Students are often hungry and on a budget, but the international set in Wudaokou can find their options limited when they want home comfort on a plate. A trio of long-time Beijing residents came together to open Eatalia, a budget-minded restaurant that promises them the good life.

Keeping in mind the prices, you’re not in a place to bitch that this isn’t like what you’ve had in Tuscany. Eatalia paints itself as a ravioli and pizza bar, with ravioli that is better than it needs to be. Pumpkin and cheese ravioli with a butter sage sauce gets a touch of herby pesto on butter. For an extra 5RMB, you can have a drizzle of truffle oil, but why would you ever want anything like that?

Lasagne here is a compact cube layered with mincemeat so fine it’s almost a paste. Forget the creamy besciamella and the cheesy richness that you may expect. A larger list of pasta is available – it may be fettucini or spaghetti, both eggy and firm, dense and bouncy, definitely made in house. A huge, rich portion comes when you order a pasta Bolognese or tomato and basil. The four-cheese sauce is even made with ingredients bearing the ‘DOP’ region-of-origin kitemark.

Pizzas are sold ‘al taglio’, or by the slice. They come in three confusing sizes: a slice is called a ‘medium’ while a ‘large’ is a small oval, smaller than a standard individual pie, more like a sandwich size for 23RMB. The ‘whole pizza’ is a whopping 195RMB, enough for a frat party. But they all suffer from a tasteless, bready crust.

Desserts aren’t worth the calories but coffee proudly comes from a Nespresso maker and does its job well. What’s worth eating here is the ravioli, salads and a creamy espresso to finish.

Address: Building 12, Chengfu Lu, Huaqing Jiayuan, Haidian District 海淀区成府路五道口华清嘉园12号楼10号

Source: timeoutbeijing.com