, the menu is classic Italian fare and it is difficult to make a selection as the dishes all sound equally apetising. Once the choice is made it is a good idea to order a drink and stave off hunger pangs by tucking into small plates of canapes served with in-house bread. But waiting for food is a small price to pay, when it is being prepared to order. The minestrone soup on a cool Scottish summer evening seems a sensible choice for a starter. The vegetables taste fresh and unsullied and the lingering flavour of the prosciutto ham in the stock is enough to whet the appetite for the main course. Another starter, timbale of fresh salmon with a dill and chilli dressing is a sensation of flavours - the flakes of salmon hold their shape and if chilli can be subtle, it is in this dish. The 'must-have' 'secondi' is surely saltimbocca all'italiana. This dish has to be cooked and served immediately for it to work. In Osteria it is! Wonderful! Truly melt in the mouth stuff! The cream and mushroom sauce sit underneath the veal, lifting it up and never overwhelming it. Angelo offers a selection of specials, every evening, usually of fish, as supply can be weather dependent. Few of us can resist crustaceans on a menu. The trio of shellfish, king prawns, scallops and scampi cooked in butter and oil, with garlic, parsley and a hint of chilli, hit the spot - clean, simple and fresh from the sea that day. Tiramisu created by an Italian Scottish chef is hard to beat for dessert, but Osteria's Creme Brulee is real triumph. It is flavoured with coffee, which gives the perfectly soft set eggs and cream a subtle kick and leaves you with the feeling that you want to come back the following evening for more.
What is the secret in Angelo's kitchen? At the start of this venture, Cosmo came out of retirement for a few months, to give Osteria a kick start. His former clientele flocked from Edinburgh and the place was booked out weeks in advance. But now the chef is Daniela Cocchia, Angelo's 20 year old daughter. Daniela was brought up in Edinburgh, but with her two Italian Grandmothers teaching her how to make fresh pasta, almost as soon as she could reach the rolling pin on the kitchen table, she knows a thing or two about good Italian food. She is essentially a pastry cook, but with the sea at her door, she is rapidly building a reputation for her Scottish seafood recipes. In May, Daniela received the Rural Chef of the Year Award 2008, a great compliment to a very young chef. With Osteria, it's not just the food, it's the whole package. The service is impeccable and the waiters are unfailingly polite. Angelo's mantra is, 'keep it fresh and simple and serve it with panache'. It works well!