Rustica

As I write this blog post, I’m sat next to my girlfriend who is watching A Cinderella Story.

Now I could act cool and pretend I don’t know what is going to happen - but I’m fully aware that Chad Michael Murray will leave the high school football field to find Hilary Duff whilst Jimmy Eat World serenades the audience. Hilary Duff also has a music catalogue, and I would be lying if I said I don’t jam to it - her songs Come Clean and Wake Up both being relevant to this piece, but more on that later.

Strolling down the high street of the middle class, historic market town of Monmouth, you’ll spot a few places that make sense: Waitrose, Marks and Spencers, a cute kitchen supply store by the name of Salt and Pepper.

Pizza Express and Iceland stand out with their bulky branding and inability to fit onto the road subtly. Take a minor detour opposite Iceland and you will spot an alleyway - snicket for any Yorkshire readers - called Church Street. There are many independents here that catch the eye: Moko’s Mexican Restaurant, a Thai bistro, an oldest working theatre in Wales, a store that appears to sell tarot cards, and Rustica.

I was sent to Rustica in March on a judging assignment for their place as finalists in the national Italian Awards. This is the part where I come clean. Arriving at Rustica, I felt skeptical having never heard of them and perceiving myself as being in the know with eating out in the Monmouthshire county. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that genuinely authentic Italian restaurants I recommend in this area are few and further between than Spurs wins in 2026.

This place warmed my soul, and a few weeks after my first visit, Rustica was named best restaurant in Wales at the Italian Awards ceremony in Mayfair.

Owner/chef, Mirko, hails from Sardinia - his traditional Sardinian menu at Rustica changes every 3-months with the seasons, sourcing produce directly from the region. Do not come here if your idea of Italian food is a cream heavy carbonara. Mirko is providing an authentic taste of his home island in the Mediterranean.

*Gamberoni Trifolati (£10.50) starter arrives on piano paper*

Malloreddus (“little Sardinian gnocchi”), tagliolini, and pappardelle pastas, seafood, spiny tender artichokes, saffron, Italian sausages, and bottarga - salted, cured fish roe from grey mullet originally coming from Cabras, a small town on the western coast of the island - feature consistently throughout the menu.

Opening in April of 2025, this tiny restaurant currently has space for only four small tables, covering twelve at a squeeze - plus a bring your own booze policy due to no alcohol license (£2 per person).

Starters of dainty arancini packed with beef bolognese and saffron, plus bubbling hot parmigiana di melanzane with a plate of complimentary homemade bread begin the procession of being crowned by the Italian Awards.

Malloreddus alla Campidanese features small, ridged gnocchi, grooves crafted to cling onto the golden ragu of fennel sausage, tomato, saffron, and Pecorino.

Traditional Sardinian flatbread, pane carasau, is known as “piano paper” or “sheet music” in testament to it’s paper thin shape. This bread is double toasted, possessing a crispy, cracker like texture, serving as the base for many of Rustica’s dishes, allowing the juices from everything above to soak in. Tagliolini Gavo cements my feelings about Rustica - squid ink pasta, pistachio pesto, and prawns on a square of piano paper. A real winner of a dish.

It wouldn’t be an Italian restaurant without the mention of someone’s nonna. Torta de la nonna, typical of the Tuscany region, is a pastry cake filled with a wedge of thick custard. The tiramisu cheesecake is a touch heavy on coffee, but I’ll be up all night anyway thinking about this meal.

The tiny restaurant is full when we return early to our booking on a Friday evening in mid-April. So busy, that we need to perform a lap of Monmouth before taking our seat. Vicky and Mirko tell us they plan to relocate this summer - remaining in Monmouth - to a bigger venue with 50 covers and some outdoor seating. Mirko’s daughter will be helping in the kitchen as their work-load quadruples.

Any fears of this sequel trip being comparable to Jaws are quickly dashed, when pork polpette arrive at the table, studded and simmered in a tomato sauce. Pan fried prawns flashed and sizzled in white wine, spiked with garlic and chilli. It’s comforting and nourishing cooking.

The Risotto Rustica of artichokes, bottarga and clams, laced with yet more saffron, decorated with shards of piano paper. The rice is tender but the risotto could benefit from being slightly more relaxed.

The message of “wake up” holds more weight coming from Zack de la Rocha, instead of Hilary Duff. How can Pizza Express even be an option in Monmouth when Rustica is available?

Sen Bros