New look, same great taste. Longtime Chaoyang Park restaurant Alio Olio has reopened as La Rucola. Sure, they’re now named after the Italian word for ‘arugula,’ and there have been a few style updates, but much of the food has stayed the same. And that’s a very good thing.
The base concept remains untouched: trattoria-style Italian food at reasonable prices. On our latest visit, we tuck into hearty lasagna (RMB88), cheesy calzones (RMB98) and traditional wood-fired pizza (from RMB88).
The new menus are more complex than, well, arugula. They offer an astounding variety, from salads and starters to pastas and mains. A warm egg runs all over La Rucola’s charming rustic salad (RMB58). A fearsome crab sits atop a not-so-fearsome spaghetti (RMB98). And our garlic mushrooms come stuffed with Italian ham (RMB46).
There are even, believe it or not, cocktails – La Rucola’s charming wooden bar has had a face-lift as well. (Although real Italians, we hear, prefer wine – La Rucola’s got that too.)
The venue’s charm has remained intact. Enter via a set of stairs to its homey loft space, creaky wood lending it all a welcome dose of old-world charm. Crucially, the upstairs dining room still has a beautiful view over Chaoyang Park. If you look out the window and squint a little (OK, a lot), it almost feels like Italy.
Images by Victor Liu
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