Osteria B&B Casa Gala

Casa Gala, in the small square of Montecatini Alto, is two realities in one: a tavern (osteria) and a B&B with three rooms each furnished differently.

At the start of September, to rest up after the strains of the summer, we spent four days in Montecatini. And between drinking the waters, enjoying the thermal baths and short but torturous excursions by car to the small villages of the “Pesciantina Switzerland”, we actually did relax and had some fun.  At night it was obligatory to go out to eat and drink something good, if possible in some nice little place off the beaten track. The best such place was without a doubt Montecatini Alto (Upper). My advice to anyone who goes there is to not go by car but walk. After a few hundred meters you will come to the over-100-year-old funicular station and riding up in its tiny cars you can enjoy the typical landscape of the Tuscan country hills, covered in well-kept vineyards and olive groves.

Once at the top and after a short stroll you will come to a small square with several restaurants. Casa Gala is easily recognizable because it is the most unique, while at the same time still plain. Casa Gala is a classic inn with a tavern (osteria) and B&B accommodation with three rooms, each furnished differently. Up until recently it had five rooms but then the two rooms on the first floor were converted to host the osteria’s guests, allowing them a further option besides sitting outside or in the downstairs dining room.

The proprietor and chef is Simone Malucci who until a while ago was just the proprietor, before his constant dissatisfaction with the cuisine drove him, from one moment to another, to also serve as chef despite not having any formal training. I must confess that the results are excellent. His approach to food is perfectly aligned with the concept of what a tavern should offer and with the with furnishings his wife came up with for the whole building. The menu may be a bit too vast for a cuisine based on distinct flavors, substance and color. There is a lot of Tuscany in the dishes offered but also some concessions to traditional Italian and international cuisine.

We started off with the fried pasta bonbons on fiordilatte (cow’s milk mozzarella) straccciatella and Stilton cream with Cinta Senese pork jowl chips; caramelized bacon on a marinade of purple cabbage and sweet vegetables; and then had the classic Picio pasta but served as a carbonara with Tuscan guanciale. For our second course we had the Portafolgio (wallet) of rolled Cinta Senese filet with leeks, turmeric and the classic nutmeg mashed potatoes. For dessert I would not miss the Montecatini Cialda (waffle) with tiramisu.

The list of domestic wines was dominated by Tuscan ones with affordable prices but if you want something exceptional they have that, too. The list could be a bit longer but I have never seen one in the area so it maybe it’s a characteristics of the zone. The service, under the direction of Giovanni Magrini, is very laid back, warm and friendly but perhaps a bit slow when the place is packed but there is nothing to complain about. The same goes for the bill, really spot-on.

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