Meatball Molly's food is a knockout.
Baltic Market welcomed its newest trader, Polpetta, where it sits nestled in the far right corner of the venue. It's an authentic Italian restaurant covering all of the classics from spaghetti and meatballs (spaghetti polpetta), and fettuccini alfredo to street food variants including courgette fries and homemade crisps.
Polpetta is the Italian word for meatball so naturally it feels like a solid option to label Italian cuisine. It also happens to be the translated nickname of Liverpool's very own homegrown UFC superstar "Meatball" Molly McCann.
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The champion fighter has brought her long-awaited menu to reality with the help of her close friend Joel McCarthy, both of which conceptualised and materialised everything we see today.
Molly obtained her nickname after working in one of the UK's busiest Subways but as far as celebrity food goes, she doesn't have the same credits as Gordon Ramsey or Marco Pierre White when it comes to creating a restaurant. A new Italian place always perks up the ears but because this specific establishment belonged to a local fighter, I didn't know what to expect going to order.
After looking at the menu and deciding I wanted the majority of it, I settled for spaghetti polpetta (£11.95), a side of polpetta (£6.95) and a Caesar salad which included parmesan, pangrattato and fried capers (£5.95).
The demand for Molly's meatballs was through the roof and despite the expected wait for food to arrive, Molly could be seen darting around the venue ensuring her customers were happy with what was being delivered. She even took on some waiting duties, delivering the plates herself and getting hands-on in the kitchen.
Portion sizes met expectations given the cost and compared to other independent traders at the Baltic Market. Although I can't say for certain, the spaghetti feels homemade because of its taste and texture. From my first bite, it certainly didn't taste cheap or store-bought which is exactly what's expected from a venue marketing itself as authentic
The Caesar salad wasn't anything spectacular but that's what salad is. The dressing was tasty and overall quite filling however it was delivered more stacked than tossed. Given how busy Polpetta was for their opening night it's totally understandable that some pieces were potentially rushed and devoid of coating as they presumably wanted to deliver the food to hungry customers.
Arguably what every customer will order at least once, Molly's meatballs. Because this is such a key item on the menu, the stakes for this were high, especially given Molly is literally nicknamed after one. Luckily for her and the team, they were fantastic. The meat was juicy and fresh and melted in your mouth. With the rich tomato sauce, parmesan and gremolata, Molly's meatballs absolutely stand up to expectations.
The meal was filling and tasty though you could definitely order more if so inclined. Given this was the launch night, there are a few things that are naturally expected to go wrong though nothing felt out of place. The level of oil was noticeable in both meat plates but it feels like a teething problem in the grand scheme of things. The taste and overall impact from the food following my first experience has left me wanting to try more.
Meatball Molly's Polpetta venue is a strong newcomer to the Liverpool food scene and will probably only get better with time.
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