Winner of the Taste of the Dolphin Coast competition

The votes are in and while the competition was tough, the winner of the Taste of the Dolphin Coast competition is La Piazza!

Our readers have selected their favourite eatery from local restaurants represented in our competition.

When it comes to La Piazza I have heard a mixed bag of opinions from patrons, some good some bad. Personally I have only had good meals there.

The venue is stunning with plenty of space for the kids to play and have fun. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the staff are friendly.

They are very lucky with the chef they have there. John Mcardyle does a wonderful job and Marco Bortolussi, the owner, runs a tight ship.

With so many options to choose from off their menu, I decided to try a selection of their pasta dishes.

They are making some of their pasta fresh, which makes a huge difference.

My favorite was the ravioli (pasta parcels filled with beef and topped with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes). It had a good balance of flavours and the flavours were spot on.

When it comes to pasta I believe the secret is finding the balance between the choice of pasta and the sauce.

The Vongole, which is pretty much clam and spaghetti, was very delicate. Something I am not used to as I prefer more robust pasta dishes.

The Agnolotti (venison parcels with porcini mushrooms) was quite rich but wasn’t too’gamey’ like you would expect with venison.

The Panzerroti (spinach and riccota parcels) with the sage butter that they serve it in was divine. Even with a butter sauce I found the dish to be light and fresh, so it was a winner.

For dessert I sampled the baked Alaska. My only complaint was that the sugar was not completely dissolved in the meringue, leaving you with a crunchy texture. That aside it was quite delicious.

All in all it was a very good meal. La Piazza, without a doubt, belongs among the top restaurants that the Dolphin Coast has to offer and very much deserves our readers choice award.