"What's your favourite restaurant?" is a question food writers are asked regularly. We'll reveal our top 100 here on Friday, November 12th. But what about our favourite dishes? We're answering that question in this series. Today: pasta dishes. Here are the ones that Lisa Cope, Ali Dunworth and I will travel for, and will order regardless of what else is on the menu.
Pumpkin cappellacci at Host
€12; 13 Ranelagh, Dublin 6; 01-5612617; hostrestaurant.ie
Sometimes it's the sheer simplicity that makes a pasta dish stand out, but it's always about how the elements come together. Niall McDermott rolls his pasta fresh each morning to make his signature pumpkin cappellacci. It is a wonderful combination of silky pasta filled with the slightly sweet and savoury elements of roasted delica pumpkin, nutmeg and Parmesan, bathed in brown sage butter and walnuts, and topped with aged Parmesan. Corinna Hardgrave
Cacio e pepe at Grano
€16; 5 Norseman Court, Dublin 7; 01-5832003; grano.ie
The pasta at Grano is all made in house using Cappelli flour, an ancient grain flour from the south of Italy that is said to be perfect for pasta – and the pasta at Grano is pretty perfect. I adore the simplicity of their cacio e pepe. Slick strands of springy homemade spaghettoni, coated in just enough pecorino and pepper, are a joy to twist around your fork and devour. Ali Dunworth
Aged Parmesan and truffle ravioli, cep mushroom consomme at One Pico
Starter as part of a three-course lunch for €55; 5/6 Molesworth Place, Dublin 2; 01-6760300; onepico.com
Few restaurants go to the effort of making their own pasta, but One Pico goes the extra mile in all the right places. You'll usually find seasonally appropriate stuffed ravioli on the menu: the autumn version is filled with a 16-month-aged Parmesan bechamel and fresh truffle. It comes in a cep and wild mushroom consomme (clarified three times so it's crystal clear), with more shaved fresh truffle on top, and it's perfection in six bites and three spoonfuls. Lisa Cope
