Chef Dara Klein has just published her first cookbook, La Trattoria, and it's part memoir, part recipe collection. She grew up in her parents' Wellington trattoria, Maria Pia's, after the family left Emilia-Romagna for New Zealand when she was six. The book is candid about the toll hospitality took on her family — her Pugliese mother battled serious mental health problems, and Klein was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 at 23. Yet the kitchen became her refuge, and today her East London restaurant Tiella has had a waitlist since opening day.
The most immediately useful chapter for travellers is her guide to Bologna and its surroundings — the city 40 minutes from her childhood home that inspired her cooking. She had her culinary epiphany at a trattoria there, realising she wanted to cook nothing but simple regional Italian food.
Her pick for a special dinner is Osteria Bottega, on a quiet residential street, run by a charismatic owner and his wife who are obsessive about sourcing. The menu is strictly Bolognese — braised rabbit, exceptional mortadella and prosciutto — so vegetarians should come for the pasta.
Her honest favourite is Trattoria di Via Serra on the city's edge, run by two brothers from Modena in a lively immigrant neighbourhood. It's tiny and slow-food recognised, and the dish to order is zuppa imperiale, a rich meat broth with semolina-and-parmesan dumplings; Klein kept it on the menu at Tiella for months. The vitello tonnato and tortellini also earn a mention.
Then there's Trattoria Amedeo on Via Saragozza — a local spot her family asked her to keep quiet about. She's sharing it anyway. Gruff brothers run it; speak a little Italian and be polite and you'll be looked after. Tortellini and saltimbocca (veal with prosciutto and sage cooked in butter) are the plays.
For shopping rather than sitting down, Antica Salsamenteria Bertoncelli in the suburbs is a deli that's made its own balsamic vinegar for 70 years, cures its own prosciutto and sells fresh pasta, with a big cellar used for events. It's a detour, but a distinctive one.
Finally, a 40-minute trip out of Bologna to San Giovanni in Persiceto brings you to Antica Drogheria Bergamini Duilio 1924 — the restaurant from Klein's childhood and the first photo in her book. The village has a more famous restaurant nearby, but Bergamini charges about a third of the price for excellent cooking. It's dinner-only, and it's the place she recommends for tortellini alla panna, done properly.
Who's this for? Anyone heading to Bologna and tired of queues at the same five central spots. This is a local's list: two neighbourhood trattorias inside the city, one family place hidden from tourists, a historic deli in the suburbs and a bargain of a family restaurant in the countryside — all unapologetically regional, all meat-forward, all worth booking ahead or timing carefully around Italian meal hours.
